experience international study with george washington university study abroad George Washington University Office for Study Abroad study abroad with george washington university

 

Policies

The Office for Study Abroad is a unit within the Academic Affairs division of the University. Study Abroad at GW is a monitored activity, involving mandatory meetings and paperwork managed through the Office for Study Abroad. Students who study abroad are assessed a fee.

Approval of a study abroad program assures the student that transfer credit will be accepted for completed work, provided that:

  1. the courses taken are accurately reflected in the student's Memorandum of Agreement, completed with appropriate signatures and filed with the Office for Study Abroad;
  2. an official transcript reflecting the student's grades for completed work is provided to the Office for Study Abroad upon completion of the courses; and the grade earned meets general policies of the student's GW school for accepting transfer credit; coursework abroad does not duplicate previous work already completed.

Approvals for study abroad hinge on three types of review: academic quality, quality of student life (e.g., adequate housing, general health and safety of the location), and determinations regarding exclusive partnerships or preferred providers for study abroad.

GW reserves the right to deny approval for programs that do not meet academic standards or whose academic quality cannot be determined. This may involve assessments of academic material, professional qualifications of faculty, accreditation, access to appropriate research material, and classroom conditions, among other things. Both faculty and study abroad staff must determine that a program is academically appropriate. Past approvals of a program on these grounds do not mandate continuing approval.

GW reserves the right to deny approval for programs that do not meet standards for quality of life for students. This may involve assessments of things such as travel or living conditions that may be unsafe or sub-standard, lack of appropriate supervision, or the absence of adequate information on these and similar matters. Study abroad policy will determine whether a program is appropriate for GW approvals on these grounds. Past approvals of a program on these grounds do not mandate continuing approval. Approval of a program on these grounds is simply GW's determination that minimal standards appear to have been met. Participants need to make their own determinations as to the quality of life offered by a program, including health and safety issues. GW assumes no liability for injury or loss suffered by students in study abroad programs.

When GW makes a determination that we do not approve a particular program or program site, or when conditions abroad change significantly subsequent to the grant of an approval, approvals in process or finalized may be revoked at any time prior to the program's published start date. If students' programs are already underway, GW will honor approvals and defer to the institution managing the program for determinations regarding program relocation or cancellation.

A student who fails to comply with the guidelines of the Office for Study Abroad is not assured of transfer credit for courses taken abroad. Students in these circumstances may appeal to the Office for Study Abroad for the right to obtain transfer credit upon their return to GW; however, the office and the University are in no way obliged to agree to grant credit. A student who has not gone through normal processes for study abroad and who appeals for transfer credit under these circumstances will be assessed the study abroad fee.

GW reserves the right to identify study abroad programs that are approved as a partner or exclusive provider of study abroad for its students. Under these circumstances, programs of equivalent quality in the areas of academic content and quality of student life may not all be available to GW students for credit. Students who wish to petition for exceptions to the rules governing exclusive program arrangements should contact the Office for Study Abroad prior to finalizing plans to attend the program.