Adult Upgrading

VVS offers a wide range of semester-based online courses designed to help students complete an Alberta high school diploma, upgrade marks, develop new skills, or meet post-secondary requirements. Students complete assignments and activities according to the schedule provided by their teachers. This flexibility helps students manage their time and commitments while staying on track with their education.

• Asynchronous delivery: no live classes
• Core and elective courses available: courses taken at VVS are recorded on your Alberta transcript and MyPass
• Each 5-credit course requires about 8 hours/week of work.
• All assessments are submitted through Moodle

For a complete list of available courses and required materials, visit our Course Catalogue.

AM I AN ADULT LEARNER?

What’s my student type?

Alberta students 20 years of age, or older, as of September 1 of the current school year, are considered Adult learners and should read through this page for their enrollment options.

Alberta students 19 years of age, or younger, as of September 1 of the current school year are classified as school-aged students and should refer to our Grades 10-12 page for their enrollment options.

For more information about academic upgrading for adult learners, visit the Academic upgrading if you are 20 or older Alberta Government webpage.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

NEW STUDENTS

If you are new to Vista Virtual School and have never been enrolled in a Pembina Hills School Division school, here’s what you need to know before registering:

• You must be an Alberta resident at the time of registration.
• Make sure you meet all of the eligibility requirements listed.
• Visit our Diploma Requirements page to determine which courses you need to graduate.

Ready to Register? Visit our Registrations page to create a SchoolEngage account and complete a registration form.

RETURNING STUDENTS

You are already enrolled at Vista Virtual School and need to request courses for semester 1:

1. Log in to your SchoolEngage account.
2. Fill out the relevant form when it becomes available. Forms for semester-one 2025/2026 registration will be available on June 23.

If you have already submitted your semester 1 registration and need to add courses:

1. Log in to your SchoolEngage account.
2. Complete the Vista Virtual School COURSE ADD/SWITCH/WITHDRAWAL FORM

Please DO NOT create a new SchoolEngage account as this will create delays in processing your request. 

FIRST SEMESTER IMPORTANT DATES: 2025/2026

• Runs from – August 27, 2025, to January 27, 2026
• Registration opens – June 23, 2025
• Deadline to request 1-, 3- and 5-credit courses – October 6, 2025
• Deadline to withdraw to be eligible for a tuition refund (Unfortunately, tuition refunds cannot be issued for withdrawals requested after this date) – November 14, 2026

MATERIALS, FEES, AND REFUNDS

Full payment is required within 72 hours of registration processing. VVS can accept payment from third party payer organizations that agree to cover course and/or material costs for a student, however, VVS courses are not eligible for Foundational Learning Assistance Program funding.

*UPDATED* REGISTRATION FEES

Adult learners who wish to enroll in courses at VVS will be required to pay tuition fees based on $175 per credit. 

TEXTBOOK AND MATERIAL FEES

Students may choose to order textbooks and other materials from VVS or any other available source. A complete list of materials along with their pricing can be found in our Course Catalogue. Textbooks and other materials are fully refundable if they are returned within 30 days of course completion or withdrawal and returned in reusable condition.

*UPDATED* COURSE SWITCH FEE

A non-refundable $25 fee will be applied to any course change requests made after your original registration form has been processed. If you submit a Course Additions/Changes/Withdrawals form requesting a course switch, the fee will be added to your ledger and must be paid before we will proceed with withdrawing the original course and adding the new course.

Important: Starting in the 2025–2026 school year, the fee will be charged per course switch, not per form.
Example: If you switch from Bio 20 to Chem 20 and from English 20-1 to Social Studies 20-1, you will be charged $50 (2 switches x $25). To avoid any delays with your registration, please carefully review your course selections at the time of completing your original registration form. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to an academic counsellor.

*NEW* TECHNOLOGY FEE

Starting in the 2025/2026 school year, all students in the Pembina Hills School Division will be charged a $35 technology fee at the time of registration.

SHIPPING FEES

For those who need their materials shipped to them, our Shipping Policy provides details on pricing.

REFUNDS

Information regarding refunds can be found in our Refund Policy.

Fees for Adult Students *tuition fees are based on $175 per credit
	Current Cost
Tuition for a 5-credit course	$875.00
Tuition for a 3-credit course	$525.00
Tuition for a 1-credit course	$175.00
Re-registration Fee	$250.00
Technology Fee	$30.00
Course Switch Fee	$25.00
Diploma Sitting Fee	$60.00

**VVS does not issue Tax Receipts (T2202) – they are only issued by post-secondary institutions. VVS high school upgrading courses are not usually tax deductible. 

CONTACT US

If you have questions regarding course selection to obtain your high school diploma email vvadults@pembinahills.ca or contact:

Lori Goetjen-Lienau
1-855-974-5333 x7211
lori.goetjen-lienau@pembinahills.ca
Schedule an appointment: Goetjen-Lienau Appointment Booking

For registration or other general inquiries, please call 1-855-974-5333 x5317 or email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca