Study Abroad Transfer Credit Policy
Students who intend to study abroad during their time at Emmanuel should connect with the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad as soon as possible and work with their academic advisor in building in study abroad to their "four-year plan" to determine the optimal semester to study abroad based on major program and degree requirements. Students who study abroad via the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad will be considered Emmanuel students on an approved study abroad leave of absence during the semester abroad. Students must complete the Study Abroad Course Approval Form to receive transfer credit, and to be considered an official "Emmanuel study abroad student."
Once a student confirms he/she is studying abroad with the Office of International Programs, a placeholder registration "ABRD 0001" will be added to the Emmanuel registration schedule for the term abroad. Students may not ordinarily take courses at another institution during their final semester at Emmanuel College, including study abroad. Credit taken through approved abroad programs is considered "in residence" and counts toward the 64 credits that must be taken at Emmanuel College to receive an Emmanuel degree. Students who receive credit for a course that is approved as an Emmanuel equivalent cannot also receive credit for the Emmanuel course on his/her transcript. Credit will be added to the Emmanuel transcript upon receipt of an official sealed transcript from the host institution.
Courses that are the equivalent of 3-4 semester credits will transfer to Emmanuel as 4 credits. Abroad institutions who utilize a different credit system than the American credit-hour system, will have those credits converted to semester hours upon transcription at Emmanuel. Courses that do not equate to 3-4 semester credits at Emmanuel, should ensure that they are registered for the total number of credits at the abroad institution to transfer 16 credits back to Emmanuel College (e.g. 30 ECTS are required to transfer 16 credits to Emmanuel.) In such instances, the Emmanuel College Office of the Registrar will determine the exact numeric credit to course designation upon receipt of the final official abroad transcript. Requirements and the total number of credits transferred will be fulfilled based on the course approval form. Courses listed in contact hours will need to have a minimum of 45 contact hours to transfer 4 credits to Emmanuel.
Course Number Equivalencies, Titles and Credit, but not grades (with the exception of the Leeds program) for courses that have been approved on the Emmanuel College Study Abroad Course Approval Form will be added to the Emmanuel transcript with the receipt of a final official abroad transcript and the official conversion chart provided by the program provider if a grade of C (2.0) or its equivalent is earned. The study abroad program provider (e.g. API, ISA, CIS, etc.) will provide a grade and credit conversion chart along with the official transcript. While the program provider may make suggested numeric credit conversions, Emmanuel College reserves the sole right to determine credit, level, and equivalencies for transfer credit. In general, students can expect for their study abroad transcript to be received by Emmanuel 2-3 months after completion of the abroad term as the abroad institution must first release the transcript to the program provider and then the program provider sends the official transcripts and any supporting documentation to Emmanuel College.
Study Abroad Transfer Credit Course Approval Process
The Office of the Registrar will evaluate all off-campus coursework for transfer eligibility and equivalents and assign numeric credit designations. The student is responsible for supplying the Study Abroad Course Approval Request Form and any course descriptions, contact hours, and credits to the Office of the Registrar. If needed, the Registrar will consult with the appropriate academic departments regarding major coursework. Please allow two weeks after submission of the Study Abroad Course Approval Form to the Office of the Registrar to receive signed approvals. Students should submit 10-12 courses initially for review. This will require 2-3 forms submitted at once. Students should submit 10-12 courses to provide themselves options as some programs do not register students until they arrive on-site and often courses days/times are not made available and there may be course time conflicts or a course may be full by the time of study abroad student registration.
Which Study Abroad Courses Will Transfer?
We know that choosing a study abroad program can seem difficult and often the transferability of courses can determine where you decide to study abroad. Emmanuel College has compiled a database of study abroad courses that have previously been approved for Emmanuel study abroad, students. This database will be updated prior to each semester with any new course approvals.
The student is responsible for obtaining and completing this form, including the appropriate approvals, before registering for a course at another institution. This form should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar, EAB 340, before registering for the intended courses. Any course attended or registered that is not approved on this form may not receive any credit or fulfill requirements as anticipated.
Course equivalencies are subject to change. This is primarily due to changes in the transfer institution's course description, additional review by academic departments for major requirement fulfillment, or changes to Emmanuel's current course offerings that impact an equivalency's transfer designation. Courses that are not accepted for transfer will be noted with a "NO CREDIT" in the "Emmanuel Course" Column of the equivalency results.
Obtaining Study Abroad Application Signatures and Course Pre-Approvals
Final Deadlines:
Summer and Fall Program March 1st
Spring Programs October 1st
1. Download Study Abroad Course Approval Form
2. Complete "STUDENT SECTION" of Form and Submit Form and Respective Course Descriptions/Syllabi to the OFFICE of THE REGISTRAR. The Registrar's Office will evaluate all coursework and assign equivalencies and credit designations to each of the courses. If needed, the Registrar will consult with the appropriate Departments regarding major coursework.
3. Receive Final Approval Form via Email The Office of the Registrar will email you and your advisor a copy of your final course approvals as well as alert the Office of International Programs that you have a completed course approval form. At this time, a member of the OIP team may sign off on any external forms for course approvals (e.g. program providers).
4. Updates to Course Approvals If you require any updates to your course approvals while you are abroad, email new course approval form and course descriptions to the Office of the Registrar at regmail [at] emmanuel.edu (regmail[at]emmanuel[dot]edu) and copy the Office of International Programs (studyabroad [at] emmanuel.edu (studyabroad[at]emmanuel[dot]edu) or meleedyj [at] emmanuel.edu (meleedyj[at]emmanuel[dot]edu) ) on all correspondence. As a reminder, course approvals may take up to two weeks for evaluation and registration in a course does not equate to an approval to transfer the course credit unless the course has been approved by the Office of the Registrar.
Study Abroad Transfer Credit Resources
- Office of International Programs
- Approved Study Abroad Programs
- Study Abroad Course Approval Form
- General Education Curriculum Explaination and Guidelines (For Students Maticulated at Emmanuel Fall 2021 or Later)
If you are applying to Emmanuel and have questions concerning transfer credit, please email admissions [at] emmanuel.edu.