Albany Students

Albany students will see their grades from overseas in two places:

• Official Transcript: If you are registered at Albany for a SUNY study abroad program, you will find entries on your semester’s grade report for a G-INS course. If we have received and processed your grades, you will find an entry for the total number of credits you have earned with a grade of S. As an Albany student, these credits will not be factored into your GPA.
• Transcript Supplement: The actual courses you have taken will be listed on a Transcript Supplement in full detail, including course numbers used by the host university, credits awarded by Albany, and the actual letter grade (converted to the Albany system as necessary). As mentioned, these grades are not factored into your GPA at Albany. However, whenever you send an official transcript, the Transcript Supplement will be included. Therefore, others (graduate schools) may recompute your GPA. So everyone should realize that the grades you earn overseas appear on your permanent record and may eventually count in your GPA! Although everyone who participates on a SUNY study abroad program will get a Transcript Supplement prepared by the administering campus, each SUNY campus has its own rules about how the credits will appear. If you are a non-Albany student participating on an Albany program, check with the Office of International Education at your home campus for details.

In addition to the "S" grades, the following grades might appear on your transcript:

Failing Grades (U)

If you fail any courses overseas and do not complete at least 12 credits with passing grades, you will have some credits with a grade of U on your transcript. They will appear on your Transcript Supplement with a grade of "U" as well. Completing fewer than 12 credits per semester will also negatively affect your financial aid: you may have to repay it.

Incompletes (I)

Most overseas universities do not give a grade of I (incomplete) for courses that you did not complete. However, if you are awarded such a grade, it will appear on your Official Transcript and on your Transcript Supplement. It will be entered in a G-INS course with a grade of "I". These grades will be changed when a new grade from overseas is received. If you have gotten any "I" grades, be sure to meet the deadlines you have been given by your professor and keep a copy of any materials you submit to your host university. You cannot graduate from Albany if you have any unresolved GINS I grades on your transcript.

Withdrawals (W)

If you drop courses in accordance with the rules and deadlines of your host university, you may have some W credits when your grades are processed. If you are an Albany or a non-SUNY student who did not finish at least 12 credits with a grade of S, you will see another entry for overseas study on your transcript to bring your total credits for the semester to 12. These credits are for administrative purposes only and will not count as credits you have earned toward your degree. They will, however, prevent you from obtaining a tuition refund - you must pay for the full tuition for your program, regardless of the number of credits you ultimately earn. Completing fewer than 12 credits per semester will also negatively affect your financial aid: you may have to repay it.

Not Recorded (NR)

Often students’ grade reports are sent out by the computer before the overseas grades have been processed. If this happens, you will see a grade of NR (not recorded) for some number of credits, probably 15. This grade and the number of credits will be changed when your grades come in. It is normal for a grade report to be printed by the computer at Albany before your grades have been fully processed so don’t worry!

Q Grades
If you have not successfully completed a full-time load overseas (the equivalent of 12 SUNY credits during the fall or spring semesters), you will find another G-INS course on your transcript to bring your registration load to full-time. These credits are for administrative purposes only and will not count as credits you have earned toward your degree.

Other SUNY Students

If you are a student from another SUNY school, as soon as we have received your grades from overseas, we will prepare a Transcript Supplement. Unless we have a hold, we will automatically send it to the Office of International Education of your home campus. We will also send an unofficial copy of the Transcript Supplement to you at your permanent address. The Transcript Supplement prepared by Albany will show the actual courses you have taken overseas in full detail, including course numbers used by the host university, credits awarded by Albany, and the actual letter grade (converted to the Albany system as necessary). If you have any questions about the Transcript Supplement, contact Albany; we are the only ones who can make changes. But check with the Director of International Education on your home campus to see how these grades will be incorporated into your official records as each SUNY campus makes its own rules.

Non-SUNY Students

Please read the section describing Transcripts and Transcript Supplements for Albany students, as your grades will be prepared in the same way. Your grades will be filed with the Registrar at Albany and you will receive an unofficial copy of your Transcript Supplement. If you have any questions about how your courses or grades appear on the Transcript Supplement, contact Albany. You should also find out from your home campuses how they incorporate transfer credit into your records.

Letter Grades and Pass/Fail Courses

Your overseas program may use letter grades or numbers or even have each professor write a paragraph about your work, but all your work will be reported on your SUNY Transcript Supplement with letter grades only. You cannot elect S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory or pass/fail) grading for courses graded on a letter or number basis overseas, but you may enroll in courses that are graded only S/U by the host institution. If the host institution gives you a satisfactory grade in an S/U graded course, then that grade will also be used on your Transcript Supplement.

Transcript Problems

The Transcript Supplement is an important part of your permanent record, and its accuracy is important to you and us. We send you an unofficial copy of your transcript supplement in order to ensure that the classes and grades you receive are those you believe you should receive. After reviewing the unofficial transcript supplement, if you think your credits or grades are wrong, you must discuss your situation with the administering SUNY campus that issued the Transcript Supplement. If you think the wrong equivalents have been assigned, discuss this with your home campus adviser who made that decision. It is possible for mistakes to be corrected and changes will be made if there is a valid reason.

Issuing Your Transcript and Transcript Supplement

By law, Albany cannot send your official transcript to anyone without your written authorization. This includes non-SUNY students who want us to send their transcript directly to their home campus. For non-SUNY students there is a box on the bottom of your application for admission as a non-matriculated student that you can mark to pre-authorize Albany to send your grades when they are ready. Please do so before you send back this form to our office. Albany will issue one free official transcript for you for each semester that you are overseas. Be sure to SIGN in that box or your request will not be honored by the Registrar’s office.

Again, we will send an unofficial copy of your Transcript Supplement to you at your permanent home address as soon as it is ready. If you have any questions about it, contact us. If we have made an error, we will correct it as soon as we can. If your home campus or a graduate school or an employer or anyone else needs to see your official transcript, you must arrange for one to be sent by the Registrar at the University at Albany (518-591-8170). The Registrar requires your signature, the mailing address, and payment ($5) for each transcript. They will not release your grades if you have any holds.

When Will Your Grades Be Processed?

All students should be aware that there is often a delay of at least two months before grades from overseas programs reach Albany. Although we cannot make any guarantees to provide your grades by a particular date, we do process grade reports as quickly as possible. Please be certain that you have completed any necessary authorizations to have your grades sent to Albany by the host university and that you have no "holds" (possibly due to unpaid charges or missing library books, etc.) at the overseas site before you return home.

While we are awaiting your grades from overseas, the University at Albany may be issuing its official grade reports as the Registrar ’ s office does so automatically. Therefore, if Albany or your home SUNY campus has not processed your grades from overseas, the grade report for the semester will show a grade of NR (not recorded) for the G-INS course you have registered for. This is normal and not a cause for alarm. There is no need to call us! This grade will be changed later. All students will know that their grades have been forwarded to their home campus when they receive their unofficial copy of the Transcript Supplement from Albany.

Again, regardless of how quickly Albany receives your grades from overseas, you should be aware that Albany will place "holds" on the records of any students who have not paid in full for their overseas program or who have incurred unresolved debts overseas. Please be sensitive to this fact and take care of any debts right away.

Attention Graduating Seniors: Students who will be graduating during the semester following their period of study abroad should contact Albany. We will do our best to obtain your grades so that there is sufficient time for you to be cleared for graduation on schedule. However, we can never guarantee that we will receive your grades from overseas in a timely manner. Patience is necessary. Please read the section in this book called "Graduating Seniors" for more details.

Authorizing Your Grades to be Sent by Your Host University

Many universities overseas require your specific authorization before sending your grades to Albany. Check with the overseas staff and review the information specific to your program for details. Be sure to specify that your grades are to be sent to the SUNY campus administering your overseas program, not to your home campus! Only the SUNY campus administering your program can produce a Transcript Supplement for you and it slows things down if your grades are sent to the wrong school.

ALL students on Albany’s Programs should have their grades from overseas sent to:

Office of International Education
University at Albany
Science Library G 40
Albany, NY 12222

Albany Students on programs run by other SUNYs should have their grades sent to the Office of International Education at the SUNY that sponsors their particular program, NOT the University at Albany.