It’s supposed to be study abroad, right? So why is it when you asked your kid about what classes they were taking abroad, it was blank stares?
Here’s the scoop that your child may not have told you or may not fully understand, for good reason. The reality is that the academic setting of a program and how it will transfer to their home school can be complicated and varies greatly from school to school and program to program. The big take-away here is to ask your child’s university study abroad office about the specifics.
Here are eight essential questions to ask about academics and credit:
- Does the credit transfer? If so, is it direct credit or transfer credit? What is the difference?
- Is there a transfer credit fee at the home university?
- How will the courses transfer? For example, will intermediate Spanish count as SPA 201 at the home university?
- When will my child know how the courses will transfer? Before she leaves or upon return?
- Will grades earned abroad impact GPA? Will she earn letter grades or pass/fail grades?
- How many credits can my child earn while abroad? What happens if she doesn’t earn the required number of credits?
- Who is teaching my child? Are they professors from my child’s university, contracted professors, or local instructors?
- What will the classroom environment be like?