Independent study abroad FAQs

General and Academic Questions

  What courses can I take while on an independent study abroad program offered by a third-party provider or host institution?

By carefully planning and applying for the study abroad leave, you can earn units on a study abroad program that a) are pre-approved for transferability and b) potentially meet your GE or major requirements at UC Davis. After selecting a program, you will work with the Advisor for independent study abroad programs at the EAC and in most cases with your department advisor or College Dean’s office to carefully plan what courses you could take while abroad to maintain your progress toward degree completion requirements. Depending on the study abroad program, you can enroll also in courses that fulfill your major or minor requirements, or in courses that will apply toward the completion of elective, language, or general education requirements.

  Are there specific programs designed for my major?

If you find a study abroad program that is offered by another American or foreign university or third-party provider that looks like a good fit for your major, you should meet with your Major Advisor as soon as possible to find out if the courses offered will potentially be eligible for credit for the major. Having the advisor review and pre-approve the actual courses is critical if you want to make sure that the course fits into your requirements for the major. More details about this process are in the advising handbook for independent study abroad. The Undergraduate Admissions Office will first review the selected courses for general transferability, then the major advisor will determine if they fulfill major requirements.

Don’t forget to check out your options within the UC portfolio of study abroad programs. Both the UC Davis Summer Abroad and Quarter Abroad programs offer subject-focused coursework. The EAP program also has specific programs that have coursework abroad that can satisfy your major requirements. Please visit the Major Advising Pages (MAPs) online to see if your department and the EAC have recommendations for your major.

  What are the prerequisites and eligibility requirements to study abroad?

It depends on the program. All prerequisites and eligibility requirements should be listed on the program web sites.

  How can I go on a semester program when UC Davis is on quarters?

Students on Fall Term programs will miss Fall Quarter at UC Davis (assuming your program ends no later than December, but some Fall programs abroad end as late as February and therefore, you would be missing Winter Quarter in Davis), but will earn 18-24 quarter units of credit. Students on Spring Term programs will miss Winter and Spring Quarters and earn 18-24 quarter units. Students on year-long programs need to earn 36-48 quarter units, comparable to a year on campus. It is very important to confirm the program start and end dates because some programs do conflict with the UC Davis academic calendar.

  How can I meet Senior Residence requirements and study abroad my senior year?

All students must meet the Senior Residence requirement for their College. In many cases, the Senior Residence requirement prohibits study abroad on independent study abroad programs during the last two-three quarters at UC Davis; however you must meet with your College Dean's office to determine their policy. Each student has different issues that could impact this requirement (for example, participation in the UC program in Washington D.C.). The College Dean's office can do a "degree check" with the student to make sure senior residence has been reviewed for that student's particular case and their desire to study abroad on a program outside the UC system.

  Will I graduate on time if I study abroad?

Yes. Creating an academic plan with your major advisor will help you choose a program and courses that will fit with your degree. The earlier you begin this process, the better it will work!

  How can I avoid reaching my Unit Cap and still study abroad?

If you study abroad on a Spring semester program (but please read the program’s information carefully as there are some variations), you will typically be absent from the UCD campus for 2 quarters, but will only be receiving 18-24 units of credit for your semester abroad. This will decrease the number of units you earn for that academic year.

  What affect will studying abroad have on my GPA?

Coursework taken on programs administered by the University of California should figure into your GPA. Coursework taken on an independent study abroad program is transfer coursework and will not be calculated into your GPA.

  What if I failed a class abroad? It won’t appear on my transcript or be calculated into my overall GPA, will it?

For UC programs, it will appear on your transcript and be factored into your GPA. For independent study abroad programs, grades will not be included in your UC GPA. However, like a UC transcript, that record is permanent and will stay with you; for example, when you are applying for graduate school. Failed classes will not transfer and therefore, will not satisfy any requirements. Please note, there are consequences if you are on financial aid and fail your classes you will be liable to return your aid.

  I am abroad and some of the courses I listed on my study abroad leave form that were reviewed and approved by Undergraduate Admissions are not offered this semester at my host institution abroad. What do I do? How do I select courses that I didn’t list on the form? Will they transfer? Will I get units and credit?

Students are encouraged to include additional alternate courses on the Academic Planning for Study Abroad Leave form: 6-8 courses for the semester (or quarter) and 12-14 courses for the year. This will allow you the flexibility to choose courses that have already been reviewed and pre-approved for transfer credit (and if applicable, satisfying requirements for your major).

Important note: the Education Abroad Center has no control over courses offered by a third-party provider or host institution; therefore, there is a chance that you may have to take alternative courses abroad beyond those you listed on the Academic Planning for Study Abroad Leave form. In this case, you should follow the same steps as you took when you initially applied for the leave by filling out a new Academic Planning form with the new list of courses, course numbers, course descriptions, syllabi, number of hours per semester, etc and then submitting the form to the EAC advisor. The advisor will work with Undergraduate Admissions to review the new courses for transferability. Keep in mind that it may take a few weeks to process and you may need to work with your program to concurrently enroll in multiple courses or reserving a spot for you in the alternate courses while awaiting final approval.

  Can I go on an independent study abroad program during the summer?

You may attend an independent study abroad program over the summer if you’d like. However, there is NO study abroad “leave” during the summer. If you want the classes abroad offered by a host institution or third-party provider’s program reviewed and pre-approved for general transfer of units, you may contact the EAC Advisor for independent study abroad programs to see if Undergraduate Admissions would be willing to review the selected courses.

Leave Procedure Questions

Should I meet with an EAC advisor about going on a program offered by another school or third-party provider?

Yes! First, you can come into the EAC to attend a First Steps Workshop which is offered daily at 1pm. In addition, you can come by the EAC for a drop-in visit and meet with a peer advisor or you can schedule an appointment with the advisor for independent study abroad programs to discuss your options and the study abroad leave process. When? You should start the process about 2 quarters before your study abroad departure date and no later than the first week of the quarter prior to departure.

  If I decide to participate on an independent study abroad program, how can I transfer credit, i.e. what is the procedure?

Please read the step by step process in this handbook. You will then schedule an appointment with the EAC advisor to get a copy of the leave form to start the process of Undergraduate Admissions reviewing your selected courses for general transferability. You may not request the leave form until you have had an in-person appointment. After you return from study abroad, you will have your institution or provider sent an official transcript to Undergraduate Admissions to note the transfer units.

  How do I receive GE credit for courses taken abroad?

By submitting and completing the study abroad leave form, you will have already received pre-approval from Undergraduate Admissions for general transferability of units earned abroad; however, this does not guarantee that the courses will satisfy the GE requirements. If you want pre-approval for GE credit for an independent study abroad program, you will need to meet with the Dean’s office of your College to find out which courses abroad will be eligible for GEs. After your program is completed and you return to Davis, you will bring a copy of a detailed syllabus and all coursework to the Dean’s Office for their review of actual coursework. In most cases, GE credit is only reviewed and approved after you return.

  How and when will my time abroad be noted on my transcripts?

Similar to how transfer units are noted on transcripts. Units are posted soon after Undergraduate Admissions receives an official transcript for your program. The units will appear as a “bulk transfer” (i.e. 24 units, New Zealand). Your host institution, course titles and grades will not appear; therefore, it is important to request a host institution transcript from your provider or host institution for your own records.

  How do I get an official transcript/ documentation of my coursework (and grades received) from my host institution/ study abroad program? How long will it take? What do I do with it? Do I need to turn it in to Undergraduate Admissions?

You need to contact your provider or host institution to find out about their policies and procedures and how long it will take. You must submit it to Undergraduate Admissions within 120 days after the program ends.

  Can I extend my program for another quarter/ semester? How do I do that with the study abroad leave?

Yes, for consecutive terms only. Process is the same as requesting a review of alternative or new courses. There is no additional fee.

  Can I go on a program for more than 1 quarter? What about a full academic year?

Yes, if approved for the study abroad leave (students may be on study abroad leave for a quarter, two quarters, or year). An important note to consider: students who opt to file a PELP Leave instead of the study abroad leave may only be on leave for one quarter during their studies at UC Davis.

  What does “pre-approval” mean?

Undergraduate Admissions, not the College or Major Department, is responsible determining if courses taken at an institution abroad will be transferable to UC Davis. The criteria for transferability include: the host institution abroad must be recognized by the Ministry of Education in that country or be accredited by a regional accrediting authority recognized by UC; the coursework must not duplicate or overlap courses already completed at UC; the coursework must be comparable to courses offered within UC. Courses are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The major department determines whether or not a course satisfies the major requirements. The college dean’s office determines whether a class meets GE requirements.

Please note: all courses reviewed for the study abroad leave (NUCSA) are 1) provisional and 2) credit is not based on the school alone.

1. Provisional because if admissions approves a course before departure and that course ends up being materially different when the student takes it (fewer units, different assessment, etc.) there is a possibility that the transfer credit could change when admissions receives the transcript. Students should be aware that UCD is provisionally approving based on what is submitted and the EAC cannot be responsible for any changes that the host institution may make after the fact. Final transfer credit is always determined when admissions receives the transcript. At program completion, students should ALWAYS reconfirm courses with their departments, check in with the EAC if they change their enrollments, etc.

2. Some third-party providers also have a working agreement with UC EAP (the University of California system-wide study Education Abroad Program). Under this agreement, EAP courses are reviewed and awarded UC credit under the academic oversight of UC Faculty (EAP Study Center Directors, System-wide EAP, and the Academic Senate). Students who choose to direct enroll at the same institution where EAP students study are subject to the same transfer credit review as non-EAP institutions. The Education Abroad Center recommends that students participate in an EAP program at the schools unless there are extenuating circumstances that have been discussed with an EAC advisor.

  I will not be able to get the exact course names, numbers, or units from the study abroad provider until very soon before school starts. What should I do?

Turn in your study abroad leave form with course descriptions for the past classes offered by the provider that you want to take IF the provider can tell you that they will likely be offered when you are attending the program. Then once the official classes are posted, resubmit the actual courses that you will take if they are different than the ones on the original leave form. Alternatively, you can wait until the deadline for the leave form (usually the second week of the quarter prior to departure), hoping that the host university will be able to come up with a true schedule of classes offered.

  How do I register for classes before I return to UC Davis?

Students on study abroad leave can register for classes before returning to UC Davis by using SISWEB. The leave ensures that you will still have access to your email, MyUCDavis, and SISWEB while you are abroad. It is important that students monitor their UC Davis email account while abroad for information sent from the Registrar’s Office about registration dates and pass times. Students should consult with their academic advisors before going abroad to plan the courses that they will take while abroad and also to plan their classes for their first quarter back at UC Davis.

Financial Questions

  How expensive will study abroad be compared to staying at Davis?

Many programs are comparable in price to UC Davis or even less, as are the costs of living. In addition, financial aid is available if you complete the study abroad leave process. Scholarships are sometimes offered by the company or institution organizing the program. Visit the EAC’s web site “Finances” page in the “Considering Study Abroad” section to learn more about funding your study abroad program.

  When/how do I start the financial aid process?

In order to get your financial aid packaged in time for your term abroad, you must start the study abroad leave process 2 quarters before you plan to study abroad. The reason is that it will sometimes take up to 2-4 weeks for Undergraduate Admissions to review your proposed courses abroad on your NUCSA Leave form to determine each course’s transferability. And you will only get financial aid while on NUCSA Leave if you are taking a full load of approved courses that can be transferred to UC Davis (12 units per quarter). You will not receive the special financial aid form for NUCSA Leave (called the “contractual agreement” or “consortium agreement” depending on your provider) from the EAC Advisor until Undergraduate Admissions has reviewed your proposed coursework. So it’s a step by step process that takes time. You cannot wait until the final deadline to submit your form to the EAC or your financial aid may not get packaged in time for your program abroad. The financial form given to you by the EAC Advisor will need to be sent to your provider or host institution (who then faxes a completed and signed version to the UC Davis Financial Aid office). The provider sometimes take several weeks to complete the form and fax it to the UC Davis Financial Aid office. The Financial Aid office often takes several weeks to process the fax and do the necessary procedures for re-packaging your aid.

  Will my financial aid be available for an independent study abroad program?

It depends. If you apply for and are granted study abroad leave status, you may be eligible to use some of your Financial Aid for your study abroad program. If you are not a Financial Aid recipient and you would like to apply, please visit the UC Davis Financial Aid Web site for information regarding the process. Financial Aid recipients must maintain a full-time course load while abroad and ensure that courses will transfer back to UC Davis, otherwise aid may be revoked (even if already disbursed). If you choose not to apply for study abroad leave (for example if you withdraw from UC Davis or file a PELP leave), financial aid will not be available for your program. Financial Aid is not available for independent study abroad programs during the summer.