Academic Policies

KU students studying abroad through Study Abroad & Global Engagement remain enrolled at KU while abroad.  Non-KU students studying abroad through Study Abroad & Global Engagement are admitted to KU as non-degree seeking students and are enrolled at KU while abroad.  Enrollment for study abroad follows one or both models described below. If you have questions about which model your program follows, please check with your Study Abroad Program Coordinator.

• Enrollment in KU Courses Abroad: Certain programs have identified KU courses and credits. These include most faculty-directed short-term programs, internship programs, and a few semester programs.
• Direct Enrollment at a Foreign Institution: Other programs rely on direct enrollment in a foreign institution, in which case, study abroad students enroll in placeholder (FRSP) hours at KU. The official record of enrollment (transcript) is issued by a foreign institution and KU equivalent courses are determined by KU faculty.  KU equivalent courses and grades are posted on the KU transcript after the receipt of official documentation from the foreign institution. Visit with your Study Abroad Program Coordinator for information on past course equivalencies.

Minimum & Maximum Enrollment

• Semester & Year programs: Undergraduate students are expected to enroll at the foreign university in the equivalent of 12 to 15 KU credit hours per semester, or fewer in the summer. All students are expected to maintain full-time student status while abroad. Unless special arrangements have been made in advance, study abroad participants will be granted KU credit for no more than 18 hours per semester. Graduate students will usually earn no more than six to nine graduate credits for the semester, although exceptions are possible with prior approval of the student’s academic department.
• Summer & Short-term programs: These programs vary in the number of credit hours offered. Generally all participants on a specified program will take the same total number of credit hours.

Special add/drop deadlines are established by the KU Registrar for each KU Study Abroad program. Your Program Director or Study Abroad Program Coordinator will have the deadlines as well as special add/drop forms. If you wish to add or change a course, consult your program director immediately. The director will send changes to Study Abroad & Global Engagement and Study Abroad & Global Engagement will submit the changes to the Office of the University Registrar at KU.  All participants are encouraged to carefully review and select their courses in cooperation with their academic advisor prior to program departure, as changes to enrollment once you are overseas is not possible in most cases. 

If you wish to drop a course once overseas, consult your program director immediately. In general, it is not possible to reduce the number of credit hours you are taking since all students must maintain full time enrollment. If you are allowed to drop a course, remember that reducing your credit load may affect your financial aid status.  Note that KU add/drop policies will apply. If you drop a course during the designated first drop period, this course does not appear on your academic record. During the KU designated second drop period, a grade of W appears on the student’s transcript. During the third period, a student cannot withdraw from a course. The course grade is determined by the student’s overall academic performance. Retroactive withdrawal from a course is not allowed. Certain courses cannot be dropped, such as orientation or foreign language grammar courses that form an integral part of the program.  Be sure to carefully read the information about your program or consult your Study Abroad Program Coordinator to know which courses fall under this category.

Most KU degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate study abroad students may elect to receive one course grade in a non-major subject as Credit/No Credit each semester under the same regulations that are in force at the University of Kansas. Always contact your academic department and academic advisor directly to see if you can elect the Credit/No Credit option as there are many courses that cannot be approved for the Credit/No Credit option. Once you have elected the Credit/No Credit option and it has been approved, you cannot alter your choice.  Non-degree seeking students (including Non-KU students on KU study abroad programs) are not eligible to elect the Credit/No Credit option while studying abroad. For more information regarding the Credit/No Credit policy, visit the University Senate Rules and Regulations which can be found on the KU Policy Library, under section 2.2.8.



Warning: Certain undesirable consequences may result from exercising the Credit/No Credit option. Some schools, scholarship committees, and honorary societies do not accept this grading system and convert grades of No Credit to F when computing grade-point averages for their specific purposes.    



Special deadlines are established by the KU Registrar for each KU Study Abroad Faculty-led program. Your program director will have forms and deadlines by which you must sign and email or fax your request for the Credit/No Credit option to Study Abroad & Global Engagement.  Study Abroad & Global Engagement will then forward your request to your academic department for approval and processing.

Be sure to follow host institution rules and deadlines for adding a course, dropping a course or changing your enrollment (for example change of course section).  ALL courses and grades that appear on your transcript for study abroad will be posted on your KU transcript. It is your responsibility to stay informed about the effect of enrollment changes on completion of your KU (or home institution) academic program and graduation requirements.  

Keep a copy of your Academic Advisors contact information, in case you need academic assistance while overseas. KU students who wish to know the KU equivalent of a host institution course (for courses not previously listed on their Academic Plan and Approval form for Study Abroad) must contact the appropriate KU Faculty Advisor. A list of KU Faculty Advisors is available on your JayhawksAbroad portal and Study Abroad & Global Engagement. 

Bring back all course information, including course description, syllabi, texts or reading lists, assignments, and your work. This is critical for establishing any KU course equivalent that was either conditionally approved or that was not listed on your Academic Plan and Approval form.

Note: All students must notify their Study Abroad Program Coordinator, in writing and with copies of their Academic Advisor’s approval, of any changes to their overseas enrollment.

Most KU degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate study abroad students may elect to receive one course grade in a non-major subject as Credit/No Credit each semester under the same regulations that are in force at the University of Kansas. Always contact your school and academic advisor directly to see if you can elect the Credit/No Credit option as there are many courses that cannot be approved for the Credit/No Credit option. Once you have elected the Credit/No Credit option and it has been approved, you cannot alter your choice.  Non-degree seeking students (including Non-KU students on KU study abroad programs) are not eligible to elect the Credit/No Credit option while studying abroad. For more information regarding the Credit/No Credit policy, visit the University Senate Rules and Regulations which can be found on the KU Policy Library, under section 2.2.8.



Warning: Certain undesirable consequences may result from exercising the Credit/No Credit option. Some schools, scholarship committees, and honorary societies do not accept this grading system and convert grades of No Credit to F when computing grade-point averages for their specific purposes.

   

Your Study Abroad Program Coordinator must be told, in writing, that you wish to take a course as credit/no-credit before 40% of the class is complete. 

For some programs, the foreign university contact or program director will send an official transcript directly to Study Abroad & Global Engagement. However, many students will have to either request that the official transcript be sent to Study Abroad & Global Engagement or collect and bring back official documentation of their work abroad.  Check with your Study Abroad Program Coordinator if you are not sure whether you need to request the transcript yourself. Make certain that the official transcript from the foreign university is sent to the Study Abroad & Global Engagement and NOT to the KU Office of Admissions. Photocopies of transcripts are not acceptable unless stamped with the official seal or mark of the university. Consult your program information to find out approximately when you can expect your transcript to arrive. Foreign transcripts generally arrive one to four months following the end of the study abroad period. You may not eliminate classes and grades from the foreign university transcript to post. All courses and grades will be posted on the KU transcript. Once grades are posted on the KU transcript, changes will not be made.

1. Once the transcript has arrived, the Study Abroad Program Coordinator will match courses on the transcript to the Academic Plan and Approval (completed at the time of application). If all of the courses match, the grades and courses will be posted to the student’s KU transcript. If the student took courses that weren’t pre-approved, Study Abroad & Global Engagement will email him or her a credit worksheet for approval of the remaining courses and any courses taken abroad for which KU equivalents remain to be approved. 
2. The student will then meet with the appropriate Faculty Advisor, who will review documentation the student has brought back for any course which was conditionally approved before departure or which was not listed on the Academic Plan. The Faculty Advisor will approve KU course equivalents for each course taken in his/her academic department. The student should meet with his or her Academic Advisor to determine how the KU courses will fulfill graduation requirements.
3. The student will return the signed Credit Worksheet to the Study Abroad Program Coordinator.
4. The Study Abroad Program Coordinator will send all completed paperwork and documentation to the University Registrar. Coursework and grades will be posted on the KU record within several weeks.

The course grade is determined by the student’s overall academic performance.

KU Faculty-led Programs and Internships: Students on KU faculty-led programs and internships will be graded by their instructor within the standard KU grading system.

Credit from foreign institutions or student-initiated programs: Students will receive grades within the host institution's grading system. After receiving your transcript, Study Abroad & Global Engagement will evaluate your grades and post the equivalent KU grade based on grade conversion standards. 

Summer grades are posted at the end of the summer term on the KU Lawrence campus (late July) or at the end of your program.

Semester grades are posted shortly upon the return of the program. In some cases, grades may be delayed pending receipt of academic information from the host institution. If you view your grades, Advising Report, or DPR and a course is listed as WG (waiting grade) or zero credit hours instead of a grade, please do not panic!  Grades will be posted as soon as possible. Your program director or Study Abroad Program Coordinator will be able to tell you whether he or she has submitted grades for your program.

Winter Break and Spring Break program credits are recorded on the Spring semester academic record. Grades and credit will appear on your spring grade report at the end of the spring term.

Within a few weeks after grades have been submitted by Study Abroad & Global Engagement to the Registrar, they will appear on your Advising Report and DPR. You can obtain a copy of your Advising Report and DPR through the MyKU portal.