GVSU Partnership/ Non-GVSU Program Academic Policies
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Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the university policies and procedures relating to study abroad before departure. Any misunderstanding or disputes should be settled before going abroad, as it is much more difficult to resolve such matters after.
Credit/ Non-Credit
1) All courses taken abroad will transfer back to GVSU as "credit or no credit". Credit will be granted for those courses in which the student earns a grade equialent to a C or better. GVSU policy allows students to take a maximum of 10 semester hours on a CR/NC basis during their academic career. Courses taken abroad do not count towards this limit. Additionally, courses taken abroad will not impact your GPA at GVSU. You should, however, be aware that future employers, graduate schools, and fellowship committees will likely request transcripts from all institutions that they have received transfer credit from. This includes grades received during a study abroad experience.
2) Students are not eligible to audit study abroad courses.
3. Courses taken abroad cannot be used to repeat or replace the grade for a course previously taken on-campus.
4. All students approved by the PIC for participation in study abroad will be required to register at GVSU during the term they will be overseas. GVSU policy states that a student must take their final 30 credit hours at GVSU to complete their degree. Since a student is still registered at GVSU while abroad, this policy is waived.
Study Abroad Credit Form 3) Students must complete the "Study Abroad Credit Form" prior to departure for their study abroad program. (If all classes that you intend to take abroad, including class alternatives, have been pre-equated on the PIC website, you do not need to complete this form.) The completion of this form indicates that a GVSU faculty member has reviewed the descriptions of the courses that a students intends to take abroad. It is common for course selections to change once a student has arrived at their host university. If that is the case, you should work with PIC to get connected to a faculty member that can review and approve your courses prior to final registration. In an effort to ensure good communication, this form requires the signature of the student, the student's academic advisor, and the Padnos International Center staff.
It is wise to keep copies of all of your academic work and any evaluation you received while abroad- including syllabi and reading lists.
4) If changes are made to the Study Abroad Credit Form without GVSU authorization, departmental academic credit cannot be guaranteed.GVSU authorization must be obtained from the department of the student's major and the department in which credit is earned. It is the responsibility of all study abroad participants to ensure that all courses taken abroad have the appropriate approvals. This responsibility does not fall on the Padnos International Center or anyone else at GVSU.
Transcripts
6) Study Abroad Participants are responsible for ensuring that an official transcript from his/her program is sent to the Padnos International Center.
Transcripts should be sent to the following address: 7) All students are required to maintain full-time academic status for the duration of their study abroad program (excluding spring/summer participants).Therefore, semester and academic year students must transfer back a minimum of 12 U.S. credits per semester.
There is a maximum of four full-time semesters allowed for students participating in study abroad programs where credit can be transferred back to GVSU from a host university. Courses taken via GVSU faculty-led programs do not count toward this limit.
IS380 Course Registration
For Spring/Summer participants: When registering for IS380, you must be register for the exact number of credits you plan to transfer back from your study abroad program.
Many students participate in programs where tuition is not paid directly to GVSU. In this case, the process is as follows: 1) A student registers at GVSU for IS 380.
2) After the student registers, the Padnos International Center can apply a tuition credit to the GVSU student account, so the tuition balance due to GVSU is $0.
3) Once all charges and credits are applied to the GVSU Student Account, a check or a bill will be prepared to balance out any excess funding or deficits to the account.
This process does take some time and requires coordinating between various on-campus offices. It is very important for you to register on time! Delaying your registration impacts PIC's ability to apply appropriate tuition credits and charges to your student account in a timely manner.
Students participating in a study abroad program in which tuition is paid to GVSU should not delay registration. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to receive a bill and get your financial aid in order. In order to avoid complications with financial aid and late registration, we ask all study abroad students to adhere to the following registration deadlines.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please set up an appointment with Rebecca Hambleton in the Padnos International Center.
Also, keep in mind that your IS 380 credit will remain as "Incomplete" until we receive your transcript from abroad as well, which will not take place until after you have returned. If you are hoping to register at a certain academic status (i.e. currently a sophomore, wanting to register as a junior for the fall), you may not be able to do so. Plan ahead so there are no surprises. It is harder to deal with these situations once you are abroad.
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Page last modified July 24, 2012
