Study abroad students will work with their advisors (major, minor, study abroad and four year) to ensure their courses transfer back appropriately, maintain their full-time Case Western Reserve University registration and student status while abroad, and maintain awareness of the academic policies for study abroad course transfer.
These links navigate to each of those categories:
- Transferring Study Abroad Credit
- Course Registration at Case Western Reserve
- Academic Policies for Study Abroad
Transferring Study Abroad Credit
To ensure timely graduation, students should meet with their advisor to decide upon an academic plan. This plan will help students make the most informed decision on the timing of their study abroad program. Some CWRU departments have created Discipline-Specific Programs to make determining when and where students should go abroad much simpler.
Course Approval Process
After students apply through the Program Search Engine and their eligibility to study abroad has been confirmed, students should begin working on getting course approvals. Overseas courses are approved by Case Western Reserve Academic Representatives, only. See the list of Academic Representatives.
Academic Representatives approve courses by signing the student's Course Approval Form (a shared Google file--see a sample Course Approval Form). Google tracks form edits; signatures are verified.
Instructions:
- Copy the Course Approval Form to their Google Drive and fill out the top section about themselves and the first column with the courses they wish to take abroad. Then:
- Email the edit link of their Course Approval Form to the appropriate academic representative (i.e., if requesting approval for a statistics course, email the Math academic representative)
- Give faculty time to respond to your email! Contacting faculty multiple times does not make the course approval process move quicker. Instead, it takes away time they could be spending approving your course. Students should reach out to their study abroad advisor for advice.
- Include the syllabus for the listed overseas course(s) in their email to the representative (study abroad advisors can assist with acquiring syllabi)
- Provide the academic representative with a suggested Case Western Reserve course match. Matches can be generic transfer credit if no exact match exists, but must include a department name and number, ex: ANTH 300TR
- Request that the academic representative write their name next to the course. Since Google tracks who accesses and edits Google Drive files, this will count as their signature.
- Have their academic and study abroad advisor sign the form
- Download the signed Google drive file, then upload it to their study abroad application
- Note that students should get more courses approved than they intend to take abroad in case of time conflicts, etc.
- Complete this process as early as possible and by the deadline (in the semester immediately prior to study abroad, forms are due on the Friday before final exams. Ex: The course approval form for a spring semester study abroad is due in right before finals in the preceding fall semester.)
If students take a course abroad without securing prior approval from the appropriate academic representative, there is no guarantee that the course will transfer as desired--or at all.
Course Registration at CWRU (in SIS)
In addition to registering for courses at their study abroad institution and securing course approvals from Case Western Reserve academic representatives, students who study abroad for a semester or academic year will register for a study abroad course at Case Western Reserve on the Student Information System (SIS).
Most students will register for EDAB 1 for their semester abroad. If students participate in a yearlong study abroad program, they will register for EDAB 2 in their second semester of the yearlong program.
Registration in SIS requires permission. In order to be granted permission, students must have certain items completed in their study abroad application, all of which are only available after students have been accepted to study abroad with Case Western Reserve. These items are:
- Complete required educational and cultural learning
- Upload a copy of their passport photo page
- Sign the academic policies (see below)
Once these items are complete and permission has been requested in SIS by the student, their study abroad advisor will grant permission. Students must then go back into SIS to complete their registration for the study abroad course.
The study abroad course (EDAB 1, 2, etc.) is graded Pass or No Pass and counts for the Local and Global Engagement perspective. In order to pass, students must:
- Ensure their transcript reaches the Office of Education Abroad at their mailing (see below) or email address (studyabroad@case.edu) by the deadline for prior term I grade removal (as established by the Case Western Reserve academic calendar)--note that this also means students will retain an I grade, an Incomplete, until their transcript is received by the Office of Education Abroad.
- Complete the study abroad post program evaluation about their study abroad experience by the due dates below. The Office of Education Abroad will email the link to the evaluation a few months in advance of these dates:
- August 1 for students abroad for the spring semester or academic year
- January 15 for students abroad for the fall semester or calendar year
- September 1 for students abroad at an overseas institution for summer
Academic Policies
Case Western Reserve University’s policies and requirements for study abroad course transfer are outlined below and in a signature document which students receive and sign once they are accepted into a study abroad program.
For Students Participating in Semester/Academic Year Programs:
- I understand that the only way to guarantee a course from an overseas institution will transfer back to Case Western Reserve is to complete and turn in the Course Approval Form to the Office of Education Abroad before I leave for my study abroad program.
- I understand that credits from abroad undergo a conversion before they are transferred to Case Western Reserve and that the overseas course may transfer back as more or less credits than its Case Western Reserve equivalent. It is my responsibility to refer to my program's application page for this information and to make sure I understand it.
- I understand that if I take course(s) that are not on the Course Approval Form, they are subject to review by the corresponding department's academic representative(s), which may result in courses not being transferred.
- I understand that I need to get an evaluative letter grade of C or better in order for the courses to be transferred; a course graded as C- or lower or a course that does not award a letter grade (ex: P/NP courses) will not transfer.
- I understand that all courses taken abroad will be transfer credit, which does not factor into my Case Western Reserve GPA.
- I understand that if I am studying in a single location where English is not an official language for at least a semester, I must take a course that advances my skills in a language of the host country during each semester of study abroad, provided such courses are available; this may be a course of language instruction or a course taught in a language of the host country. (Note: This requirement does not apply to summer study abroad programs.)
- I understand that I need to stay in good academic standing and full time student status while studying abroad, which includes taking a full load of courses. I understand that I must transfer back to CWRU the equivalent of at least 12 US credits.
- I affirm that I am currently in good academic standing. I understand that if I fall out of good academic standing between my acceptance and the beginning of my study abroad program, I will be ineligible for study abroad.
- If I study abroad during my senior year, I understand that I must meet the senior residency requirement in order to graduate on time. I must check this requirement with Undergraduate Studies before studying abroad.
- I will request that my transcript(s) be sent to the Office of Education Abroad after my study abroad program.
- I understand that credits earned abroad will not be processed by the Office of Education Abroad until the office has received my transcript(s) from abroad and that this process may take a few months to a full semester. If I study abroad during my senior year, I will likely extend my graduation date commensurately.
- I understand that I can receive no more than 38 hours of transfer credit after matriculation.
- I understand that at least half of the coursework I complete for my major, minor, and breadth requirements must be completed at CWRU.
Additional or Different Policies for Students Participating in Summer Programs:
- I understand that my summer study abroad program must be at least three weeks long.
- I understand that I can receive no more than a total of 15 hours of transfer credit from summer study in the United States or my home country.
- The language requirement does not apply to summer programs.