Academics

The University of Oxford teaches students through "Tutorials" or conversations, normally held between two or three students and their tutor, who is an expert on that topic. Students talk in-depth about the subject at-hand and receive individual feedback on their work. Lectures might also be included, depending on the academic field. 

HC students matriculated at Oxford will enroll in two tutorials per semester: one is your primary tutorial, the other is your secondary tutorial, which meets less often than the primary. Taken together, the primary and secondary tutorials are considered full-time enrollment per semester, and each tutorial will transfer back to Holy Cross.  Since Oxford has three semesters, you can expect to enroll in six tutorials, total. 

As well as tutorials, depending on your course, you will also have a combination of seminars, lectures, lab work, and/or language classes each week. In combination, these opportunities provide an ideal environment for an outstanding education.

Read more about tutorials at this link: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/student-life/exceptional-education/personalised-learning

The Holy Cross credit approval system works like this: 

1. After you arrive in the UK, you will receive an email from Jared Chapman in the HC Registrar’s Office with instructions for submitting Course Approval Forms (CAFS). You'll submit one CAF per tutorial as soon as possible, and no later than 1 week after the start of classes. 

2. Once the Registrar's Office receives your CAFs, they will send the classes you'd like to have count towards your major(s) and minor(s) to the Study Abroad Course Evaluators in the relevant department(s) for approval. Common Area requirements are approved by the Registrar's Office. 

3. Once the Registrar's Office hears back from the relevant parties about all of your classes, you will receive an email detailing which classes have/have not been approved. (Note: If you talk to your advisors before you leave and stay in touch during the course selection process, you should not receive any 'surprise' rejections!) 

Courses NOT accepted for Holy Cross Credit:

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 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.)

One of the most common questions we get in the Office of Study Abroad is whether or not a certain class abroad will count towards a student's major, minor, concentration, etc. The answer is...maybe! Here's how it works:

If you think a class might work for your Major(s) or Minor...

You need to talk to the official study abroad course evaluator in your department.  

You should obtain a course description and, if available, a syllabus for the class before contacting the course evaluator. They appreciate as much context as possible!

If you think a class might work for a Common Area requirement...

You need to talk to the Registrar's Office! Send an email to Jared Chapman (jchapman@holycross.edu) to gain clarity on Common Area requirements abroad. 

Again, obtain a syllabus and other relevant information about the class before contacting Jared. He appreciates as much context as possible!

FULL PROGRAM:   

Six courses per year, includes: 

One 8-credit primary course per trimester & 

One 4-credit secondary course per trimester   

GRADE CONVERSION:   

Host Grade HC Grade 

70-100 A 

65-69 A- 

60-64 B+ 

55-59 B 

50-54 B- 

45-49 C+ 

40-44 C 

35-39 C- 

30-34 D 

29 & below F 

All of the classes you take when you study abroad will be listed on your Holy Cross transcript, just as they are for any normal semester. Next to each class you take abroad, the letter grade you earned will appear, just as it does for any normal semester at Holy Cross. 

The difference is that the grades you receive abroad will not factor into your cumulative GPA. This means if you leave to study abroad with a 4.0 and you get all 'B's when you are at your host institution, your GPA when you return to Holy Cross will still be a 4.0. The system is designed with you in mind!

Opting to spend a semester or year studying in a completely different academic system is brave. We want to celebrate the work you do abroad by reflecting the letter grades you earn on your transcript.  We also understand that it's normal to struggle in a new academic system. Therefore, we don't factor your grades into your overall GPA. The goal of this policy is to encourage more students to study abroad without fearing what a semester or year away might do to their GPA.

NO. You cannot and will not take any classes pass/fail abroad. This is one of those "study abroad myths" that for some unknown reason seems to be passed down from study abroad generation to study abroad generation.

Your HC transcript, after your study abroad semester or year, will reflect the grades that you earn abroad. What will NOT be affected is your GPA.

You can look forward to much more academic independence when you study abroad.  In the UK education system, there are frequently only one, sometimes two, assignments that account for your entire course grade. This system puts a lot more pressure on that one assignment, but it means you are free from the myriad of smaller assignments you are accustomed to at Holy Cross. 

Should you need assistance, you will need to take the initiative.  It is worth your time to educate yourself on the UK education system and review how to best prepare for UK exams and how to write a research paper - academic expectations in the UK differ from the ones we are accustomed to in the United States. 

Read Arcadia Abroad's website for the most helpful tips!  

https://studyabroad.arcadia.edu/find-a-program/programs-by-country/england/know-before-you-go/#academic-matters