Study Abroad Academics

The academics of a program are the core component of an study abroad experience. Students of any academic major can study abroad, but it does take planning and research to find a program that is a good academic fit.

Student Responsibility

Students will need to work closely with their academic advisor as well at the Office of Education Abroad to determine what courses they need to take abroad in order to stay on track for their degree, and then to match those course needs to an appropriate program. Ultimately it is the student’s responsibility to select a program that is a good academic fit for their needs, but academic advisors and the OEA can both be good resources to your student as they begin their search process.

Student Responsibility

  • Determine academic interests
  • Research specific lists of courses offered by a program
  • Review degree audit
  • Set up meetings with academic advisor and EA Advisor
  • Make the final decision on program selection

Academic Advisor Responsibility

  • Explain degree requirements
  • Help identify unfulfilled course requirements, flexibility within the degree audit, and mapping out an academic plan
  • Provide guidance on how a course will fit into degree requirements

EA Advisor Responsibility

  • Help identify programs that offer certain course types
  • Show students how to access course listings for a specific program
  • Serve as a resource regarding the process of earning credit on a study abroad program
  • Facilitate the program application process

Academic Considerations

There are several considerations students will need to keep in mind when it comes to earning academic credit on a study abroad program.

  • Students receive UNC Charlotte equivalent academic credit for the courses they take abroad, not transfer credit.
  • Courses earned abroad can apply toward degree requirements for major, minor, general education, and/or elective credit.
  • All study abroad courses will appear on the student’s UNC Charlotte transcript. Students will receive an A-F letter grade for each grade they earn abroad and will be factored into the student’s cumulative UNC Charlotte GPA.
  • Ultimately the Department Chair of the corresponding academic department or Graduate Program Director at UNC Charlotte will have the final say on what UNC Charlotte equivalent courses can be assigned to any courses taken abroad.
  • Students participating on Exchange, Affiliate Provider, Direct Enroll, and Internship programs are required to complete the course equivalency form prior to departure in order to ensure that the student is making academic progress while abroad and understands how their credit will return to UNC Charlotte.
  • Transcript processing will be delayed if:
    • The student has a balance with the OEA. Grades will not be processed until the balance is paid in full.
    • The student received an OEA scholarship the semester they studied abroad. Upon return, OEA Scholarship Recipients have several requirements to complete, including volunteer hours. Study abroad grades cannot be processed until OEA Scholarship Recipient Requirements are completed.
    • The student was notified by the OEA to submit any documents (e.g. a new Advising Agreement for missing course approvals)
  • Students cannot graduate with the Study Abroad FRST placeholder course on their UNC Charlotte transcript.

Additional information about academic processes for study abroad can be found in the Student Earning Credit Abroad and Grade Processing sections of this website.