Transferring Study Abroad Credit back to UGA - Undergraduates

Students going on study abroad programs that are not through UGA, or who are going on a UGA exchange program, will need to follow certain procedures in order to have credit transferred back to UGA. Transfer credit will normally be given for courses that are from accredited United States universities and colleges, study abroad programs operated by UGA study abroad affiliates and consortia, and many other external study abroad programs.

For this last group of external programs, whether or not transfer credit will be awarded will be determined on case by case basis. The office of International Education will make this determination in consultation with the Admissions Office and the relevant academic department. Many excellent options exist; students should contact the Office of International Education early and work closely with an advisor in finding a program. Contact a study abroad advisor if you are not sure whether your program is through an accredited college or university.

Once you have confirmed that the program/university itself is approved, to have transfer credit for your intended courses pre-approved, you should fill out a Study Abroad Credit Approval Form, available at the Office of International Education. This form not only provides for pre-approval of transfer credit, it also allows for the disbursement of financial aid for study abroad. Without filling out this form, you will not receive financial aid for study abroad.

On this form, you give information about your study abroad program and the courses you wish to take. Short course descriptions, as well as any accreditation information on the study abroad program, should be attached to the form.

Go to the appropriate Foreign Language Department
if you will be studying a foreign language while abroad have the appropriate language department complete section 4-B of the Credit Approval form.
Take it to the Undergraduate Admissions Office, 212 Terrell Hall
Provide Admissions with as much detailed information as possible, particularly regarding the academic courses you plan to take. Allow a week for the determination of your transfer credit. Admissions will complete section 4-C of the Credit Approval form.
See your Academic Advisor
Make an appointment with your advisor. Discuss your courses, graduation requirements, and other concerns you have about how your study abroad credits will apply to your degree. Your advisor will complete section 4-D of the Credit Approval form. You may also need to see individual departments to fill out section 4-E if you would like a course for which there is no UGA equivalent to count as a core requirement.
Return completed form to the
Office of International Education
110 E. Clayton St.
Suite 300, Bank of America Building
at least 3 weeks before the beginning of the study abroad program, but preferably sooner. Get a copy for yourself and one to take to financial aid.

If possible, the form should be filled out before applying to a program so as to ensure that the courses will transfer as desired.

After completion of your study abroad program, you should have an official, sealed transcript from your program sent to the University of Georgia, Office of International Education, 110 E. Clayton Street, Suite 300, Athens, Georgia 30602 in order for the transfer of credit to take place. Credits should appear on OASIS within two to three weeks of the receipt of the transcript.

Special Note: Effective summer 2003, all students receiving a foreign transcript in a language other than English will need to have their academic study abroad transcripts officially translated (must be a certified translation). Students should ask the host institution for a transcript in English if possible. Students will have the transcripts sent directly to them and then contact a translation agency to do the translation. The UGA Office of Undergraduate Admissions has suggested the following company to translate foreign transcripts:

Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
PO Box 248233
Coral Gables, FL 33124
(305) 273-1616 telephone
(305) 273-1984 (fax for translations)
(305) 273-1338 (general fax)
Web site: http://www.jsilny.com

You may contact Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. via fax or mail for a free price quote. Then, students will complete the "Application for Translation" which can be found on the Josef Silny & Associates' web site. Students will then mail a photocopy of the original transcript along with the application and any fees to Josef Silny & Associates, who will provide the translation within 5 business days and return the documents to the student. Students will then submit the original transcript and the translation to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in Terrell Hall.

You should also note the following:

40 semester hours of a student's degree must be completed in residence (the rule that says that 40 of the last 60 hours must be completed in residence does not apply to study abroad)
you should drop any UGA courses for which you have pre-registered (for the time you will be abroad) before submitting your Credit Approval Form to the OIE
course descriptions submitted with a credit approval form in a foreign language must be translated into English for processing by UGA
it is recommended that you retain all course descriptions, notes, papers, syllabi, handouts, etc. from your courses abroad in case there are any issues of course equivalencies upon your return
once you have returned and your transcript has arrived, you should meet with your advisor to ensure that all courses have been used to fulfill the degree requirements outlined on your credit approval form