Academic Policies

Your semester away is sure to be a fun and exciting experience. Many students say it is the best semester of their college career but it's important to keep in mind that this is an academic experience. There are rules and requirements you’ll need to adhere to during your semester away.

Trinity’s programs abroad are an extension of the quality of education offered at the home campus. In that regard, they do not represent a temporary “time-out” or separation from standard academic policies and procedures, but operate in tandem and conformity with the principles that govern the Hartford curriculum. This means that adherence to academic deadlines, as well as the consequence of grades (including poor grades, failing grades, and grades of excellence) and credit earned on Trinity programs abroad are subject to the same rules and regulations that prevail in Hartford. Students are, therefore, reminded to consult the Trinity College Student Handbook for details regarding academic probation, faculty honors, transfer credit, etc. while studying abroad. All students, Trinity and visiting, are expected to be familiar with the contents of the student handbook.

• All students are required to enroll in a full course load for the semester which is a minimum equivalent to 4 Trinity credits and a maximum equivalent to 6 credits.

• All students must take Italian language at the appropriate level.

Trinity Students: If you are under enrolled while away you will be put on academic probation at Trinity College.

If you are over enrolled you will be charged a surcharge fee by Trinity College Student Accounts.

• All courses taken on Trinity programs will appear on the Trinity transcript and will calculate into the student’s GPA.

• Students are subject to the academic policies of the program and college.

• Some academic departments at Trinity have restrictions on the number of courses students can take away from Trinity for major or minor credit. Talk with your department for more information. 

• Final course work for Trinity courses is due on the deadline set by the instructor and any work submitted late will be subject to a failing grade.

• All course work must be completed and handed in by the last day of the program. 

Trinity Students:

• All attempted and/or earned credits and grades received at the Rome Campus will be posted to the student’s Trinity transcript, regardless of grades earned. All grades for these courses will be calculated into the grade point average and included in determining rank-in-class and academic standing, such as faculty honors, academic probation, and honors at graduation. 

Visiting students:

• Visiting students should check with their schools Registrar and academic advisor regarding the transfer of grades from abroad.

• 1 Trinity credit = 3.5 credit hours.

• Visiting students should check with their home institution on how many courses/credits you are required to take at the Rome Campus. It is recommended you contact you study away advisor and Registrar's Office.

• There is no add/drop period in Rome. When you register for classes during Rome registration week, this is your final registration (except for the language course and internship seminar which you will not enroll in until after you have arrived in Rome.)

• All classes that students are enrolled in will appear on their Trinity transcript. Students may not elect to leave a course off or have a course not count for credit if they remained enrolled in it for the semester.

• Students have 1 week after the start date of courses to request P/LP/F.

• Students must contact the Registrar’s Office (registrar.office@trincoll.edu) to request to take a course P/LP/F.  

• Italian Language cannot be taken P/LP/F because it is a required course of the program.  

• This option may be used only for elective credits. These courses may not be used to fulfill proficiency, general education, distribution, major, or minor requirements. 

• You may select the Pass/Low Pass/Fail option for only one course per semester, and for a maximum of four courses during your time at Trinity. If you select to take a course Pass/Low Pass/Fail and change it back to a letter grade at the end of a semester, this still counts as one of your four courses. 

• Academic integrity is a fundamental expectation of all students studying abroad. As part of the online steps to confirm your decision to study abroad, you will electronically sign and agree to Trinity College rules of conduct and academic regulations. You are subject to these rules while studying away. The rules that you have agreed to can be found in your online application (post-acceptance section) and in the Trinity College Student Handbook.

• Visiting students should be familiar with their schools academic policies and guidelines.

• Academic dishonesty is the failure to maintain academic integrity. It includes, but is not limited to, obtaining or giving unauthorized aid on an examination, having unauthorized prior knowledge of the content of an examination, doing work for another student, having work done by another person for the student, and plagiarism.

• Academic dishonesty can result in severe academic penalty, including failure of the course and/or dismissal from the program.

• Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s ideas or product as one’s own. Examples of plagiarism are: copying verbatim and without attribution all or parts of another’s written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, computer programs, Web sites without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source; using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score, computer program, Web sites or other artistic products without attributing the work to its creator. Students can avoid unintentional plagiarism by carefully following accepted scholarly practices. Notes taken for papers and research projects should accurately record sources of material to be cited, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, and research or critical papers should acknowledge these sources with the use of footnotes.

• Any violation of Trinity’s academic integrity policy will be referred to the main Trinity campus for adjudication through established procedures. Violations will result in disciplinary action which will be placed on the student’s record, either permanently or for a specified length of time.

• Students receiving academic accommodations on their home campus must alert the Rome Campus Adviser as soon as possible so we can ensure that equal accommodations are prepared. You will need to provide a letter from the Accommodations Office that outlines your specific accommodations.

• As defined in the Trinity College Student Handbook, all students must attend classes and excursions. 

• Criteria for evaluation of student performance include attendance and participation in program activities. Students must fully participate in all program components and courses.

• You may not voluntarily opt out of required program activities. Valid reasons for absence – such as illness – must be discussed in advance with the On-Site Director and professor. 

• Penalties for excessive absence from class will be determined by the program and may include recommending your withdrawal from the course or the issuance of a failing grade.