This page contains information and resources regarding online courses, Online Independent Study and Online Dual Credit, including:
Available online courses are listed on the SBU Class Schedules page.
If you are taking online classes in your fall or spring semester academic load, there are no additional fees beyond the usual full-time undergraduate tuition rate or any mandatory fees listed in the University Catalog. If you are a part-time student (11 credit hours or less), you will be charged the part-time tuition rate of $865.00 per credit hour, plus any mandatory fees as listed in the University Catalog.
Many students take online courses during Winterfest or summer terms, during which the cost is $350 per semester credit hour per course and a technology fee of $35 per term.
The current Online Independent Study rate is determined by which SBU campus you attend. Students taking OLIS courses who are not currently enrolled at SBU will be charged the Bolivar campus OLIS rate. There is a $25 nonrefundable processing fee per course.
You have four months to complete an Online Independent Study course but may request a two-month extension, which has a nonrefundable fee of $25.00 (per credit hour and per course). To request a two-month extension, please fill out the Course Extension Form and follow the directions listed there.
The tuition for Online Dual Credit is $95.00 per credit hour. A deposit of $100.00 is required with the submission of your application. The deposit will be placed on your account toward the tuition of the course.
Finance charges will be added to unpaid balances. Credit will not be granted for the course if you fail to pay the full tuition.
Southwest Baptist University accepts a variety of forms of payment for tuition and fees, such as cash, check, money order, or credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express; subject to an additional convenience fee). Payments can be made in person with the SBU cashier’s office, on the phone at (866) 837-5397 or online by logging into WebAdvisor through the MySBU student portal.
Federal grants and loans may be available for Online Learning or Online Independent Study through the SBU Office of Financial Aid. You must meet certain criteria and must be a degree-seeking student accepted and enrolled in a SBU program leading to an associate's, bachelor's, graduate or professional degree to be potentially eligible for federal financial aid. Students taking regular classroom courses along with some online study fit the criteria of degree-seeking students through SBU.
If you have further questions, call the SBU Office of Financial Aid at (417) 328-1822.
Online courses are delivered through Blackboard Learn®. Assignments, lessons, coursework, discussion forums, exams and more are delivered through the Blackboard system.
Some important technical requirements include:
If you have questions regarding technical requirements, contact the SBU Help Desk at (417) 328-1702 or helpdesk@SBUniv.edu.
Before your course begins, you will need to have your required textbooks, which are available from the SBU Bookstore. You may purchase textbooks from any source, but be sure that you acquire the specified edition of the book required for the course.
To find the materials you need through the SBU Bookstore website, search using the academic department code, course number, and one of the following section codes:
Please download the Withdrawal Information handout for information about tuition refunds and withdrawing from an online course.