About the Training Requirement

All incoming first-year and transfer students are required to complete an alcohol and drug prevention training as part of BU’s commitment to wellbeing.

We recognize that not all BU students choose to use alcohol or other drugs. However, we each play a role in creating a safe and healthy environment for all members of our community. This training will share important information to help you make informed decisions about alcohol and drug use, learn ways to help others, and become aware of the resources on campus to support substance use and recovery.

This training is a University Compliance requirement. Students who do not complete Part 1 of the training are withheld from using the course planner and registering for classes during their second semester of coursework.

If you have concerns about completing the training due to its content, a waiver can be confidentially requested through Student Health Services’ PatientConnect portal. More information can be found here.

How to Complete the Training

Your training assignment

If you’re an incoming first-year or transfer student, you are required to complete AlcoholEdu for College.

How to access the training

You’ll receive an email and login link when it’s time to complete your training. Look for an email from “BU Wellness Courses” beginning at the following times:

  • Fall students will receive an email in mid-August
  • Spring students will receive an email in early January
  • Summer students will receive an email in late May

Training Deadlines

Fall-Start Students Spring-Start Students 
You will become non-compliant with the University on October 15 if you have not completed the training.

Online students will become non-compliant with the University on November 15.

 You will become non-compliant with the University on March 1 if you have not completed the training.

Online students will become non-compliant with the University on April 5.

How to see if you met the requirement

You can confirm that you completed training and met your Compliance requirement on the MyBU Student Portal:

  • Log into MyBU Student Portal 
  • Go to “My Health & Wellbeing” on the top menu bar
  • Select “Check Compliance Status” on the Quick Links list

Please Note: It can take 24 hours for your compliance status to update 

Tips for Taking the Training

  • Take the training in the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Explorer, Safari, iOS, and Android
  • Change your preferred language for certain videos and closed captions, if desired.
  • You can complete the training in sections. Be sure to complete a section before closing the browser. Otherwise you may need to repeat that section the next time you log in.
  • The surveys are private. BU does not see students’ individual answers.
  • Take care of yourself with breaks, privacy, or by being near others.

Help is available

Most technical issues can be fixed through the following troubleshooting tips.

If you are accessing training from a computer:

  • Restart your browser or try a different browser. Note: On a Mac you’ll need to fully quit the browser.
  • Make sure you are using a recent version of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari. If you have any pending updates, they may need to be completed to move forward with training.
  • Clear your browser’s cache & cookies, which are typically located under your browser’s history settings.
  • It is possible that device-specific browser extensions and/or pop-up blockers may be interfering with your training. Try accessing the training from another browser to rule out this possibility.
  • If you’re stuck within the training, your screen may be zoomed in too much – causing you to miss the prompt or navigation button. To zoom out on a PC or Chromebook, hit “control 0 (zero). On a Mac, hit “command 0 (zero)”

If you are accessing training from a mobile device:

  • The trainings are compatible with many mobile devices; however, some students may have personal configurations that prevent certain courses from loading.
  • Some custom and policy courses are best displayed on a computer. If you are experiencing difficulty loading our training on a personal device, try accessing the courses through a laptop or desktop computer

If you’re still experiencing technical issues, help is available through our training vendor, Vector Solutions:

Please note: Phone and online ticket support is available Monday through Friday between 8:00am – 6:00pm EST

More FAQs

Read more frequently asked questions (FAQs)