REGISTRAR'S OFFICE:  (508) 793-2511 or email Asst. Registrar, Jared Chapman, at jchapman@holycross.edu  

KNOWING YOUR PROGRAM’S GUIDELINES

You must be registered for all standard academic terms at your host institution and attend for the duration of those terms.

Refer to your program’s conversion sheet for information on:

1. The total number of host credits required by your program for the semester or year;

2. Required elements for your program (e.g. language courses, start-ups, etc.);

3. The minimum number of host credits equivalent to one HC course;

4. The grade conversion table for translating host grades to HC grades.

Program conversion sheets are available on the registrar’s website: http://www.holycross.edu/support-and-resources/office-registrar/study-abroad-equivalencies

Please note: a full load abroad is based on the number of credits, not the number of classes.

UNDERSTANDING WHICH COURSES ARE NOT ACCEPTED BY HOLY CROSS

1. *Online or hybrid (partially online) courses;

2. Pre-professional, business, law, and marketing courses;

3. Other non-liberal arts courses;

4. Courses of similar content to those you have already taken;

5. Any major courses required by your major department to be taken at Holy Cross;

6. Courses taken without a letter grade (e.g. auditing, pass/no pass, etc.)

*Host institution courses that feature online components as a temporary COVID-19 measure may be approved as an exception on a case-by-case basis by the Office of the Registrar.

SUBMITTING YOUR COURSE APPROVAL FORMS (CAFs)

Submit your CAFs as soon as possible, and no later than1 week after the start of classes.

• Open STAR and navigate to Student Center;

• Click “My Academics,” then click “Apply for Course Approval”;

• Ensure Host Institution and Term are correct, then click “Add”;

• Fill in a separate form for each and every course you are taking*;

• Supply as much information (syllabus, reading list, assessment, etc. you have for each course;

• Press “Submit” when done.

HAVING TROUBLE WITH A COURSE ABROAD?

Contact your Class Dean and the Office of Study Abroad for advising (additional academic support can often be arranged).

THINKING OF DROPPING A COURSE?

Before taking action and within the first 10 weeks of classes, contact all of the following faculty/staff to discuss your options:

1. Your Academic Advisor abroad;

2. The Office of Study Abroad;

3. Your Class Dean.

Do not drop a course without obtaining approval from all three parties above.

COURSE FAILURE

Please be aware that failure of two courses within a single semester results in academic suspension.

If you have any concern about a course, it is never too early to reach out. We strongly encourage you to contact your Class Dean and the Office of Study Abroad in the event of course issues.

WRAPPING UP YOUR TIME ABROAD

Complete all final exams and turn in all coursework prior to departing.

If you are studying with OTS or a non-HC program, please arrange for your host institution to send a physical copy of your transcript to Holy Cross with attention to the Office of Study Abroad after grades are posted.

For more detailed instructions on the course approval process, please be sure to read emails from the Registrar’s Office.