Extending Your Enrollment in a Program

Sometimes students wish to participate in their program for an additional semester. To do this:

1. Obtain permission from the director or appropriate official at your overseas site, and
2. Request an extension by writing to the sponsoring SUNY campus' Office of International Education.

Explain what you expect to accomplish by studying in your program for an additional term. The overseas program director must also write to UAlbany with an approval. Approvals from UAlbany are contingent upon satisfactory completion of your work overseas and space availability in the program. In addition, full payment for the previous term must have been made.

Changing from Academic Year to One Semester Only

If you have been admitted for a full academic year and you decide to leave the program at the end of the first semester, you must notify:

1. UAlbany, and
2. Your home campus if it is not UAlbany, and
3. The administering SUNY campus, if it is not UAlbany, and
4. The appropriate authorities overseas before the start of the next semester.

Adjustments in program charges will be made, but are program specific. A withdrawal fee may be charged for some programs. Scholarships may be affected and be subject to repayment.

Withdrawal from a Study Abroad Program

Because study abroad is an opportunity for profoundly enriching experiences that may not be available later in life, we hope that no student will withdraw from a program unless it is absolutely imperative. If you are even contemplating dropping out of a program, please discuss this decision with the program adviser at UAlbany before you do anything. We may be able to help find solutions to academic, financial, or personal problems that will enable you to participate on the program after all.

If you are overseas and contemplating withdrawal from a program, we strongly urge you to discuss your situation with the overseas director or responsible university official. You should also feel free to contact the program adviser at UAlbany. There may be moments when you may be discouraged about your academic program or your progress with a foreign language, when you experience disappointments or unexpected financial difficulties, or when you really find living in another culture difficult. Program advisers here and abroad can often help ease such pressures.

If you withdraw from an overseas program once the semester has begun, you may lose your credits for that semester. You will probably lose some money because of non-refundable fees and air fares, and you may also jeopardize your financial aid. UAlbany will charge a fee to any student who withdraws from a UAlbany program after it has begun. The fee will be an amount equal to the expenses incurred or the administrative fee, whichever is greater. This charge will be in addition to any non-refundable program costs incurred at the program site.

If you do have to withdraw, YOU must inform the UAlbany Office of International Education of your decision in writing. If you are already overseas, you must inform the overseas director or university official of your decision as soon as it has been made, but it is not their job to tell UAlbany for you. UAlbany will use the date that you have notified us as the actual date of withdrawal. At the UAlbany campus, a percentage of your SUNY tuition will be refunded up to the fourth week of the semester (calculated using the academic calendar of the overseas institution). If you withdraw or notify UAlbany after the fourth week, you will be held liable for the entire tuition charge. Tuition refunds for other SUNY students are granted according to the rules and regulations of the campus on which the student is registered.

Your permanent record will reflect your withdrawal. If you drop out of a study abroad program and cannot come back to your home campus for courses that same semester, you will probably have to withdraw from your home campus entirely and then apply to be readmitted. UAlbany students who withdraw one week or more after the mid-point of the SUNY semester are not normally eligible for readmission for the next semester. Additionally, an UAlbany student who withdraws at any time must submit a withdrawal form and an application for reentry. UAlbany cannot advise you about withdrawal procedures used at other campuses.

Cancellation of a Program

UAlbany reserves the right to cancel a program at any time for the following (or other) reasons: insufficient enrollment; advice from the U.S. Department of State that travel to or residence in a host site is NOT ADVISED for U.S. citizens and nationals; the inability of the host institution to provide or support the program adequately. If a program is canceled before the start of the semester, all payments that have been made to UAlbany will be refunded. In the unlikely event that it becomes necessary to cancel a program already in progress, refunds will be made to the extent possible.