For Students

Academic Advisor Documentation 

Our process for documenting Academic Advising within Faculty-Led Education Abroad Programs (Direct-Credit) has changed. Follow the steps below to complete the Academic Advisor Documentation portion of your application.

Step 1: From your USF email account, use this email template to send a Study Abroad Advising request to your Academic Advisor(s)*. Make sure to fill in the requested information within this template.
Step 2: Once your Academic Advisor has let you know that your Archivum note has been completed, take a screenshot of this note showing your name, U number, Advisor name, and the Study Abroad Advising note that pertains to the courses you plan to take abroad. 
Step 3: Upload your screenshot (link to screenshot example) to your application. 

*Please note, you may not have one specific academic advisor. If you come from a large major such as (but not limited to) Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Biology, Health Sciences, I recommend sending this request to your advisors' group email address. 

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Course Enrollment Form 

The purpose of your Course Enrollment Form is to acknowledge your responsibility to follow the course planning recommended by your Academic Advisor as it to pertains to your intended Education Abroad Program and to let Education Abroad know what courses you intend to take during your program. There are multiple ways to edit and complete this editable PDF document. For instructions on how to upload through Docusign, please use the steps below. Only the applicant signs this form.

Step 1: Download the Course Enrollment Form for your program (see attached). 
Step 2: Sign into Docusign using your net ID and password. 
Step 3: Upload the Course Enrollment Form to Docusign. 
Step 4: Fill in the requested information. Choose your courses. 
Step 5: Download the completed document to your device. 
Step 6: Upload the Course Enrollment Form to your application! 

If you are having trouble with completing or uploading your Course Enrollment Form, please email us including your name, U number, and Education Abroad program name. 

1. Review available courses at the host institution, select courses you would like to take and collect the syllabi or course descriptions of these courses from the host institution. If you need assistance, please contact the Education Abroad Office.
2. Schedule a face-to-face appointment with major advisor to get advice on 1) how the courses selected from host institution will fit into degree requirements (whether the courses selected count for major, count as general electives, how ECHS will be impacted with these courses, etc.) and 2) determining which departments need to assign course equivalencies in order to receive the appropriate departmental signatures.
3. Student contacts the advisor for the corresponding USF department with the syllabus. For example, a student who wishes to take a course from the Department of English should contact the USF English department advisor with an introductory e-mail explaining that they are seeking a course selection for a Non-USF program. Students will need to provide a copy of the syllabus and the course selection form (Education Abroad Office can assist in determining the correct contacts on campus).
4. The department advisor in turn submits the courses and syllabi to faculty for review. This process may take a good deal of time, students are advised to begin the process several months before departure. The advisor will contact the student with the selection.
5. Once ALL courses outside of the student’s home department are approved, submit the form to the academic advisor with the department equivalences collected.
6. Academic advisor may assist with classes within the student’s home department. Once completed, the advisor reviews, indicates if courses count towards degree requirements, and signs the form.
7. Student submits signed course selection form to the USF Education Abroad Office
   
   

* Students should schedule to meet with their major advisors once the credit has been returned to USF.
** Completion of Affiliate course selections can be a lengthy process. Students should begin this process once they are accepted into the program.

PLEASE NOTE: Students planning to take courses towards minors should coordinate communication between the minor and major advisor. The major advisor should still be the individual signing the form, though they may need confirmation from the minor advisor.

Q: What does “Direct Credit Program” mean?
A: This means that the credit offered on this program is through USF (led by our faculty, reviewed by our departments, etc.). You will be registered for the credit by our office prior to starting the program and will see that registration OASIS / Canvas—just as if you were taking the class on campus.

Q: What if I want to change my classes?
A: If you change classes you must notify your Education Abroad Advisor and your Academic Advisor. Please note, you are subject to the same withdrawal and late registration policies as you are on campus so changes to courses after the program date may result in late registration fees or W grades.

Q: How does this impact my GPA at USF?
A: Students have three GPAs at USF: 1. Institutional (courses taken at USF), 2. Transfer (courses that are from outside USF), and 3. Overall (average of institutional and transfer). Grades earned on this program impact your institutional and overall GPA.

Q: Can I take these courses pass (S) / fail (U)?
A: S/U grades are possible as per regular campus policy. This is a contract between you and your faculty member and should be agreed to prior to beginning the course.

Q: Will this count for my degree at USF?
A: Please see your academic advisor. This course counts towards USF residency.

Q: Will this count for financial aid?
A: Every student’s financial aid situation is different. Different awards have their own requirements. You will need to speak to a USF financial aid advisor for your specific situation. Be sure to tell them you are on a “direct credit program.” Aid will likely not disburse until after the beginning of classes abroad. Please speak to USF University Scholarship and Financial Aid Services.

 

Q: What does “Exchange Credit Program” mean?
A: The nature of exchange agreements allow for USF to add their partner’s courses to a student’s transcript using the “ISE 0001” holding course. This means that the credit offered on this program comes back to USF after the host school sends USF a transcript, but the credit counts towards USF residency. So students will appear to be in 0 hours of the ISE 0001 holding course until after the program is over.

Q: What if I want to change my classes?
A: If you change classes you must notify your Education Abroad Advisor and your Academic Advisor. This will likely mean you will need to submit new course approvals. Students are subject to the add/drop policies of their host institutions and should speak to the international advisor abroad for clarification on the host school.

Q: How does this impact my GPA at USF?
A: Students have three GPAs at USF: 1. Institutional (courses taken at USF), 2. Transfer (courses that are from outside USF), and 3. Overall (average of institutional and transfer). Grades earned on this program impact your institutional and overall GPA.

Q: How will classes look on my transcript?
A: Once a transcript is received from our partner abroad, we will build the courses into your transcript using the ISE 0001 holding course. The USF course number will appear in the title. So if a class titled “Japanese History” is approved as HIS 4930 Selected Topics by the USF History Department for 3 USF credit hours, it will appear is:
Course Number House Title
ISE 0001 3 HIS 4930 Japanese History

Q: Who do I go to for approvals?
A: Every department is responsible for its own course numbers. So even though a student is majoring in business, they must seek out the Department of World Language Education if they wish to take French overseas. Once they have the course number for the French class, they seek out their academic advisor’s approval for taking that particular course. It is recommended that students initiate the process by e-mail with the approving department’s advisor. The Education Abroad Office can help students determine the right person to contact first.

Q: May I take these courses pass (S) / fail (U)?
A: USF must report grades as they appear on a transfer record. If the host has an S/U equivalent, you must request it from them.

Q: May I audit a course?
A: USF must report grades as they appear on a transfer record. If a course is on the transcript we must bring it back.

Q: Will this count for my degree at USF?
A: Please see your academic advisor. This course counts towards USF residency.

Q: Will this count for financial aid?
A: Every student’s financial aid situation is different. Different awards have their own requirements. You will need to speak to a USF financial aid advisor for your specific situation. Be sure to tell them you are on an “exchange credit program.” However, if your aid does apply to your program you will need to submit a Study Abroad Financial Aid Contract (SAE form) before you go and a Verification of Enrollment letter (VoE) once your program starts. Aid will likely not disburse until after the beginning of classes abroad, once the needed documents are submitted. Please speak to USF University Scholarship and Financial Aid Services for details.

Q: What does “Transfer Credit Program” mean?
A: This means that our partner overseas is granting the credit for the program. They will issue a transcript once your coursework is done to the USF Education Abroad Office. Our registrar will add the credit to your transfer record.

Q: What if I want to change my classes?
A: If you change classes you must notify your Education Abroad Advisor and your Academic Advisor. This may mean getting new paperwork if the new course wasn’t approved previously.

Q: How does this impact my GPA at USF?
A: Students have three GPAs at USF:

1. Institutional (courses taken at USF),
2. Transfer (courses that are from outside USF), and
3. Overall (average of institutional and transfer). Grades earned on this program impact your transfer and overall GPA.

Q: Who do I go to for approvals?
A: Every department is responsible for its own course numbers. So even though a student is majoring in business, they must seek out the Department of World Language Education if they wish to take French overseas. Once they have the course number for the French class, they seek out their academic advisor’s approval for taking that particular course. It is recommended that students initiate the process by e-mail with the approving department’s advisor. The Education Abroad Office can help students determine the right person to contact first.

Q: Can I take these courses pass (S) / fail (U)?
A: USF must report grades as they appear on a transfer record. If the host has an S/U equivalent, you must request it from them.

Q: Will this count for my degree at USF?
A: Please see your academic advisor. While 30 of your last 60 hours must be considered USF credit, some departments have additional residency requirements.

Q: Will this count for financial aid?
A: Every student’s financial aid situation is different. Different awards have their own requirements. You will need to speak to a USF financial aid advisor for your specific situation. Be sure to tell them you are on a “transfer credit program.” However, if your aid does apply to your program you will need to submit a Study Abroad Financial Aid Contract (SAE form) before you go and a Verification of Enrollment letter (VoE) once your program starts. Aid will likely not disburse until after the beginning of classes abroad, once the needed documents are submitted. Please speak to USF University Scholarship and Financial Aid Services for details.