Eligibility & Course Registration

What is DAU?

The Defense Acquisition University is a corporate university that was established by the Department of Defense (DoD). It is an educational activity that serves as a strategic tool in providing a global learning environment to develop qualified acquisition, requirements and contingency professionals who deliver and sustain effective and affordable warfighting capabilities. For additional information, please visit the About Us section of the website.

What are the eligibility guidelines to register for DAU courses?

A. All Service and DoD employees may attend DAU classes. The Services and DoD non-MILDEP agencies, through their Defense Acquisition Career Management offices (DACMs), have quotas in our classes. The DACMs establish priorities for their own military and civilian members, depending on such issues as whether a student is in an acquisition coded billet.

B. Non-DoD federal agency and Defense Industry Employees (Contractors) may attend DAU courses at no cost on a space available basis. There are some non-DoD and Defense Industry quotas in DAU courses; however designated quotas are not in every class at every location. Non-DoD applicants should understand that DoD and MILDEP employees have precedence over all non-DoD federal agency and Defense Industry employees except when there are specific quotas for these categories. This is particularly important in the case where a federal agency or defense industry employee is placed on a wait list, because all DoD and MILDEP employees are assigned a higher priority on the wait list even when they are added after the non-DoD and defense industry have been assigned a wait status.

C. International students (Contractor/Foreign Nationals) may apply as Defense Industry employees if they work for a US defense Industry corporation, they are foreign nationals who are in the foreign military sales program, or they are civilians employed by the Ministry of Defense of countries belonging to NATO.

NOTE: Individuals who DO NOT meet the eligibility requirements above are not authorized to register for DAU training.

Individuals who DO meet the eligibility requirements and require a student account and/or access to the Virtual Campus may use the New Student Job-Aid for assistance.

Do I need to be a DoD employee to register?

No – DAU training services are extended, on a space-available basis, to other United States government affiliations, including non-DoD federal agencies, members of the defense industry (DoD contractors), and international students (Foreign Local National, Foreign Military Sales, NATO).

It is important to note that DoD components have quotas in our courses. These quotas enable the Acquisition Training Office (ATO) of each military service and non-MILDEP agency to establish training priorities for their own workforce members, depending on several factors (e.g., if the employee is in an acquisition-coded billet or their position holds unique training requirements). In some cases, there are non-DoD federal and defense industry quotas; however, designated quotas are not available in every course at every location. Non-DoD applicants should understand that DoD and MILDEP employees have precedence over all non-DoD federal and defense industry employees (unless there are specific quotas in these categories). This is particularly important in the case where a federal agency or defense industry employee is placed on a wait list; DoD and MILDEP employees will always be processed off of the wait list first.

Is there any specific guidance for Foreign Local National (FLN), Foreign Military Sales (FMS), and NATO employees who need to complete DAU training?

FLN, FMS, and NATO employees may apply as Defense Industry employees if they work for a US defense Industry corporation, they are foreign nationals who are in the foreign military sales program, or they are civilians employed by the Ministry of Defense of countries belonging to NATO.

A. You must have a DoD CAC or a DAUID to submit the DAU SAAR.

B. If you do not have a DAUID, you must submit your EIN to the DAUHelp Desk so a DAUID can be created for you.

C. If you do not have an EIN, you must send an email to Industry.Registrar@dau.edu to obtain one.

D. Additional information about this process is available on the FLN Account Creation page.

Are there any courses available to the general public?

Not at this time.

Where can I view a list of training products/courses?

The DAU iCatalog is an online resource that provides information about the various foundational learning products that are offered by the university.

Is DAU accredited?

Yes – The Defense Acquisition University is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. DAU is also an International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET) Authorized Provider. For additional information, please visit the About Us section of the website.

Enrollment Procedures

How do I obtain a DAU account to register for courses as a new student?

To get started, you will need to submit a DAU SAAR. Please use the New Student Job-Aid for assistance in obtaining an account.

I am a current/returning student and would like guidance on how to register for a course on the DAU Virtual Campus.

Follow the guidance below to register for an Online Training Course:

1. Login to the Virtual Campus.
2. Mouse over the Learning menu at the top and select Browse for Training.
3. Select the Browse All button on the right.
4. Use the Training and Subject filters on the left to minimize the course results.

5. Once you've located your desired course, click the course title.
NOTE: If this is your first time taking the course, the "Open Curriculum" button will be displayed. Please select that option.

NOTE: If you're previously completed the course, you will see one of two options. Select the "Request" button OR the down arrow to the right side of the "View Certificate" button and choose "Register".

6. Thereafter, you will be redirected to your Active Transcript where you can start the course.

I am unable to locate FAC047 in the Virtual Campus. Is this course still available or has it been replaced by another course?

Please be advised that FAC047 (Micro-purchases and Section 508 Requirements) has been retired from DAU. Students may complete this course at https://section508.gov/training. CLPs will not automatically be credited after completing the course. Students will have to request the points be manually added by contacting their Acquisition Career Manager.

Do I register for Resident/Classroom training in the Virtual Campus?

No - You will need to access your agency-specific site to register for resident/classroom courses. For assistance submitting an application on your agency's website, please contact your Registrar.
**ALERT** You MUST manually update your profile within DAU if you made ANY CHANGES when applying for a DAU Classroom/VILT course. Please follow the information on the Student Profile Guidance page for assistance in making the necessary changes.

Please be advised that access to the DoD Organization registration sites require you to be on a .MIL domain and you must have a DoD Common Access Card (CAC).

NOTE to DAU EMPLOYEES - Use the guidance below to access the DATMS Registration Portal while on the DAU Network.
DAU Access DATMS Instructions

How do I cancel my resident/classroom course reservation?

If you are not able to attend your class, you must officially cancel your reservation through the agency-specific site you used to apply. DAU has no user rights to cancel your seat in a class. If you don't cancel your application, your status will be marked as "no show" and you will incur any academic penalty mandated by your Registrar.

Wait List for Resident/Classroom Courses

Can I attend a VILT (Virtual Instructor Led Training) course as a Walk-in due to the changes implemented for COVID-19?

Due to the seriousness of COVID-19, DAU is making every effort to convert its classroom training to virtual online instructor led training (VILT). For those classes that are converted, students with reservations remain enrolled. At this time, classes that are being converted are primarily full; and in some cases, DAU is trying to reduce the class size for many of the classes from 30-36 students down to 20-24 students. Due to the rapid pace of converting classes and the challenge of learning new course delivery technologies on short notice, DAU faculty are finding it difficult to instruct more than 24-30 students at one time in a virtual online instructor led training environment. Additionally, technology checks must be conducted prior to the class start date, unfortunately, it is too time consuming to perform these checks on the first day of class for walk-in students. That being said, at this time, walk-ins are not being accepted for classes that are being converted to VILT due to the COVID situation.

I was placed on a wait list for my Resident/Classroom course. How will this impact my request for enrollment?

The Services and DoD non-MILDEP agencies, through their Acquisition Training Offices (ATOs), have quotas in our classes. The ATOs establish priorities for their own military and civilian members, depending on several factors (e.g., if the student is in an acquisition-coded billet and their position requirements). If you are placed on a wait list, this means that all of the seats allotted to your organization have been occupied. If other organizations do not fill all of their allotted positions in the course, those seats will be opened to students on the waiting list.

If you do not receive an official reservation nearing the classroom start-date, you have two options available to you:

1. As there are often last minute vacancies, instructors will often allow "walk-ins" to fill any available seats in the classroom. Walk-in students are NOT guaranteed a seat, but they may be considered for admission once all registered students have been processed into the course. Walk-in students will then be seated based upon their position on the wait list. This is determined by their priority and the date/time their application was processed via the registration system. It is also required for walk-in students to provide documented evidence, sufficient for the instructor, that all course prerequisite requirements have been met.

2. You may choose to submit an application for another offering of the course that occurs at a later date. Please be aware you may be on the wait list for multiple offerings of the same course. Once a reservation occurs, your “wait” position for any additional offerings will be cancelled.

NOTE: As the ATOs register their own members, DAU has no control over training/wait list priorities. Please feel free to consult your component’s registration help desk for further assistance in this regard.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Course Eligibility & Registration

How do I obtain a DAU account to register for courses as a new student?

How do I cancel my resident/classroom course reservation?