The Office of Off-Campus Study is responsible for the administration of study away from the Colby campus, except for transfer credit from accredited US institutions. The office manages Colby's own programs abroad and approves other programs, both foreign and domestic, for Colby credit. It is responsible for helping students make appropriate study plans, preparing students for departure, and evaluating programs abroad. It is staffed by a director, an associate director, an administrative secretary, and student workers. The office is located on the ground floor of the Eustis building and includes an informational library.
If you wish to study abroad in 2009-2010, you must submit the following applications in advance of the published deadlines:
- Off-Campus Study (OCS) preliminary application (online): Due November 15, 2008;
- Application for Program Approval - OR - application to Colby programs in Salamanca, Dijon, and St. Petersburg submitted to OCS: Due March 15, 2009. (Note: All petitions due March, 1, 2009.)
- Program application to non-Colby programs: Due as stipulated by program application guidelines. (Note: Rolling admissions fill early, so students should apply well before the published deadlines.)
Approval for off-campus study plans is subject to certain rules and guidelines, which are detailed in this handbook.
If you wish to make arrangements to study at another accredited US college or university and have your credits transferred to Colby, do not apply to the Off-Campus Study Office. You should see the Registrar in advance of departure to fill out appropriate forms and get faculty approval for courses. Note that approved domestic programs, as opposed to study on another campus, require the same procedure as study abroad. These are listed in Section IV of the Web version of this handbook.
The opportunity to study in another country is an integral part of the educational philosophy of Colby College. The Precepts adopted by the faculty in 1989 state that a Colby education should encourage students "to become acquainted with other cultures by learning a foreign language and by living and studying in another country or by closely examining a culture other than one's own."
Consistent with these principles, Colby's philosophy of off-campus study is as follows:
- The off-campus study experience should be part of the student's overall academic plan developed by the student and the student's advisor, and should enhance the student's program of study during the year(s) following return to Colby.
- Study abroad should provide a cultural experience substantially different from the student's own.
- Study abroad should provide, when appropriate, a linguistic experience that involves a language different from one's own.
- Financial aid should be applicable to Colby programs, and portable to other approved programs.
The Off-Campus Study Office is responsible for making sure that Colby's programs abroad, as well as other programs approved by the college, conform to these principles. The college has a vested interest in the quality of all off-campus study programs for which it grants Colby credit. This interest centers on the academic part of the program, but extends as well to the extra-curricular and cultural part of the program, inasmuch as the knowledge of a culture other than one's own is achieved both in and out of the classroom. All Colby-approved study programs abroad must, therefore, meet the following standards:
- They must provide an educational experience which is consistent in quality with the educational experience at Colby, and which can reinforce, complement, and broaden a student's educational program at Colby.
- They must contain a substantial academic component of high quality.
- Study abroad programs must provide a cultural experience and, when appropriate, a linguistic experience that are consistent with the goals stated above. To promote cultural integration, at least a full semester must normally be spent in a single host country.
To study abroad, on the Colby and other approved programs listed in this handbook, you must meet the following criteria:
- GPA: To apply for study abroad in the fall of 2009 or the spring of 2010, you must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 by the end of January 2009. You must maintain this minimum cumulative GPA prior to departure or your approval will be withdrawn. In addition, you must not be on any kind of probation (academic or social). If your GPA is lower than 2.7 at the time of application, you may be permitted to petition the Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Study before March 1, 2009, if you can show compelling academic reasons to study abroad, and meet a variety of other conditions. You will need to consult with an OCS staff member to determine if you are eligible to petition. Please note that a GPA of 2.7 does not guarantee your admission to any program; most programs have GPA requirements higher than 2.7.
- Probation: You must be in good academic and social standing to be approved for off-campus study at Colby. This means that you may not be on academic or social probation.
- Junior standing: With the exception of Colby’s language-acquisition programs in Salamanca and Dijon, which are open to sophomores, you must have junior standing when you study abroad. Colby requires seniors to spend their entire academic year on the Waterville campus.
- Language Requirement: To study abroad in regions where the spoken language is taught at Colby, students are expected to complete the equivalent of three semesters (through 127) of the given language (Spanish, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian). For some departmentally-recommended programs, other standards may apply; see the statement of your major department in section II of this handbook. If there is no statement about language in your department’s section, you should expect to complete the three semesters before going abroad.
- One Semester Limit: You should expect to study off-campus for one semester. With only a few exceptions (language and area studies majors, Dartmouth dual-degree participants and students who have participated in a program abroad during their first semester at Colby), you are limited to one semester of off-campus study. Study on domestic programs as well as exchange programs is included in this one-semester rule. You must petition the Advisory Committee if you wish to study for a year in the same place or two different places. You must show compelling academic reasons to be allowed to study away for more than a semester, and you must have the solid support of your major advisor/s. You will be contacted by OCS for an appointment if you indicate on your preliminary form that you hope to study abroad for two semesters.
- Semester Choice: You will be asked to specify your choice of semester for off-campus study and to justify that choice on specific academic grounds. You should be aware that you may not be able to study abroad in the semester of your choice, due to the need for balanced on-campus enrollments. If your reasons are other than academic or other students’ cases are stronger, you may not be able to study abroad during the semester of your choice. Thus, you should make your choice of semester carefully in consultation with your major advisor(s), and remain open to options in both fall and spring. You will be notified in December by the OCS office if your choice of semester is unavailable, and you may be placed on a waitlist. You may then make plans for the alternate semester, or choose to remain on the wait list in anticipation that a spot will open up.
- Changing Semester Choice: After you have submitted your choice of semester in your preliminary application, you cannot simply switch your semester abroad without consulting OCS and making a formal request in writing. You may be placed on a waiting list for the semester of your choice.
- Deadlines: You must submit a preliminary application for off-campus study by November 15, 2008, and your final application must be submitted to the OCS office by March 15, 2009. For Colby programs abroad there is only one application form that gives you approval to study abroad and admits you into the program. For non-Colby programs abroad, you need to fill out an application for approval ("blue form") in order for your plans to be approved. You will also need to complete the application required by the program itself. If you do not respect these deadlines, it is likely that your off-campus study plans will not be approved and you will not be able to get credit for them.
- Petitions: If you do not meet the criteria outlined above, or wish to apply to a non-approved program, you will need to petition the Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Study for permission to study abroad in 2009-2010. Petitions can be made to the Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Study to waive the minimum GPA requirement, to go abroad for Full Year, &/or on a non-approved program. You will be contacted by OCS for an appointment if you indicate an intention to petition. Guidelines for petitioning will be available by appointment from the Office of Off-Campus Study beginning in late October. It is your responsibility to make sure that you understand the guidelines and provide all relevant materials to the Office Off-Campus Study for submission to the committee by the deadline of March 1, 2009.
- Grades: Grades on all Colby programs (Colby in Salamanca, Dijon, or St Petersburg) will be calculated into your GPA. Grades from other programs will be displayed on your transcript but will not affect the GPA.
- JanPlan Credit: Colby students on programs which are in session in January and whose total duration is at least eighteen weeks are exempt from the January program requirement for that year. Programs that qualify include: Fall: Colby in Salamanca (integrated program); Spring: Colby in Salamanca (integrated and language programs), Washington University in Chile, Oxford University, Wesleyan in Regensburg, University of Sussex, University of Edinburgh, Pitzer in Ecuador, Cambridge University, University College London, University of York, Kings College, Royal Holloway, Williams-Mystic. (Note: If you believe that your program qualifies for the Jan Plan exemption and is not listed here, submit a program calendar for your semester to the Off-Campus Study Office for review.)
- Travel Warning: Colby will not allow any student to participate in a program in a country for which there is a U.S. State Department Travel Warning in effect at the time of departure.
Please be aware of the following deadlines for all approved off-campus study (foreign and approved domestic programs) at any time during the 2009-2010 academic year:
Preliminary Application Due: November 15, 2008
Petition Deadline: March 1, 2009
Final Application Due: March 15, 2009
- November 15, 2008 is the deadline for completion of your preliminary application form to indicate your intention to study off-campus either in the fall semester 2009 or the spring semester 2010. The preliminary application will be available on-line in mid-October. All sophomores will receive an email notification when the application is accessible. Since your advisor/s must approve your initial plans, we strongly suggest that you submit your preliminary application to your advisor/s no later than November 10.
- March 1, 2009 is the deadline for petitions of any kind. These may include: low GPA (under 2.7), study abroad for more than one semester, and/or non-approved programs.
- March 15, 2009 is the final deadline for admission to Colby programs and/or application for approval of participation in non-Colby programs. Different forms are required for each of these situations, but all must be submitted by March 15, regardless of whether you plan to study abroad in the fall semester of 2009 or in the spring semester of 2010. These forms will be made available to you later during the fall 2008 semester and after you have identified your program choice in consultation with the OCS staff and your academic advisor(s).
- Program Deadlines: You will also need to meet the deadlines and complete the application required by the program itself. For Colby programs abroad (Colby in Salamanca, Dijon, or St. Petersburg) there is only one application form that gives you approval to study abroad and admits you into the program. For non-Colby programs abroad, you need to fill out an application for approval in order for your plans to be approved by Colby and then complete the materials required by the program to which you are applying.
If you do not respect these deadlines, it is likely that your off-campus study plans will not be approved and you will not be able to get credit for them.
If you intend to apply to study abroad during either semester of the 2009-2010 academic year, you must follow these steps:
1. Read this handbook, including the sections on policies, deadlines, credit information, and information on the specific programs.
Other sources of information include:
- Consult with your departmental advisor. If you have not yet declared a major, think about doing so before the November 15 preliminary application deadline.
- Consult program information in our OCS library and via the OCS Web site (http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/ocs/) to get more information on those you might be interested in. Specific approved program Web sites are listed in the Handbook.
- Consult with the off-campus liaison in your department. A list of these faculty members will be available in the OCS office and in the Handbook.
- Program evaluations from recent Colby students are available for you to review.
- Attend any relevant information sessions on specific programs and regions of the world which will be offered in October, November and February. Check the OCS Web site for meeting schedule. You will also receive an email notification of upcoming information sessions.
- Consult with OCS staff
2. Go to the OCS web page under "students" and fill in a preliminary application form on line. When you are done, submit it to your advisor(s). If you are a double major, both advisors will receive a copy and must approve it before your application is complete. Your advisor may return it to you for changes before indicating his or her approval. If your advisor approves your preliminary application, he or she will submit the form electronically to the OCS office. You are responsible for ensuring that the form reaches our office before the deadline of November 15, 2008; we recommend submitting it to your advisor no later than November 10. You can check the status of your preliminary application on the web page so that you will know when it has been submitted.
3. The OCS office may contact you to set up an appointment to discuss your off-campus study plans if you have an issue that will require special attention. You will also be invited to a variety of informational sessions on programs and regions; some of these will take place in the fall and some in February. If your program has an early deadline or if you need extra help in the planning stage, contact the OCS office.
4. When you meet with the OCS staff or attend an information session, you will be given an application form for approval of off-campus study. There are different forms for different types of programs. For Colby programs, this form serves both as permission to study abroad and application to the program; for non-Colby programs, the form serves only as permission to study abroad. You must fill out the form, answering all the questions, and have it signed both by your academic advisor(s) and the Off-Campus liaison for your major and/or minor. All applications also require parent signatures acknowledging your plans to be away. In the case of some Colby programs, you may need a letter of recommendation from your advisor. This form is to be handed in at the Off-Campus Study Office whenever it is complete but by March 15, 2009 at the latest.
5. If you are approved to apply for admission to a non-Colby program, you will also need to fill out the application form appropriate for admission to that program. Students alone are responsible for applying to the program approved by the OCS office within the program's stated deadlines. Application forms for most approved programs are available on-line at the program Web site. Hard copies of applications for many programs are also available in the OCS library. You must respect the deadline of the program you choose, and, in many cases, this deadline will be earlier than March 15. You will most likely also need to obtain letters of recommendations from your professors and advisor, and have your official transcript forwarded from the Registrar's office.
The only programs that Colby approves are those listed in the Handbook and on the All Off-Campus Opportunities list on the OCS website. These include programs we run ourselves ("Colby programs" in Salamanca, Dijon, and St. Petersburg) and programs run by other institutions that we approve (non-Colby "approved" programs). These approved programs are reviewed regularly on the basis of student evaluations, faculty input, and, when possible, site visits. Additionally, we have listed some programs where petitions are supported by a department.
1. Colby Programs Abroad.
A. Junior-Year Programs:
* Colby in Salamanca (Spain)
* Colby in Dijon (France): fall semester only
* Colby in St. Petersburg (Russia)
B. Language Acquisition Programs
* Colby in Salamanca (Spain)
* Colby in Dijon (France): fall semester only
Detailed information about these programs is available from the Off-Campus Study Office.
2. Other Approved Programs.
Colby offers students the opportunity to study on programs that meet our criteria and are consistent with our philosophy of study abroad. These programs are listed in the Web version of this handbook; they are reviewed regularly on the basis of student evaluations, faculty input, and, when possible, site visits.
Colby policy is that students who wish to study in a country in which there is a Colby-approved program available, for which they qualify, must attend this program. Where there are no such programs available, or when the approved programs do not meet the student's academic needs, the Off-Campus Study Office will work with the student and the student's major department to try to find an acceptable program for which they can petition.
3. Petitions for Non-Approved Programs
Reasons for requesting the OCS office to approve a program not listed in the Off-Campus Study Handbook must be entirely academic. Climate, the size of a city, or cost are not valid academic reasons. Moreover, students should not shop around on the Internet for programs and ask the OCS office to approve them. For the OCS office to approve a program not listed in this handbook, not only does the student need to have a valid academic reason for choosing the program, but the program itself must meet certain criteria:
- The program must be of a duration of at least fourteen weeks of class time (including exam time but not including vacations and excursions), and, with few exceptions, must be situated in one host country. Touring or shipboard programs are not acceptable.
- The academic quality of the program must be consistent in quality and quantity with Colby's curriculum.
- With the exception of a foreign accredited university, the program must be sponsored by an accredited US college or university, whose academic standards are high.
- In the case of a program situated in a non-English speaking country, the program must provide instruction of the host language throughout the semester.
- The program must provide a cultural experience substantially different from that of the majority of US students.
Petitions to approve programs must be submitted by March 1, 2009 (petitions are not accepted after the March 1 deadline). A prior meeting with an OCS staff member is required. If your program has an early deadline for application, it is to your advantage to submit your application well in advance of this deadline so as to ensure a timely decision in your case. You may petition for one program only, and if you are not accepted by that program, you must apply to an alternate program that is approved.
Note: In the Program Opportunities list, you will find a list of programs for which petitions would be encouraged. These programs are not currently on the approved list as they have not yet had sufficient attendance by Colby students to warrant formal approval by the Advisory Committee. However, they have been recommended by faculty as appropriate for Colby students and thus a well-presented petition prepared in conjunction with the major department would have a higher chance of success. These are not the only programs for which students may petition, of course, but they already meet the criteria above and have been reviewed for quality.
Study abroad programs are some of the most aggressively marketed commodities in American education today. You will see advertisements for programs posted all over campus, and you should know that many of these are not approved by Colby. You will see advertisements in the Colby Echo by large universities and private companies for their study abroad. You may even receive telephone calls and e-mail from representatives of study abroad programs. If they are not listed in this handbook, they are not approved by Colby.
Colby's policy is that the choice of an appropriate off-campus study program can only be made in an atmosphere free of pressure and advertising. Accordingly, Colby has no "study abroad fair" and does not allow recruiters for non-approved programs on campus. Representatives of approved programs may visit campus to offer informational meetings or drop-in hours and you are free to attend these opportunities if you wish. However, it is the OCS staff and your advisor(s) who should be your guide in the choice of a study program abroad.
There are many worthwhile experiences abroad that do not, in Colby's view, merit academic credit. A great many programs are not approved by the Off-Campus Study Office, not because they are necessarily of inferior quality, but because they do not meet the criteria that Colby has established for the granting of academic credit. Before embarking upon the petition process for a program that is not currently approved, please consult with OCS to determine such basic information as the program's accreditation status and its duration. These may seem like minor details but are critical in the success of a petition.
Please bear in mind that it is possible to study off-campus without the permission of the OCS office, if the program will accept you under these conditions. However, you will not receive credit or financial aid from Colby in such a case, and you risk having to spend an extra semester on campus in order to fulfill the 8-semester requirement for graduation from Colby.
Certain students are exempt from the faculty-approved policy that limits students to one semester of study off-campus: language and area studies majors (studying in the target language both semesters) and participants on the Dartmouth engineering exchange. Any other student who wishes to study abroad for a year must submit a petition to the Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Study by March 1, 2009. There are a limited number of slots available and the criteria on which these petitions will be judged may be requested from the Off-Campus Study Office in November. It will not be possible to extend your stay once you are already abroad as a junior; the request for more than one semester must be made as part of the sophomore-year application process.
When you submit your preliminary application for study abroad in November, you must indicate the choice of a semester and a preliminary choice of a program. While it is possible to change your program choice, it may not be possible to change your choice of a semester, as Colby needs to balance the number of students away in the fall and in the spring. There is also the possibility that you will be told in December that you may not study abroad in the semester you have indicated; these determinations will be made on the basis of the argument you make on your form, which must be based on specific academic issues. If you find after the November application deadline that you would like to change your semester, you will be allowed to do so on a space-available basis only, and in consultation with OCS. You may NOT simply submit an application on March 1 or 15 with a different semester indicated.
Academic reasons for choosing a particular semester may include: a program that is particularly appropriate for you and only runs in a particular semester; courses for your major that you must take on campus in a particular semester (you must specify them); an off-campus program focus that is different in different semesters; specific courses toward your major that you intend to take off-campus; language preparation for a particular program that would require an extra semester at Colby prior to departure. Your application must be specific about courses and programs if you cite any of these reasons. Your overall reasons for going off-campus and the appropriateness of the program to your academic goals are also part of the decision.
Keep in mind that some programs are not in session both semesters. In addition, as the fall term in the UK system is not long enough to warrant a semester of credit at Colby, attendance at any university in England, Scotland or Ireland for the fall term is generally not allowed. Exceptions are programs with "Early Start" terms in September (University College Cork, University of Glasgow and University of Sussex) or institutions on the semester system, where you must then stay through January (University of St. Andrews).
If you indicate interest in studying abroad for a year and subsequently change your mind or your petition is not approved, you are not automatically granted a spring slot, as those slots will already have been allocated. Thus, if you have in mind a spring alternative, you must submit your justification for spring when requested by the OCS office. Failure to do so may mean that no spring slot can be made available, even if your one-semester alternate only takes place in the spring. Similarly, if you are given a spring slot based on your program choice (a program in the UK, for example) and you subsequently change your mind as to the program, your spring slot will need to be re-evaluated.
As per the policy noted above, students cannot simply switch their semester abroad (from Fall to Spring, Spring to Fall, or Full Year to either Spring or Fall or vice versa) without consulting OCS and making a formal request in writing. To make a formal request to switch semesters submit an email to offcamp@colby.edu as soon as possible (before the March 15 deadline) to switch semesters or be put on the waiting list for the semester of your choice. Once you have requested a switch you will not be allowed to switch again.
As part of your request, you need to supply academic reasons (rather than strictly personal or financial) why you wish to make this switch. All requests will be evaluated based on a combination of factors including your academic reasons supplied for switching semesters and the date on which your request to switch was made.
When requesting a switch from Fall to Spring or Full Year to Spring you will most likely be placed on a waiting list. In years past, the waiting list usually clears successfully and OCS will make every effort to notify you as soon as possible.
Colby believes that foreign languages are the key to understanding foreign cultures and that the most rewarding experience abroad includes living in a language other than English. For programs in countries whose languages are taught at Colby (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish) students must attain a minimum degree of competence before studying abroad: four semesters (128) are recommended. Three semesters (127) are required. Exceptions to this rule are the Colby in Salamanca and Colby in Dijon language semesters, which accept students who have had only one semester of language at the college level or three years at the high school level, and any exemptions specific to majors and programs that are listed in Section II of this handbook. For all programs in non-English speaking countries, students must study the language of the host country for the duration of their program. All students who wish to study in a non-English speaking country must complete the appropriate section on the application form.
Students are urged not to put off their language requirement beyond their sophomore year. Last-minute attempts to fulfill the requirement through a semester of study abroad almost always run into roadblocks: insufficient GPA, senior residency requirement or major requirements.
All study abroad program providers take security very seriously, particularly given international developments over the past few years. While there is no reason to assume that going abroad will compromise your safety, you must be sure to follow safety guidelines provided by your program at all times. You must also take personal responsibility for informing yourself of risks in locations in which you might study or travel; a good source of basic information is the U.S. Department of State Web site. You should also be aware that Colby will not allow any student to participate a program in a country for which there is a US State Department Travel Warning in effect at the time of departure. This is true even if the program is not cancelled and the student had previously been approved by the OCS office. Students on programs already in session when the Travel Warning is issued will not be required to return, but will be advised of the Travel Warning by the OCS office.
Colby will not allow any student to participate in a program in a country for which there is a U.S. State Department Travel Warning in effect at the time of departure. This means that students can neither participate in nor transfer credit (neither course nor JanPlan) from a program/university in such countries. This is true even if the program is not cancelled and the student had previously been approved by the OCS office. Students on programs already in session when the Travel Warning is issued will not be required to return, but will be advised of the Travel Warning by the OCS office. For a listing of countries currently under Travel Warning consult the U.S. State Department website.
Programs sponsored by the School for International Training (SIT) and some other programs require students to complete an independent study project abroad. This project is graded, in the field, by the resident director of the program. If the program you participate in contains an independent study component that is not graded by regular university faculty, you are required to submit your completed project to a Colby faculty member who will read it. No Colby credit will be given for the ISP until it has been determined to be acceptable by a Colby faculty member. A special section of the application form must be signed by the faculty member who agrees to read your project. If your project changes substantially while you are off-campus, you must be in contact with this faculty member to ensure that he or she will read it upon your return. If he or she is no longer able to read it, you must find another Colby faculty member who is willing to do so. If the ISP is written in a language not understood by your reader, it is your responsibility to translate it into English.
International internship programs are encouraged, but must meet OCS requirements and conform to OCS and Colby policies. In addition to general policies, internship programs must include a non-paid internship with considerable academic work done in tandem and not to exceed 4 credit hours. The internship should be done as part of a study abroad program that is predominantly credited in terms of the courses taken. Typical models consist of 16 credits with the internship counting for 4 credits and three other courses counting for 4 credits each). Please consult with OCS if you are interested in choosing an internship program to assure that it will meet these requirements and that you will receive credit.
There are numerous opportunities for science students to study abroad. Students in disciplines such as Biology and Mathematics, which do not have a great degree of vertical structuring in their curricula, have the most opportunities for study abroad. However, even in the more sequentially organized disciplines, such as Chemistry, Geology, Psychology and Physics, foreign study is possible with advanced planning and consultation with advisors within the department. Regardless of your discipline, a valuable program of foreign study requires careful planning and discussion with your advisor well before you participate in the program.
A number of universities in English-speaking countries provide opportunities for the study of science in the context of a foreign university. Although the structure of the British and Irish curricula is different from that of the US curriculum, there are courses in the biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and geology that are available to Colby students. Some of these courses are similar to those at Colby. Others are quite different, and can supplement your program of study at Colby. There are also opportunities for science majors at universities in Australia and New Zealand.
Pre-medical and pre-dental students can also consider international study. While it is generally advisable not to take required pre-medical or pre-dental courses at a foreign university, it may be possible to do so after a thorough examination of the course in question, and a careful comparison of its content with that at a US university.
For students with interests in the field sciences, the School for Field Studies can provide opportunities for studies of ecology and environmental science in a number of different locations throughout the world. The semester program on sustainable development in Costa Rica might be of particular interest to students in Environmental Studies.
In some cases it may be possible for a science major to study abroad for a semester without studying science. This requires careful planning in consultation with your major advisor so that you do not have an unusually heavy course load upon your return.
Colby programs: All grades received abroad will appear on your transcript and will count in your GPA. This includes passing and non-passing grades. You may elect to take a course satisfactory/unsatisfactory prior to a specific deadline, which will be announced once you arrive on-site. Resident directors of Colby programs submit the grades for students in their program directly to the registrar at Colby.
Non-Colby programs: Grades earned abroad are posted by the registrar but do not figure in your GPA. These grades do appear on your Colby transcript, and it is quite legitimate for you to count them when you are asked to compute your own GPA for the purpose of employment or graduate school. You will not receive credit for any course in which a grade of less than C- was received, but the grade will appear on your Colby transcript. You may not take a course on a pass/fail basis unless this is the only grading option available for that particular course. Transcripts for students on non-Colby programs are reviewed by the Off-Campus Study Office before credits are posted by the registrar. If you have made substantial changes in your academic program without prior approval of the Off-Campus Study Office, you may not receive full credit.
Colby programs abroad: You will normally receive, upon successful completion of the course of study, 16 Colby credits per semester. Course titles, credits, and grades appear on your Colby transcript. All grades from Colby programs will count in your GPA. Students on Colby programs have their course changes approved by their resident director.
Other programs: For programs lasting the equivalent of a full Colby semester (a minimum of 14 weeks of class time, including exams), you will normally receive 16 credits per semester for successfully completing the entire program. You may be granted more than 16 credits for work that exceeds the normal course load of the program, upon petition to the Registrar. Courses and grades will be listed on your Colby transcript, but will not count in your GPA. Students attending programs not sponsored by US institutions should be sure that credit transfer has been approved by the Off-Campus Study Office and that the correct number of credits to be applied to their Colby degree is indicated on the application form for approval of study abroad.
The Off-Campus Study Office grants approval of courses completed on programs listed in this handbook for general Colby credit. If, however, you wish a specific course to count toward a college requirement, or toward your major or minor, these courses must be approved in advance by the appropriate department. There is room for this approval on the "blue" form. Approval of courses toward the major is decided by academic departments and not by the Off-Campus Study office.
If you attend a non-Colby program, you must obtain approval from the Off-Campus Study Office if you change your course choices abroad. Please note that not all of the courses on an "approved program" will automatically be approved individually. All transcripts from abroad are examined by the Off-Campus Study Office before they are sent to the Registrar. If you have not taken the courses you listed on your application, and have not obtained permission to change your courses, you may not receive complete credit for your semester or year abroad. You should advise the Off-Campus Study Office of changes at the beginning of your off-campus program in order to resolve any issues that may prevent transfer of credit. If there are discrepancies, your off-campus credits may not appear on your transcript when you return, delaying your ability to use them in applications for graduate school or other purposes. In addition, if you intend to substitute different courses for those which were approved toward your major or a requirement, you must consult your advisor or the relevant department chair directly and forward the response to OCS at offcamp@colby.edu.
Please be aware that Colby may not approve full credit for certain courses taken abroad that do not meet Colby’s standards of academic rigor, even when these courses are “marketed” to you during your program orientation. For example, Sports & Learning in Australian Culture at the University of Sydney may only receive 2 credits. When in doubt, please consult with OCS by email and include a full course syllabus to allow us to determine the course content.
You are expected to attend classes regularly and to comply with all the requirements of your program. If you are studying at a foreign university or institution, you are required to take the regular final examinations for all courses in which you are enrolled, or to have an alternative assessment of your work if you are not allowed to take the final examinations. If you do not take a final examination in a course for which an exam is given, you will receive no Colby credit for the course. If you leave your program early or for extended periods of travel while classes are in session, the amount of credit you receive will be reduced. In extreme cases, you will receive no Colby credit for your period abroad. Please note that no course abroad may be taken pass/fail and receive Colby credit.
Students enrolled in Colby programs abroad, as well as some affiliated programs, pay full tuition and fees to Colby. Such programs require a $500 attendance deposit, which is forfeitable if a student withdraws from the program prior to departure. These fees are billed on a semester basis even if you are away for the whole year.
Students who are enrolled in all other approved programs pay all fees directly to the host institution (not to Colby College). Students who transfer a semester or more of credit for full-time study on a non-Colby program will be subject to the off-campus study fee of $1000 per semester. This fee will be charged on your student account statement.
Colby financial aid is portable to Colby and other approved programs abroad, as long as the cost of the program does not exceed that of Colby for the comparable period. You should contact Student Financial Services for further information. Please keep in mind that Student Financial Services must have the fee information for your program (or at least your expected costs, if exact fees are not yet known) in order to process your financial aid for the academic year in which you are studying abroad. This is true even if you are not leaving until the spring semester.
It is particularly important that you pay attention to the refund policy of your program. Some programs have very severe refund policies. Be aware of the refund policy of your program before you send any money for a deposit or payment.
Colby program fees are comprehensive; that is, they include complete room, board, round-trip airfare, and excursions, in addition to tuition. You can find out more information about the individual programs on our Web site.
Other approved programs differ in what they will provide. In many cases, you will be responsible for your own living and travel arrangements. It is the sponsoring institution, not Colby College, that is responsible for all arrangements, and you should contact that institution directly for more information.
It is your responsibility to obtain your passport and student visa for all study abroad programs. Passports may be obtained by filling out the appropriate form at your nearest post office. Even if you already have a passport, your host country may require the passport to be valid a certain time period (e.g. six months) beyond the end of your stay. You should renew it if there is any doubt whatsoever. In any case, you should apply for your passport months in advance of your date of departure. Visas are obtained from the consulate of the country in which you will be living. Some countries do not require student visas; others do. Make sure you have obtained the correct information and materials from the sponsors of your program. Keep in mind that you will need a passport before you can get a visa, so any delay in obtaining the passport could mean you are unable to secure a visa in time to attend the program you have chosen.
Students on Colby programs receive the Colby Echo regularly, through their resident directors. (Students on other programs are invited to view the Colby Echo on-line.) The resident director is also a link with the Colby administration, and takes care of assisting you with registration and with processing course changes. You will provide him or her with your e-mail address and cell phone number, if you have one.
Keeping e-mail contact with Colby is essential while you are abroad, since much information is distributed that way, including registration information for the semester of your return to campus. All communications from Colby will be sent via your Colby e-mail address, including those from the Office of Off-Campus Study.
To receive credit upon completion of your program abroad, you will be required to fill in an online program evaluation at Colby (in addition to any forms that your program may require). These evaluations are extremely useful to students considering your program, and to faculty and the OCS staff as we regularly review the programs that we approve for our students. At the completion of your program, you will be notified by e-mail that the evaluation form is available, and you will be directed to the appropriate location on the OCS Web site. Your credits will not appear on your transcript until you have logged in to your evaluation form, as Colby considers your reflection on the experience an important part of the learning process.
