Academic Credit

Credit toward the Smith degree will be accepted for satisfactory academic work done at a foreign university or on a study abroad program only if you have been pre-approved to participate and paid the Smith Comprehensive Fee while enrolled on a program abroad. Approval will not be given retroactively.

Smith requires that students either study the local language of the host country or take courses taught in the local language of the host country each semester abroad, where offered by the program.

When planning to take courses abroad, please keep in mind the following important points:

• In non-English speaking countries, students are required to either study the local language or take courses taught in the local language of the host country each semester abroad when offered by the program or university. This requirement applies to countries where another local language is spoken inmost households and everyday places despite the use of English in government and formal education. For example, students must study French in Quebec, Twi in Ghana, Hebrew in Israel, Hindi in Delhi, and Zulu or Afrikaans in South Africa. Students who take one semester of a course abroad that is part of a year-long course at Smith will only receive credit for the course abroad once the second semester of study had been completed. Examples are Introductory Greek, Latin and Arabic. Credit is only transferable for liberal arts courses similar to those in Smith’s curriculum. 

• Courses with a professional focus such as accounting, business, marketing, communications, or some journalism courses will not transfer unless you receive, in advance, the written approval of a Smith department chair. Otherwise, students may enroll in such courses only if you begin the semester abroad with a credit surplus; the course name and grade will be shown on the Smith transcript, but no credit will be earned. Contact the Associate Dean for International Study if you wish to have permission for this option. 

• Credit is not transferred for distance-learning or courses taught online. Credit will not be awarded for a course taken abroad that duplicates the content of a course for which Smith credit has already been earned. 

• Students are expected to take courses abroad that correspond to their academic level (generally 300-level or third-year courses). If you are interested in taking an introductory level course, or have no other option in available courses, you must consult first with the Associate Dean for International Study. 

• Students may not take a reduced load. The number of courses in which you enroll each term must constitute the normal (not minimum) full-time load at that institution, and all the courses should be in areas for which Smith credit is transferable. Students with an excess of Smith credits before studying abroad who wish to take a course that will not transfer must consult with and gain the approval of the Associate Dean for International Study.

• Students are expected to abide by all program/host university academic rules and regulations including but not limited to S/U grading options, adding/dropping courses, etc. All examinations must be taken if they are required of host-country students and open to visiting students; alternative forms of assessment are not acceptable when the form of assessment used for host-country students is available. Students SHOULD NOT MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO LEAVE THEIR PROGRAMS/HOST INSTITUTION BEFORE THEY KNOW THE DATES OF THEIR FINAL EXAMS. Failure to take the final exam means risking failing the course. Given the differences in academic schedules, this means you will need to be very conscious of the dates on which summer internships, jobs or other commitments begin. 

• On Smith-approved programs, no extra credit is awarded for a full load carried over a longer period than a regular Smith semester (for example, 2 terms of study at Oxford, or a pre-session followed by a semester of study in Latin America). A maximum of 16 credits per semester or 32 credits per year is awarded for a full load of courses abroad. 

• Major or minor credit is dependent upon department approval and it is your responsibility to check with your academic advisor or the department chair to determine whether the course will satisfy departmental requirements.

You may find that some or all of the courses for which you were pre-approved change once you begin the semester. The Office for International Study will work with you to help ensure that the new courses you choose may be approved for Smith credit. To see approval for new courses, use the Course Change form. Contact the Office for International Study with any questions.

Students must take a full course load, as defined by Smith College, to receive credit equivalent to a semester or year at Smith. A full load is a combination of courses that will advance a student at the host institution one semester or year toward the degree with no credit shortages. Students who complete a full semester of year worth of courses at their host institutions will earn a full semester (16 credits) or year (32 credits) worth of credit toward their Smith degree. The minimum number of courses required by a program or university may not be sufficient to earn 16 credit per semester from Smith. Any questions about the number of credits or courses that constitute a full load should be directed to the Office for International Study.

Many international universities run on the trimester or quarter system, in which case a single quarter or trimester is not of equivalent duration to a semester at Smith. Smith does not approve enrollment for the fall term in such situations, and treats the two terms that run from January to June as equivalent to a single semester at Smith. Only in exceptional cases with Smith allow for direct enrollment for a full academic year over three trimesters. Where we only permit a single semester of study, a request to study abroad for a full year requires a special petition to the Committee on Study Abroad. The Approved Program List notes the terms during which study is approved.

Students studying abroad on a program approved for Smith credit normally earn 16 Smith credits for one semester, or 32 Smith credits for a full year, for successful completion of a full load of courses abroad. A Smith Program Abroad may have a different total credit amount. 

In exceptional cases, with written permission of the program director abroad and approval of the Class Dean and the Office for International Study, students taking courses in excess of a normal load may earn a maximum of 20 credits per semester.

A course taken abroad that duplicates the content of one for which you have already received credit at Smith may not count for degree credit unless explicitly approved by the appropriate Smith department chair. Pre-professional courses such as most communications, speech, business, management, marketing, media, nutrition, library science, law, some journalism courses, and some computer science courses normally will not receive credit at Smith. Distance learning and courses taught online are ineligible for transfer credit. Performance courses will be awarded credit equivalent to their value at Smith (two credits for DAN and one credit for ESS). A maximum of 24 music performance, 12 dance performance, and 4 ESS credits may be counted toward the Smith degree; courses taken abroad that bring the student's total performance credits above these limits will not receive credit. Group performance courses (choir, orchestra, etc.) will not receive credit.

An independent study course may be undertaken abroad only when it is part of a set curriculum of the program (such as SIT Study Abroad, School for Field Studies, etc). Students who wish to receive credit towards their major for an independent study course must receive pre-approval through completion of the Independent Study for Major Credit form, submitted with the Confirmation Materials in SITES once the student has been approved to study abroad.

Smith does not grant credit for internships, but will consider granting credit for course work associated with an internship. Students who wish to earn credit for internship course work on a program approved for Smith credit must attach a course description and syllabus to the Study Abroad Credit Application. 

Grades for work completed on a Smith Program Abroad in Florence, Geneva, Hamburg, and Paris are factored into the Smith GPA and calculations for Latin Honors. Grades for work completed on study abroad programs approved for Smith credit are recorded on the Smith transcript, but are not factored into the GPA or Latin honors calculations. Low grades, failing courses or taking courses abroad without approval can result in academic probation and/or failure to make satisfactory progress toward the degree upon return to Smith. Any credit shortage due to unsuccessful completion of courses abroad must be made up through summer school or by arrangement with the appropriate Class Dean.

Courses taken abroad may be counted toward the distribution requirement for Latin Honors. The first semester of an introductory language will only count toward the foreign language distribution requirement if the student continues on to take the second semester of that language.

Smith students are bound by the rules and procedures of the study abroad program or host university, including those for registration, course load, dropping and adding courses, and exercising any satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading option.

Most foreign English-speaking universities expect students to work more independently than is customary in U.S. colleges, and base a high proportion of the grade on a final exam. British and Australian students, for example, routinely underplay the amount of studying they do, and are also experienced at writing polished examination answers in the allocated time. U.S. students who misunderstand this system risk performing disastrously in the exam and may fail the entire course as a result. Past students have warned against being lulled into a false sense of confidence that the coursework is light, and that you are fulfilling expectations by understanding the material covered in class. While most students pass all of their courses abroad, and many do very well, Smith students have also sometimes been shocked to discover that the final exams are the first and only graded assessment for a class. 

Frequently, the final assessment standard assumes that you have been independently reading, analyzing, and making connections in material according to your own academic interests in the topic, beyond what is covered in lectures. Be sure to ask good questions of your lecturers and fellow students about the expectations of final exams and papers. Remember that local students may take their own system for granted, and may not be familiar with the U.S. system and your expectations.

Students on two-semester programs considering returning after one semester should see “Rescinding a Leave” on the Class Deans website. Students wishing to rescind their Study Abroad Leave should notify the Office for International Study and their Class Dean in writing. If a student rescinds their study abroad leave in order to register for classes in Northampton, that decision will be binding and cannot be reversed. Leave may be rescinded until the first day of classes each semester, however, the student is responsible for any non-refundable fees and deposits already paid to the study abroad program or host university on their behalf. The student is also responsible for contacting Housing to request a room. A student who withdraws from a study abroad program or host university after the program has started is responsible for any non-refundable fees and withdrawal fees charged by the study abroad program, and may not return to Smith that semester, if classes have already begun at Smith.

Students participating on a Smith-Approved Program are responsible for ensuring that the study abroad program or host university sends an official transcript to the Office for International Study. The transferred credits will appear on your Smith transcript with the name of the issuing institution, course titles, grades, and credit equivalencies. The courses can be counted toward the distribution requirements for Latin Honors. Grades earned on a Smith-Approved Program will not be calculated into the GPA or calculations for GPA-based honors. Grades earned on a Smith Program Abroad will be calculated into the GPA. 

All students are required to submit an evaluation of their study abroad program or host university to the Office for International Study at the conclusion of the program. Transcripts will not be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office for posting until the evaluation is received by the Office for International Study.