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1. When should I talk to my adviser or to people in the Office of Study Abroad
and Exchanges about planning for study abroad?
As soon as possible! You can get advice about how to fit study abroad into
your schedule from ASC or from your major department. You can get help in
selecting a program that meets your needs at any time from the Office of
Study Abroad and Exchanges (Science Library G 40). You can get specific classes that are
taught overseas approved for inclusion in your major or minor in advance.
Once you know what courses you can take overseas toward your requirements
here, you can plan your semesters more easily.
The most important thing is to make your choice wisely and be sure the program
you pick meets your needs. See our detailed descriptions of each Albany
sponsored program here.
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2. Can I study abroad if I transferred here?
Yes! Study abroad coursework can be used to meet your graduation
requirements, and as long as you do either your junior year or senior year on
campus (technically, 30 of the last 60 credits counted towards your degree
must be done physically at Albany), you can even go for a full year. A
semester or summer should fit into your program easily.
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3. How do I find the right program and apply for study abroad?
Come to the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges (Science Library G 40).or check out our web site (www.albany.edu/studyabroad). There's no "best" program - only the one that fits your plans. Advisers will be able to help you find the ones that work best for you.
The most important thing is to make your choice wisely and be sure the program
you pick meets your needs. See our detailed descriptions of each Albany
sponsored program here.
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4. I have been accepted into a SUNY study abroad program! What do I do next?
If Albany is administering your program, you will have all the paperwork and instructions right in your acceptance packet. If another SUNY is administering your program, please stop by the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges (Science Library G 40) as soon as possible to get any forms or other help you might need. <<Top
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RULES FOR ALBANY STUDENTS REGISTERED FOR G INS COURSES
The rules below apply to Albany students who are or will be registered at Albany under course numbers beginning with G INS for programs run by Albany or another four-year SUNY campus.
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1. How do I register for my first semester of study abroad?
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You will be registered for study abroad here at Albany for a course with a G INS prefix and will pay your SUNY tuition here, but you will be paying other fees as explained by the SUNY that is administering your program.
- In order to register for your first semester overseas, you will have to get your AVN number from your major adviser. The Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges (Science Library G 40) will provide you with your permission number.
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2. How many credits should I register for?
When you are registering for study abroad, you will initially enter the number of credits you expect to earn on the program. For a semester, that will generally be a minimum of 12. For a summer program, you will use the number of credits your program carries.
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3. What happens if I earn a different number of credits than what I originally registered for?
- When your grades are actually submitted to the Office of the Registrar at Albany, your registration will be adjusted to show the actual number of credits you have earned.
- As long as you were registered for at least 12 credits during a semester, your tuition will not change.
- If you earned more credits than you have actually paid for on any program, you will be billed for the additional credits.
- If you have not completed the minimum number of credits required by your program, you will not receive a tuition refund.
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4. How should I register if I'm not sure I will be studying abroad?
- If, at the time of advance registration, you are not certain that you will be studying abroad, register for Albany classes as you normally would. Once you are certain of your plans, adjust your schedule accordingly.
- If you have registered for regular classes, the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges will not drop your classes and register you for study abroad without your permission. As long as you are registered for regular classes, your bill from Student Accounts will show all the customary fees that students are charged. Once your registration has been changed to study abroad (when you are registered for a G INS class), you will be billed only for tuition and the University Fee.
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5. How do I register for my second semester of study abroad?
If you are enrolled in an academic year program, the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges at Albany will register you for the appropriate G INS course number for your second semester. However, you will have to register yourself for the semester when you return to Albany.
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6. How can I extend or shorten my study abroad program?
If, once you are overseas, you would like to change from semester to academic year or academic year to one semester, contact the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges at Albany for assistance. These changes require approval from Albany, the administering SUNY, and the host university and may not be automatic.
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7. How do I register for the specific classes I will be taking at the host university?
You will also be registered for the classes you take overseas according to the rules of the SUNY that is administering your program and the rules of the host university overseas. Often, you will not know exactly what you will be taking until you arrive at the host university.
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8. How are the credits and grades I earned at the host university converted into SUNY credits and grades?
The SUNY which is administering your program will tell you how the credits and grades of the HOST university will be converted into SUNY credits. Albany will award the same credits and grades that the administering SUNY assigns. If Albany is running your program, then the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges in Science Library G 40 will tell you how the credits and grades of the host university will be interpreted.
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9. How many classes do I have to take overseas? How many credits can I earn?
- It is important that you register for the minimum number of SUNY credits that you will need to be considered a full-time student or otherwise satisfy your requirements.
- You may register for as many credits as your program permits, but cannot earn more than 19 credits in any semester without gaining special approval from the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. If your records from overseas show more than 19 credits, the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges will make the request for approval for you.
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10. Will the courses I take overseas count toward my graduation requirements?
- All courses that you take overseas and pass will count toward the 120 credits that you need to graduate.
- Specific courses can also be used toward the credits you need in your major, minor, or for the general education program as long as they are approved. Courses can be approved in advance if you have adequate descriptions. Courses that have not been preapproved can be approved while you are overseas after you submit syllabi and descriptions to Albany, or after you return, again with the same documentation. Your major department signs off on courses counting toward your major and can also approve classes counting toward your minor.
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11. Do I need to earn a minimum grade for my courses to count toward Albany's requirements?
All credits earned while a student is enrolled in a SUNY-sponsored study abroad program (so that the student is registered at Albany under a GINS course number) will be counted toward satisfying the student's degree requirements. Only courses in which students earn grades of C or better will be allowed to count in the major or minor or as writing intensive in any subject area. For any courses in which a student earns a lower but still passing grade, regardless of the equivalent originally determined, the course will be reclassified for that student as a generic 000 course in the subject area so that the credits will be counted only toward overall credits. Courses approved as satisfying General Education requirements will still satisfy those requirements, except for the category of writing intensive. Students whose credits are not included in their major or minor because of this policy may request that specific courses be reevaluated by the major or minor department. The academic department has the authority to assign a different equivalent.
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12. Can classes I take overseas count toward my General Education requirements?
Yes. For the Foreign Language requirement, a semester of language study in the country where that language is spoken meets the requirement, even if it is at the beginning level. For other subject-matter areas, if your major adviser assigns an equivalent for an overseas course which is on Albany's approved list of courses for the category, the course counts. For all courses which are assigned non-specific equivalents at Albany, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies must approve each course individually. Your audit will be updated to reflect approved courses after your grades from overseas have been posted to your records at Albany. It is sometimes possible, but less likely, to get credit for oral discourse and writing intensive classes since they involve a style of teaching and learning, not specific subject matter.
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13. How do I get specific courses approved for inclusion in my major or minor?
You may have as many courses preapproved as you wish. This guarantees that if you take those specific courses, you will receive credit according to what you have been told, as long as you have submitted the proper paperwork to the Office of Study Abroad and Exchanges. That is generally the Preliminary Approval Form but it can also be a document signed and dated by your major adviser. It does not guarantee that the overseas university will offer all those classes. You are also not required to take the classes that have been preapproved - you may take whatever overseas classes the host university will allow you to take that interest you. If, when you get overseas, the courses you had hoped to take are not available or you find other courses of greater interest, contact your academic adviser right away if you need to know if they will be accepted into your major.
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14. Can I take courses overseas that don't match any classes offered at Albany?
Courses taken overseas do not have to be exact matches for classes offered at Albany to count. In fact, it's a good idea to take classes overseas that are different from what is offered here. If you only need general elective credits outside of your major or minor, then everything counts automatically. If you need credits in your major such as upper level electives, then any overseas classes that are approved as such by your major adviser for inclusion in your major or minor will count. Your major or minor adviser can also agree to waive other specific requirements and substitute different classes that you have taken overseas.
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15. How do the grades I earned overseas show up on my Albany transcript?
- The exact classes you took overseas, along with the number of SUNY credits and the grades you have earned for each, will appear on Transcript Supplement which is sent out every time you request an official transcript. The grades themselves are not computed into your GPA.
- As long as you have passed your courses overseas, you will get G INS credits with a grade of S that are equal to the number of SUNY credits earned at the host university. Since you cannot elect S/U credits for study abroad, G INS courses are not counted as part of the two courses that you can opt to take S/U at Albany.
- Failing grades will be reported on your official Transcript Supplement and may also appear on your regular Albany transcript as U grades.
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16. How can I appeal a grade earned on a study abroad program?
- All students have the right to appeal grades, just as they do at their home campus, but the procedure for study abroad grades is different. In general, grades will only be changed if the host university so recommends.
- If the issue is with the actual grade awarded, the appeal for reconsideration must first be made in accordance with the established procedures of the host university. If the professor of record at the host university agrees that a grade should be changed, then the proper officials of host university convey the new grade to the administering SUNY which in turn revises the Transcript Supplement. The home campus then revises its own records accordingly.
- If there are special circumstances related to the assignment of a grade (such as when a student's religious observances conflict with examination policies, or in other situations where students would expect redress or special accommodation in the U.S.) for which an accommodation was not or will not be granted by the host university, the matter should be discussed with the study abroad office at the administering SUNY campus as soon as possible, in advance of the actual relevant date if possible.
- This timeliness is important since if the reason cited by the student is not considered a sufficient excuse, the student will need to know this as soon as possible. Even if the reason warrants granting the excuse, a student's delay in contacting the instructor or the administering SUNY campus may make it more difficult for the University to assist the student with acceptable options of making up the work that was missed.
- With the consent of the Dean of Undergraduate Education or the faculty on the Advisory Committee to the Office of International Education, a grade earned overseas may be changed.
- Appeal Procedures for Study Abroad Credits Awarded: If a student believes that an incorrect number of credits was assigned to a course taken overseas, the appeal for reconsideration must be made to the SUNY campus which administered the program. If the administering SUNY agrees that the number of credits awarded should be changed, the administering SUNY will revise the Transcript Supplement. The home campus will then revise its own records accordingly.
- Appeal Procedures for Study Abroad Course Equivalents: Course equivalents are only determined by the student's home campus. If a student wishes a course equivalent to be reconsidered, the appeal should be addressed to the Office of International Education at the student's home campus. As long as the faculty in the academic department where the credits will ultimately be credited agree, equivalents can be changed. The Dean of Undergraduate Studies can approve a course for General Education.
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17. How do the classes I take overseas show up on my audit so that I am eligible for graduation?
After your grades have been processed at Albany, the equivalents assigned for the courses you have taken show up on your audit. If the equivalents are actual Albany courses, the audit will find them and count them as if you had taken the same classes here. If the equivalents are generic classes such as HIS 010 but they have been approved for General Education credit, the Dean's office will tag them after they have been posted. If courses have been approved for your major, they will count there. If other requirements for the major have been waived because you have taken these classes, the academic department will have to file a DARS exception form. If the credits are only needed against the total credits you need to graduate, the courses will appear in the electives area of the audit.
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18. What happens if the courses I take overseas carry a different number of SUNY credits than the corresponding classes at Albany?
You get the same number of credits for your equivalents as the overseas courses carried on your Transcript Supplement. That might be the same number, or more, or fewer, than the corresponding course at Albany. If your major requires that you take a particular class, then the equivalent satisfies the requirements, even if the credits are fewer, but you will still need to complete the full number of credits required for your major. If your major requires a certain number of credits in a particular subject and your course carries fewer, you will need to discuss alternatives (and DARS exceptions) with your major department to see what they will require of you. If a course overseas carries more credits than the corresponding class at Albany, it is also possible for your adviser to divide the credits among several Albany courses.
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19. Can I study abroad during my senior year?
Yes, you can study abroad during your Senior year. The residence rule states that 30 of the last 60 credits you present for your degree must be completed physically at Albany. If you are overseas for a year, then the rule allows you to count any 30 of the last 69 credits toward the residence requirement. So you can go for a full year!
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20. Can I use financial aid for study abroad?
Yes. Since you remain registered at Albany while you attend any study abroad program administered by any four-year SUNY, your aid will also be processed here. You will have to make arrangements with the Office of Financial Aid to have your aid applied to your bills.
- Even if you do not know the exact cost of your study abroad program, you should file your FAFSA at the usual time. The figures from the FAFSA will be used to determine how much you and your family must pay toward your educational expenses. Financial aid will be calculated based on the difference between your required contribution and the cost of studying abroad.
- You must earn at least 12 credits during a semester or 6 in a summer to qualify for aid.
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21. I'm going on a program run by a SUNY Community College. Are the procedures the same for me?
Quite simply, no. But the procedures aren't all that complicated, either. Albany students who are participating on non-SUNY programs or on programs run by SUNY Community Colleges must transfer the credits they earn overseas to Albany. If you are studying for a semester or a year, you must apply for a Leave for Approved Study with the Office of Undergraduate Studies and transfer in the credits. If you are studying for the summer or during a semester break, you do not need to file for a Leave but you still have to follow the procedures for transfer credit and file the proper forms with the Office of the Registrar.
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