Academic Information

Study abroad programs are great opportunities to travel and explore, but their primary focus is to help students enhance their educational experience and progress them to graduation. Please see the information below about how students are enrolled into study abroad courses, and how students can also ensure they receive credit for their study abroad courses and submit their international transcripts.

COURSE REGISTRATION

All students participating in a Georgia Southern sponsored program abroad are enrolled for course credit through Georgia Southern by the Office of Global Engagement (OGE). See the sections below for more information based on program type:

Short-Term Summer or Break Programs	Students registered for their selected classes at the time of application Registration in WINGS will match the courses selected on your Global Portal application. Study abroad program courses will have the letter “s” at the end of the course number, as seen in WINGS. Ex: ENGL 2112s is World Literature II completed while abroad. Students will continue to pay their tuition directly to Georgia Southern – and not their program – based on this registration. The program fee must be paid separately. At the completion of your program, the final grades earned will be submitted to OGE to be posted on the student’s record. The time this takes can vary depending on how quickly final grades are provided to OGE
Exchange Programs	Students will be registered for a placeholder course that allows them to continue to pay their tuition and related fees and program charges to Georgia Southern Note: This only generates the tuition amount to be paid. Students must still register in courses with their host institution Course(s) will appear on your record as ABRD 3195s – Exchange Semester Abroad Credit hours listed will correspond to the equivalent number of hours you plan to earn while abroad. Amount of tuition and fees due will depend on how many credit hours the student intends to earn while abroad Once the student sends their final transcript to OGE upon completion of the program - all credits and grades earned will be applied to your Georgia Southern transcript as transfer credit See section below for information on receiving course credit Students should refer to the estimated expenses listed on the webpage for their selected exchange program, as well the available grade conversion tables
3rd Party/Non-Georgia Southern Programs	Students will be registered into courses by their 3rd party institution. Students will not be enrolled into Georgia Southern Courses and will not be paying Georgia Southern Tuition Exception: ISEP Exchange programs will pay Georgia Southern Tuition & Fees Students must register all 3rd party/Non-Georgia Southern Programs with OGE prior to departure See section below for information on receiving course credit

*All students should note that unpaid charges or late fees will result in final grades being withheld until the balance due is paid.

RECEIVING COURSE CREDIT

If you are participating on a Georgia Southern Faculty-Led program, you do not have to provide transcripts because your grades will be recorded into your WINGS account like a normal semester. If you are participating in any program where grades will not be issued by Georgia Southern (including Exchange Programs and 3rd party/Non-Georgia Southern Programs), you will be required to provide 3 different documents to receive credit for your courses abroad

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR RECEIVING COURSE CREDIT*

*For Exchange Programs and 3rd Party/Non-Georgia Southern Programs only

Transfer Credit Approval Form (TCAF): Approves course equivalencies into program of study
Host Institution Enrollment Form: Verifies the student arrived on campus and what courses they enrolled in
Transcript from Host Institution: Verifies the grades the student received for the courses taken abroad

1. Transfer Credit Approval Form (TCAF)

The TCAF is a form that approves your course equivalencies for your study abroad courses prior to departure. The form will be approved by OGE, your department chair, and your advisor, so you will know exactly how the courses will equivocate into Georgia Southern terms, and exactly how the courses will fit into your program of study (or if they won't fit into your program of study). If a student decides to take a course that is not listed on their TCAF, they may not receive credit for the course.

This form will be submitted through the student's Global Portal application.

NOTE: Courses will be approved into the student's program of study in the following manner: Major course, Minor Course, Elective Course, or Fallthrough course. A Fallthrough course means that the course will not fit within the student's course of study. Generally financial aid will not cover fallthrough courses.

2. Host Institution Enrollment Form

Upon arrival to the host university, students are required to complete a Host Institution Enrollment Form, which will signed by their host institution coordinator to verify their final course enrollment. The courses listed on the Host Institution Enrollment Form will be used in comparison with the approved courses on the TCAF to ensure that students can receive credit toward their program of study.

This form will be submitted through the student's Global Portal application.

NOTE: Both the TCAF and the Host Institution Enrollment Form must be complete and submitted before financial aid can be disbursed

3. Transcript from Host Institution

Upon completion of their studies, students must request that an official transcript is sent from their host institution to the Office of Global Engagement (OGE) in order to receive credit for their courses. Usually the student can request this through their host coordinator in their host institution's international office. The transcript will then be evaluated, and grades will be transferred into Georgia Southern standards before being added to the students final transcript.

This process can take time so it is crucial that students complete this step ASAP after their studies are completed. Without a final transcript from the host institution (along with the TCAF and Host Institution Enrollment Form), students will not receive credit for their courses taken abroad.

INTERNATIONAL GRADING SYSTEMS

International grading systems often differ from Georgia Southern's grading systems so feel free to reach out to OGE if you have questions about grade evaluations.

Additionally, you must receive a final grade mark on your transcript in order to receive credit at Georgia Southern. For example: If the course only offers "Pass/Fail" and does not offer a final mark, you must receive a final mark before receiving credit. Always check with your host coordinators and OGE about courses that offer Pass/Fail credit to make sure that you can still receive credit on your Georgia Southern Transcript.