Students participating in an international/north2north exchange or study abroad program approved by the Office of International Programs and Initiatives (IPI) will receive UAF resident credit for all transcripted coursework completed abroad. IPI must receive an official transcript from the student's host university or institution, directly from the host institution or program provider, not from the student. Information about credit and grade conversions specific to the student's host university/institution will be provided upon request.
Credits will not be automatically processed by IPI. It is the student's responsibility to submit the proper approvals for credit evaluation.
All approvals are granted via the Advising Agreement for Academic Exchange and Study Abroad Students. This form may be completed before, during, or after the student's time abroad. However, any credit granted through the School of Management (ACCT, BA, ECON) for a School of Management degree must be approved prior to the student's departure. In order for a department to grant approval, the student may need to provide documentation about the course, such as a course description, syllabus, or coursework.
Per the Advising Agreement, credits will appear on the student's UAF transcript as electives in the appropriate department at the appropriate level (for example, BIOL 296, SPAN 396, ECON 496; the -96 designator indicates international elective credits). Lower-division electives require approval from an advisor in that department; upper-division elective credits require approval from that department's chair.
If the course taken abroad is similar enough to a course offered at UAF, credit may be granted not for elective credits but for that specific UAF class, such as ENGL/FL 200X or LING 420; approval from the chair of that department is required. Some UAF courses are more flexible than others; for example, core science requirements are difficult to meet abroad as many international science courses do not include a lab component.
All graduate credits, elective and specific, require approval from the student's advisor and the department chair.
All information on each transcript (all classes, credits, and grades) must appear on the student's UAF transcript, and all grades from the host university/institution will be factored into the student's UAF GPA.
In some cases, students may have to petition for courses to fulfill specific degree requirements. This must be completed after the international credits have been posted to the student's UAF transcript.
