Once Accepted

Course Credit from Abroad

Students participating in an exchange, third-party partner organization or Hessen program must have all the courses they plan to take pre-approved by a UMassD academic department as well as the chairperson of their major. This process is conducted online. Please note you must complete this process for EACH COURSE you propose to take abroad.

While abroad, if the student's schedule changes they should use the same online process to get additional course approvals.

If a student takes any courses abroad for which there is not an approval, they will need to complete a Retroactive Course Approval Form that requires the signatures of their Department and College. By not having courses pre-approved, students run the risk of not receiving credit for their coursework abroad.

Study Abroad Grade Policy

Study Abroad credits are considered to be “in residence.” Study Abroad courses are given equivalent letter grades for courses earning a grade of A+ through C-. A grade of NC is awarded when the course receives a UMass Dartmouth-equivalent grade below C-, or for any case that has not been approved by the academic major chairperson. Letter grades earn the credit stipulated for the course but do not affect the GPA. NC grades are shown on the transcript but do not affect the GPA.

The exception to the above grading system occurs:

• When UMass Dartmouth courses are offered abroad (either entire courses or portions of courses). In this case, regular UMass Dartmouth grading prevails for UMass Dartmouth students. Students may elect the P/F option as with any other UMass Dartmouth courses, following the normal P/F rules.
• When an exchange agreement or other curriculum requirement specifies that a course taken abroad will use the regular UMass Dartmouth grading system.

At the conclusion of the study abroad course, students will take responsibility for submitting a transcript or other official record of the results of the study abroad course.

Air Ticket Purchase

Generally, air tickets are arranged and purchased by the student (for faculty-led programs, travel arrangements are coordinated by the university). Students may purchase tickets anywhere, online or through a travel agency.

Pre-Departure Orientation

All students participating in a study abroad program are expected to participate in a mandatory study abroad orientation presented by the International Programs Office near the end of each semester. Contact the IPO for details on the upcoming session.