Adult Upgrading
VVS provides a wide selection of courses that offer students the flexibility to complete an Alberta high school diploma, upgrade their course marks, learn new skills, or fulfill post-secondary requirements. As an Alberta Education-accredited school, all high school courses taken with VVS will be recognized on a student’s myPass account and Alberta transcript.
All VVS courses are asynchronous which means that students do not attend a class at a specific time, rather they complete their assignments according to the schedule outlined by their course teachers. This allows students to work at their own pace and around other commitments, while also having an outline to help them stay organized and motivated.
AM I AN ADULT LEARNER?
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 1-12 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 ADULT STUDENTS
You are brand new to Vista Virtual School. You do not currently have, or ever had, an enrollment at any school in the Pembina Hills School Division.
For the 2024/2025 school year and following school years, adult learners will be on a semester-system. Before starting your application, please review our Registration Checklist. This will ensure that you have all the necessary information before registering. Note: you must be a resident of Alberta at the time of registration.
Check out our Diploma Requirements page to determine which courses you need to earn your diploma.
EXISTING ADULT STUDENTS
You are currently attending Vista Virtual School or any other school in the Pembina Hills School Division.
If you are already enrolled with Vista Virtual School and need to request courses for semester 2, please follow these instructions:
- Please log-in to your SchoolEngage account and fill out this form: Vista Virtual School RETURNING STUDENT SEMESTER 2 Registration Form (Grades 10-12).
FIRST SEMESTER IMPORTANT DATES
*Please note that these are tentative dates and are subject to change
- Runs from – August 28 to January 21
- UPDATED! Deadline to request 3- and 5-credit courses – November 4 by 3:00 p.m. MST
- UPDATED! Deadline to request 1-credit courses – November 29 by 3:00 p.m. MST
SECOND SEMESTER IMPORTANT DATES
*Please note that these are tentative dates and are subject to change
- Runs from – January 28 – June 26
- Registration opens – December 2 at 9:00 a.m. MST
- UPDATED! Deadline to request 3- and 5-credit courses – March 24 by 3:00 p.m. MST
- UPDATED! Deadline to request 1-credit courses – April 7 by 3:00 p.m. MST
Those looking to withdraw from a course must fill out and submit a Course Withdrawal Request Form. Students under 18 must have their withdrawal form filled out by a parent or guardian.
*Visit our Adult Summer School page for important dates related to the summer term.
COURSE COMPLETION DEADLINES AND EXTENSION POLICY
For Students Registered in The 2024/2025 School Year
In our new Student Information System, PowerSchool, adult students follow a semester system. If you are in semester one and need extra time to complete your course(s), you can re-register for the same course in the next semester for a $250 fee. This option is not available to semester two or summer students.
To re-register for your Semester one course in Semester two, complete the Vista Virtual School RETURNING STUDENT Semester 2 Registration Form (Grades 10-12) starting December 2. Simply log in to your SchoolEngage account to access the form when it becomes available.
For Students Who Were Registered Before April 30, 2024
Adult learners have up to six months to complete core courses or 3- or 5-credit elective courses, and up to three months to complete 1-credit elective courses.
If an adult student needs a course extension, they may submit a practical completion plan to their teacher for approval. Once approved, a fee of $100 will be charged to extend the course for an additional three months. A maximum of two extensions is allowed for each course. This policy enables adult students enrolled in 3- or 5-credit core or elective courses to have up to one calendar year to finish the course, while 1-credit elective courses can be completed within a maximum of 9 months.
- Any requests for extensions must be made before the end of their six-month (core or 3- and 5-credit elective courses) or three-month (1-credit elective courses) course period. This means students have the opportunity for up to two extensions, but they must still complete the course within the one-year (core or 3- and 5-credit elective courses) or nine month (1-credit elective courses) time frame.
COURSE CATALOGUE
SCHOOL EXAMS
School exams are defined as your course’s midterm and final exams. Please note that students in 30-level courses must write final exams AND diploma exams. To learn more about exam supervision options for midterm and final exams, please visit our Exams page.
Adult students who are registered with VVS must write their diploma exams under the school’s supervision on the dates specified by the Government of Alberta.
MATERIALS & FEES
Please review our Policies page as some of our policies have changed.
Adult learners who wish to enroll in courses at VVS will be required to pay tuition fees based on $150 per credit.
Students may choose to purchase textbooks and other materials from VVS or any other available source. Textbooks and other materials are fully refundable if they are returned within 30 days of course completion or withdrawal and returned in reusable condition. For more information, please refer to our Refund Policy.
- Our Course Catalogue provides a complete list of materials along with their pricing. For those who need their materials shipped to them, our Shipping Policy provides details on pricing.
Full payment is required within 48 hours of registration application processing. Third-party payers may cover course costs for adult students, however, VVS courses are not eligible for Foundational Learning Assistance Program funding. Once payment is received, the Finance Department will send an invoice to the contact provided on the registration application, and the student will be enrolled.
Fees for Adult Students
*tuition fees are based on $150 per credit
Current Cost
Tuition for a 5-credit course $750.00
Tuition for a 3-credit course $450.00
Tuition for a 1-credit course $150.00
Three Month Course Extension (applicable to students who were enrolled before April 30, 2024). $100.00
Re-registration Fee (applicable to adult students registered for the 2024/2025 school year) $250.00
**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. A statement of VVS expenses at VVS can be accessed in the SIS Student Ledger.
CONTACT US
If you have questions regarding course selection to obtain your high school diploma email vvadults@pembinahills.ca or contact one of our Academic Counsellors:
Lori Goetjen-Lienau
1-855-974-5333 x7211
lori.goetjen-lienau@pembinahills.ca
Schedule an appointment: Goetjen-Lienau Appointment Booking
School-Aged and Adult Students
Christina MacMillan
Email: christina.macmillan@pembinahills.ca
Phone: 1-855-974-5333 x7207
Schedule an appointment: MacMillan Appointment Booking
For registration or other general inquiries, please call 1-855-974-5333 x5317 or email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca
If you are currently working, and need to complete your general studies to receive your diploma, you can receive up to 21 credits by completing work experience courses.
What do I need to do to receive credit?
Approval from your VVS off-campus coordinator or academic counsellor is required prior to enrollment. You must arrange to enroll in Work Experience 25 (OTH2998), Work Experience 35 (OTH3998), and Career Internship 10 (OTH1910) – if applicable.
The counsellor will verify the credits you need and assist you to enrol in the required courses. Workplace Safety Systems (HCS3000) is also a required prerequisite.
Can I choose this option instead of core course requirements to graduate?
No. If you need to complete specific courses, including English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Career and Life Management, and/or Physical Education, these still are required and cost $150 per course credit.
This option is only available to adult students that need general credits, and can achieve these credits through a work experience program.
What does this cost?
Course tuition for adult enrollments is capped at $750 for up to 20 credits of work experience and career internship courses.
The student also must complete the Workplace Safety Systems (1 credit) course prior to enrollment—the cost for that course is $150.
How am I evaluated?
Students in a work experience course are supervised by an employer’s on-site supervisor and the VVS off-campus coordinator. You must have a work agreement and learning plan with your employer, and the off-campus coordinator must complete a worksite inspection.
Plan to put in 25 hours of logged work for each course credit up to 15 total credits as work experience, and 5 credits as a career intern.