For Students

Form Submission: 

1. Before filling out the form:
   1. Review the courses that are being offered.  These can be found on the program brochure page or the Course Search.
   2. Make sure you have your Academic Advisors name and email.  In some case you may only have a group mailbox of your academic advising team.
2. Click the link to the eCSF form - this can be found on the program brochure page.
3. Login using USF Single sign-on.
4. Enter your U-Number (UID) and current Major.
5. Select the EAO Program and Term from the drop-down lists.
6. IMPORTANT: Carefully read the instructions in the greyed-out box.  Failure to follow the instructions will result in the form being voided and having to re-submit.
7. Select the courses you would like to take, being sure to follow the instructions outlined above.
8. Fill in your academic advisor’s name or group name and email (CAS students can find their advising groups here).
9. If you have any comments for your academic advisor regarding your selections, please enter them in the "Notes to the Advisor" box.
10. Carefully review everything you have entered so far.
11. Review the Acknowledgment and enter your full name in the "Digital Signature" box.
12. Click Submit.  The submitted form will be sent to your academic advisor (or group) for review.  You will also get a confirmation email. 
     

After Form Submission:

1. After the form has been reviewed by academic advising you will get an email with a link to view, open the link.
2. If the form says "Your request has been approved...": 
   1. Copy the URL from your course selection decision page.
   2. In a new browser window open your Study Abroad Application and click on the questionnaire "Electronic Course Selection Form".
   3. Paste the URL from the course selection decision link into the questionnaire and click "Submit".
3. If the form says "Your academic adviso could not compete the review...":
   1. Review the notes the academic advisor placed on the review form.  Follow the directions that the advisor wrote.
   2. If the advisor recommends selecting a different course, you will need to submit a new form (step 1 above) based on their recommendations.
   3. They may request that you make an appointment with them to review.
   4. If you have questions regarding the notes, please reach out to your academic advisor. 

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.