Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the university policies and procedures relating to study abroad before departure. Any misunderstanding or disputes should be settled before going abroad, as it is much more difficult to resolve such matters afterwards.

Important Information

1) All study abroad courses will be posted to the student's transcript as credit/no credit. Credit is granted for those courses with a grade of C or better. These courses will not be factored into the student's GVSU grade point average.

2) Students are not eligible to audit study abroad courses. 

3) All students must complete the Study Abroad Credit Form prior to departure for their study abroad program. The completion of this form indicates that a GVSU faculty member has reviewed the descriptions of the courses you intend to take abroad.  It is common for course selections to change once you get to your host university.  If that is the case, you should work with PIC to get connected to the appropriate faculty member that can review and approve your courses prior to your final registration.
 
In an effort to ensure good communication, this form requires the signature of the student, the student's academic advisor, and the Padnos International Center staff.

It is wise to keep copies of all of your academic work and any evaluation you received including syllabi and reading lists you received for the class.

4) If changes are made to the approved list of courses without GVSU authorization, departmental academic credit cannot be guaranteed.GVSU authorization must be obtained from the department of the student's major and the department in which credit is earned. 

It is the responsibility of all study abroad participants to ensure that all courses taken abroad have the appropriate approvals.  This responsibility does not fall on the Padnos International Center or anyone else at GVSU.

5) Study abroad credits will not be transferred back to GVSU without record of approval and an official transcript from the host institution.

6) Study Abroad Participants are responsible for ensuring that an official transcript from his/her program is sent to the Padnos International Center.  

Transcripts should be sent to the following address:

C/O Rebecca Hambleton

Padnos International Center
130 Lake Ontario Hall
Grand Valley State University
 Allendale, MI 49401

7) All students are required to maintain full-time academic status for the duration of their study abroad program (excluding spring/summer participants). 

Students will remain enrolled at GVSU during their semester abroad. Therefore, semester and academic year students must transfer back a minimum of 12 U.S. credits each semester.  

For Spring/Summer participants:

You must be registered at GVSU for the exact number of credits you plan to transfer back from your study abroad program. 

If you are unsure about how your credits will transfer and how many courses you will need to take in order to fulfill a full-time academic load, please contact the Padnos International Center or review the information with your faculty advisor.

8) During your orientation, you will receive instructions on how to register online for International Studies 380 (IS 380). You must register for this course to indicate your participation in a study abroad program. 

Many students participate in programs where tuition is not paid directly to GVSU.
In this case, the process is as follows:

1) A student registers at GVSU for IS 380 

2) After the student registers, the Padnos International Center can apply a tuition credit to the GVSU student account, so the tuition balance due to GVSU is $0.   

3) Once all charges and credits are applied to the GVSU Student Account, a check or a bill will be prepared to balance out any excess funding or deficits to the account.

This process does take some time and requires coordinating between various on-campus offices.  It is very important for you to register on time!

Students who are participating in a study abroad program where tuition is paid to GVSU, the longer you delay your registration, the longer it will take for you to receive a bill and get of your financial aid in order.

Delaying your registration impacts PIC's ability to apply appropriate tuition credits and charges to your student account in a timely manner. To avoid complications with financial aid and late registration, we ask all study abroad students to adhere to the following registration deadlines.

Semester Abroad                                     Registration Deadline 

Fall and Academic Year                             August 1
Winter                                                       December 1
Spring/Summer                                         April 15
     

If you have any questions regarding how this process works, please set up an appointment to meet with Rebecca Hambleton in the Padnos International Center.

Plan Ahead

Registration takes place in the winter semester. If you are planning on studying abroad during this time, you need to make sure that you have all of the requirements for registering for the following semester when you have returned. For example, if you are taking a course abroad that is transferring as a prerequisite for a class you hope to take in the fall, this will not show up as the prerequisite course until we have received your transcripts. It will still show up as IS 380, which will prevent you from being able to register for your desired course. So, you will need to talk with your department to get prior approval to register for your course before you leave to go abroad in order to verify that you will be taking the prerequisite abroad.

Also, you will want to keep in mind that your IS 380 will remain as "Incomplete" until we receive your transcript from abroad as well, which will not take place until after you have returned. If you are hoping to register at a certain academic status (i.e. currently a sophomore, wanting to register as a junior for the fall), you may not be able to do so. Plan ahead so there are no surprises. It is harder to deal with these situations once you are abroad.

Withdrawl

Any student withdrawing from a program must contact the Padnos International Center immediately.  The student must complete a formal withdrawal form available online through his/her OASIS account.