ACADEMICS

Academic Requirements

Academic Requirements for Study Away Students

NYU’s Global Academic Centers offer a wide variety of course offerings from undergraduate departments across the University. The academic policies below have been developed to give students as consistent an experience as possible across NYU’s global network. Due to differences in location and culture, some academic policies may vary from site to site. Students should always adhere to local policies as presented at orientations and posted in handbooks and other resources. In addition, some policies differ depending on the student’s home school, therefore students should also be sure to check their school’s website.

Full-Time Status

Students must register for full time status (12-18 credits) at the NYU Study Away site. This DOES NOT include enrollment in local university courses.

Attendance

Study abroad at Global Academic Centers is an academically intensive and immersive experience, in which students from a wide range of backgrounds exchange ideas in discussion-based seminars. Learning in such an environment depends on the active participation of all students. And since classes typically meet once or twice a week, even a single absence can cause a student to miss a significant portion of a course. 

To ensure the integrity of this global academic experience, class attendance is mandatory. Any unexcused absences will be penalized with a two percent deduction from the student’s final course grade for every week’s worth of classes missed. 

To request an excused absence, email your instructor (CC'ing the Academic Coordinator) with as much advance notice as possible. An excused absence must be approved by the Program Director or the Academic Coordinator. 

Per NYU policy, excused absences are valid ONLY for medical emergencies or religious holidays. Work / Internship obligations are NOT considered excused absences. 

Students are responsible for making up any work missed due to absence. Repeated absences in a course may result in harsher penalties including failure.

Accommodations

Students accepted to study away programs who are requesting accommodations must be registered with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities.

Academic Integrity

As the University's policy on "Academic Integrity for Students at NYU" states: "At NYU, a commitment to excellence, fairness, honesty, and respect within and outside the classroom is essential to maintaining the integrity of our community. By accepting membership in this community, students take responsibility for demonstrating these values in their own conduct and for recognizing and supporting these values in others." Students at Global Academic Centers must follow the University and school policies.

NYU takes plagiarism very seriously; penalties follow and may exceed those set out by your home school. Your lecturer may ask you to sign a declaration of authorship form, and may check your assignments by using TurnItIn or another software designed to detect offences against academic integrity.

The presentation of any improperly cited work other than your own, as though it is your own, including words, ideas, judgment, images, data, or AI-generated work (like ChatGPT or Google Bard), whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes a breach of academic integrity. It is important that all work submitted for this course is your own. It is also an offense to submit your own work for assignments from two different courses that are substantially the same (be they oral presentations or written work). If there is overlap of the subject of your assignment with one that you produced for another course (either in the current or any previous semester), you must inform your professor.

For guidelines on academic honesty, clarification of the definition of plagiarism, examples of procedures and sanctions, and resources to support proper citation, please see:

NYU Academic Integrity Policies and Guidelines

NYU Library Citation Guides

Auditing

Auditing (i.e., attending class sessions without intending to receive credit) is allowed in exceptional circumstances, with the consent of the instructor, the site director, and the student’s home school. This option is restricted to full-time matriculated or visiting students; students who are not enrolled at the site are not permitted to audit courses (with the exception of students at local universities that have an exchange agreement with the site).

Auditors may not preempt space required for registered students. No points or letter grades are awarded for audited courses, and no withdrawals will be honored or refunds granted on audited courses. Courses cannot be audited as a means of satisfying requirements for an incomplete grade or as a means of changing a previous grade.

To request to audit a course, students must fill out the form below and submit it to the academic office at the site. This form, which must be signed by the instructor, includes a required statement of expectations for the auditor’s participation in the class. Please note that auditors may not be able to participate in some activities associated with the course, such as travel.

NYU Global Programs Auditing Contract (PDF) - It is recommended that students first consult the academic office at the site before filling in this form to formally request auditing a class. The form should be filled out in consultation with the instructor.

Incomplete Grades

An “incomplete” is a temporary grade that indicates that the student has, for good reason, not completed all of the course work. This grade is not awarded automatically nor is it guaranteed; rather, the student must ask the instructor for a grade of “incomplete,” present documented evidence of illness, an emergency, or other compelling circumstances, and clarify the remaining course requirements with the instructor.

In order for a grade of “incomplete” to be registered on the transcript, the student must fill out a form, in collaboration with the course instructor and the academic administration at the site; it should then be submitted to the site’s academic office. The submitted form must include a deadline by which the missing work will be completed. This deadline may not be later than the end of the following semester.

NYU Global Programs Incomplete Contract (PDF)

Grade Appeals

Students are encouraged to respect the integrity and authority of the professor’s grading system and are discouraged from pursuing arbitrary challenges to it. If a student believes an inadvertent error was made in the grading of an individual assignment or in assessing an overall course grade, a request to have the grade re-evaluated may be submitted. Once a final grade has been submitted by the instructor and recorded on the transcript, it cannot be changed by turning in additional course work. To appeal an assigned final grade, the student should first email the course instructor requesting clarification about how the grade was determined. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of the discussion and wishes to appeal the grade further, a formal written appeal should be submitted to the site director. This appeal must be submitted within 30 days after the grade has been posted; appeals that are submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Once an appeal has been received, the site director will conduct an independent review of the grade, in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies (or equivalent) of the academic unit sponsoring the course, as well as with the Office of Global Programs. The student’s work will be reviewed to clarify how the grade was determined and to ensure the grade is consistent with the academic guidelines and policies of the department; for this reason, students should retain the assignment(s) or exam(s) in question. The decision of the site director in matters related to a course grade is final.

Early Departure for Graduating Seniors

Upon receiving approval from the NYU Los Angeles Program Director eligible graduating students may return 1 day before their School/Department/University graduation ceremony.

Students should refer to the deadlines posted on their Global Academic Center Calendar

Drop/Add

Students may change their course registration on Albert through the first two weeks of each fall and spring semester. The Drop/Add deadline is noted on each Global Academic Center’s calendar. After the Drop/Add deadline, students will receive a “W” on their transcript when withdrawing from a class. (See Withdrawing from a Course.)

Pass/Fail Declaration: Forms and Procedures

Students should follow the procedures listed below in order to declare the pass/fail option for a course while studying away at a Global Center. Pass/Fail requests must be submitted by the deadline noted on each Global Academic Center Calendar. (Students are subject to the pass/fail policies of their home schools; thus, posted deadlines have been set in accordance with home school policies. It is highly recommended to consult your academic advisor before declaring the pass/fail option.

Withdrawing from a Course

After the Drop/Add deadline (the end of the second week of courses), withdrawing from a course will result in a “W” on your transcript. Requests to withdraw from a course, with a “W” on your transcript must be submitted by the last day to withdraw from a course deadline noted on each Global Academic Center’s Calendar. For instructions on how to submit a withdrawal request via Albert please consult the Request Class Withdrawal page on the Registrar’s website. If making a class withdrawal request you should always consult with your academic advisor to be sure you are fully aware of the implications

of receiving a “W” on your transcript, and to inform them of your current academic progress. For information on finding your advisor please visit the Finding Your Advisor webpage.

Complete Semester Withdrawal

Students wishing to withdraw completely after arriving at their host Global Academic Center must first consult staff in either academic life or student life at their host center and must also be in touch with their home school's academic advisor. Please note that only enrolled students are allowed to remain in NYU housing. Students wishing to cancel their attendance before arrival should contact their Study Away Advisor or global.admissions@nyu.edu. Students wishing to withdraw from courses with a “W” on their transcript must adhere to the Withdraw with a “W” deadline noted on each Global Academic Center’s Calendar.