Credit Transfer

You may be able to pre-register for your off-campus study courses well before your program begins, or you may be expected to finalize registration upon arrival at your program. In all cases, careful academic planning is essential. Before you leave campus, be sure to complete a Preliminary Course Approval Form which will give you a good idea of how the courses you may take will transfer back to Colorado College.

As you make decisions about which courses to take, here are some general things to keep in mind:

• One unit of credit on the block plan is normally the equivalent of 4 semester hours. Therefore, in order to receive a full semester of credit at Colorado College, you must enroll in the equivalent of 16 semester hours.
• If you will be receiving a transcript directly from a foreign university, or if your program does not award credit based on semester hours, a special credit equivalency determination will be made by the Registrar's Office. If you are uncertain about how many classes to take, you should obtain this credit equivalency information from the Registrar at Colorado College, and consult with your academic advisor.
• Credit is given only for academic work that is liberal arts in nature. For example, credit can be transferred for economics, but not necessarily for business administration. Likewise, applied music and art courses are accepted under conditions similar to those at CC.
• Internship credit will only be considered if there is a credit-bearing course component to the internship. Credit for internships is general studies credit. Departmental credit for an internship is only awarded with the approval of the respective department at CC.
• Credit for independent study completed while abroad may be considered on a special basis. Students should retain their completed independent study project for potential review by the Registrar's Office and relevant departments, if required.
• Credit will not be awarded for courses that are very similar to, or largely duplicate, courses you’ve already taken at CC.
• It is always a good idea to save and bring back as much of your work (course syllabi, papers, exams) as possible in case there are any questions regarding credit transfer upon your return.
• Make sure to ask your program sponsor to send an official transcript to the Registrar's Office upon completion of the program. For approved programs, Colorado College will also take the grade report directly from the program (you do not have to go through the School of Record option if one exists, for approved programs).

Fulfilling CC Requirements Through Off-Campus Study

In many cases, it is possible to fulfill requirements towards your degree while studying off-campus. The Registrar's Office will determine whether a course meets all-College requirements (i.e. critical perspectives, foreign language), and the appropriate department chair will determine whether or not a course meets major or minor requirements. If you would like your off-campus study coursework to fulfill certain requirements, it is very important that you seek approval in advance by completing the Preliminary Course Approval Form.

In order to assist the registrar and department chair, be sure to bring the most detailed information about a course you have, including a syllabus, if available. Keep in mind that some departments may not be able to approve a course until after you return. If this is the case, you will need to bring back your work for review. It's also important to be aware that many departments limit the amount of credit from off-campus study that may be used to fulfill major or minor requirements. If you need credit taken while you are off-campus to count toward your major or minor, be sure to consult the department chair well in advance.

If you are currently not on the CC campus, and your courses you are taking change from what you had pre-approved, you can obtain updated approvals for coursework via email. A student would email registrar@coloradocollege.edu or the relevant department chair(s) with all the same information that is found on the course approval form: the title and course number of the classes you are taking, the number of units of credit you are receiving, and a short course description if it is available. Make sure to copy the Coordinator of Off-Campus Study on all course approvals you receive by email correspondence, so that a copy of the record can be added to your file.

Grade Transfer Policies

Grades earned on all Colorado College programs and ACM programs will appear on a student's transcript and be factored into the student's cumulative grade point average (with the exception of the ACM Brazil program). If you are enrolled in CC courses while abroad (for example, on a CC semester program), you have the option of taking courses on a "pass/fail" basis. If you would like to change your grade track after arriving on-site with a CC program abroad, you should email registrar@coloradocollege.edu. Be sure to include the name of your program in your email. Just as if you were on-campus, you will have only until the fourth class session to change your grade track for CC programs.

Grades from CC Exchange Programs and Approved Programs will be recorded as transfer credit, and grades will not appear on your CC transcript or be factored into your CC GPA (with the exception of the Kansai Gaidai program, where grades will be recorded).  Students participating in these programs should take all classes for a grade and earn the equivalent of a C- or better for in order for coursework to transfer to CC.

Independent Research With Human Subjects Abroad

Please see the CC IRB’s website for information on your obligations and procedures to follow if you plan to receive credit while engaging in research abroad with human subjects