Education Beyond WNE
Western New England University offers a variety of online courses through Acadeum, a consortium of like-minded accredited colleges and universities that share online course offerings. A course taken through this consortium is considered institutional credit and will impact student grade-point averages just like a WNE course.
View Approved Online Consortium Course Offerings
Students must click the link, sign up for an account using their WNE student email, and register for pre-approved courses. Please note that all registrations are still dependent on WNE approval on a student-by-student basis. If you have any questions please contact Enrollment Services at acadeum@wne.edu or 413-796-2080.
Consortial courses are transcribed on the student’s WNE transcript, making it possible for:
- financial aid (summer aid is typically limited to Pell Grants for those who qualify)
- students to have an opportunity to improve the cumulative GPA by a substituting consortial course grade when the course is eligible for course repeat
- to count the course(s) towards part- or full-time status and residency requirements
Approving Courses
The Dean’s Offices, Department Chairs, and the University Registrar collaborate to approve a list of consortial courses to make available to students. In choosing courses, they review course syllabi, faculty credentials, and additional assessment of learning outcomes data.
A student can request courses in two ways:
- Through the student portal (requires login to the College Consortium Platform)
- Through the Dean’s Office (particularly for courses that are not in the student portal but that a student may need)
Approving Student Requests
WNE will review the student’s course request through the consortium platform while taking into consideration eligibility (e.g., does the student need the course, is the student on a financial or other hold, have prerequisites been met, is the course already being offered at WNE, etc.) and will either approve or deny the request. To help with this process, students should enter in the comments section the reason for taking an Acadeum Course.
Communication to Students about Requests
After a student submits an Acadeum Course request, the student’s Dean’s Office will send one of two e-mail communications:
- Denied, which may require the student to respond with additional information
- Approved, which gives the student information about the course
Course Billing and Student Payment
WNE will bill the student for courses taken through the consortium. The student pays WNE’s tuition and fee rates for all Acadeum courses.
Refunds
Once a student enrolls in a course offered through the consortium, the student agrees to pay the amount of tuition billed. There are no refunds granted after the first class meeting.