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Academics Upon Return

Processing Study Abroad Transcripts and Courses

Once the Office of Education Abroad (OEA) receives a study abroad transcript, the process of transferring those courses begins. Note that overseas institutions and programs can take several weeks to a few months to finalize and send transcripts. Students should check with their program on their timeline and to ensure their official transcript is sent directly to the OEA.

Step 1

The OEA compares the student's transcript to their course approval form to make sure all courses taken abroad have been approved for transfer by an appropriate academic representative.

  • Note that students should get all study abroad courses approved for transfer even if they do not "need" them for degree requirements.
  • If any courses have not been approved, students will be informed via email that this information is missing and must be submitted immediately. Note that all courses should be approved before studying abroad to ensure timely graduation.
  • The absolute latest date students can turn in course approvals are as follows:
    • Fall and Academic Year programs - April 15
    • Spring and Summer programs - December 1

Step 2

The OEA sends to Undergraduate Advising Support the study abroad transcript and courses at the deadline and Undergraduate Studies reviews and begins the process of manually inputting those courses into the student's SIS course history.

  • Students must receive the equivalent of a U.S. "C" or better in order for any course to transfer (Students can check what equates to a U.S. "C" on their program's Academics tab)
  • Courses are transfer credit and do not affect the student's CWRU GPA: A "C" or better means credit is awarded. A "C-" or lower means credit is not awarded.
  • Study abroad courses are represented on the CWRU transcript by the CWRU course name and department code they were transferred in as, not the overseas name or code.

Step 3

Students can expect this process to be completed 6 - 8 weeks after their transcript reaches the OEA. Significant delays can occur if students did not complete all of their course approvals.

  • If students need study abroad courses as a pre-requisite for a class in the upcoming semester, they should email their study abroad advisor for assistance.
  • In rare cases, this process can be expedited for graduating seniors.

The Office of Education Abroad strongly recommends that students request a few official copies of their transcript directly from the overseas institution as soon as possible. Study abroad students will need these for any graduate or professional school applications they complete later on in life.

Passing the Study Abroad Course in SIS

In addition to registering for courses at their study abroad institution and securing course approvals from CWRU academic representatives, students who study abroad for a semester or academic year will register for a study abroad placeholder course at CWRU 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. 

The study abroad course is graded Pass or No Pass. In order to pass, students must follow these steps:

Step 1

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 CWRU 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.

Step 2

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

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