Registration for Off-Campus Programs
You will receive Beloit College credit for your domestic study or study abroad based on the actual courses you take.There is a two-step registration process:
(1) You register at Beloit College for 3 units (minimum number of units to be a full-time student) in your relevant study abroad program using the appropriate SAB course number, or off-campus program using the OFFC course number.
(2) Upon arrival at the program site, you register for specific courses with your host program or institution. If your program of courses is not pre-set (some programs sponsored by U.S. organizations, such as SIT, have pre-set courses for the program), as you register for your courses you will want to consult with your Beloit College faculty advisor to make sure your courses fulfill the requirements for your academic program. Your credit for the semester will be adjusted when your transcript is received and evaluated. To receive credit toward your Beloit College degree for study abroad, you must be enrolled at Beloit College and your application to study abroad must be approved by the Committee on International Education. You may not receive credit for study abroad taken on a vacation term from Beloit College.
Credits
Because credit schemes vary so much among programs and institutions, you will need to familiarize yourself with how your host institution or program awards academic credit. As an off-campus/study abroad student, you are expected to be enrolled full-time, as defined by both Beloit College and the host institution/program.Information on the credit system used by the host institution or program may be available on relevant web-pages. However, depending on where you will study, this information may not be available until you arrive at your host site. Sometimes the information may be confusing, so please be in touch with Beloit College if you have questions. Your academic advisor can help you determine which courses will count toward Beloit College requirements. The Office of International Education can help you determine how many credits your courses will earn.
Beloit College uses a unit system, under which 1 unit is the equivalent of 4 semester hours, and 4 units the equivalent of 16 semester hours. Each hour earns 1 credit. Many of the programs you attend will award 3 semester hours per course. Taking 5 courses over the semester, you will thus earn 15 semester hours, which is .25 Beloit unit less than you would have earned taking 4 Beloit units. (Most students find it relatively easy to make-up this .25 unit when back at Beloit.) However, some of you will attend institutions where the credits assigned to individual courses vary widely. Glasgow University courses, for example, earn anywhere from 8 Scottish credits (Scotcats) to 30, while a normal full-time semester consists of 60 Scotcats.
If you are attending a non-Beloit program, please check that program's academic information, and contact us if you have any questions.No more than 5 units (20 semester hour credits) can be earned in any one semester spent abroad. The number of units earned abroad that may be counted toward a major or minor is determined by the major/minor department or program. It is therefore imperative that students consult their advisors concerning how study abroad courses will count toward the degree.
Grades
Finally, a word on grades.
Study Abroad - The grades you earn in your study abroad courses will appear on your transcript. In some cases, they will be ‘translated’ into Beloit College grades, using scales determined over the years by the College in consultation with host institutions and credential evaluation specialists. The grades will not be included in your grade point average.
U.S. Programs - The grades you earn in your domestic program courses will appear on your transcript and will be calculated in your grade point average.