Approval

The Committee on International Education is responsible for reviewing study abroad applications. It bases decisions on students’ rationales and preparation for study abroad, and seeks to screen students in rather than screen students out.

A separate committee reviews applications for domestic off-campus study.

Billing for Off-Campus Study

Students are billed for Beloit College tuition for the semester(s) they study off-campus. In the case of exchanges, they may also be billed for student activity fees, room and/or board. This document provides additional information. Please also note the information under financial aid about the off-campus study tuition cap.

Credit

Students earn Beloit College credit for study abroad and domestic off-campus study.

Course Load

Students studying off-campus must be full-time students, registered for no fewer than the equivalent of 3 Beloit College course units. Additionally, they must meet the full-time enrollment requirements of the host institution or sponsoring program. The maximum credit a student can receive for off-campus study is 5 Beloit College course units. Students must make sure they understand the credit system used by the host institution or study abroad provider, as courses may be weighted differently than at Beloit College.

Deposits

Students are responsible for paying any required deposits.

Domains

Students are expected to have completed the five liberal arts breadth (domain) requirements before studying off campus as juniors or seniors. Students studying off-campus as sophomores must indicate in their applications how and when they will complete the requirements, whether while off campus or upon return.

Eligibility for Off-Campus Study

• To study off-campus, students must be in good academic and disciplinary standing.
• Cases of academic warning and probation are considered individually.
• Students on disciplinary probation are not permitted to study off-campus.
• Host university/programs may have GPA, language proficiency, and/or subject area background requirements.
• Most students study off-campus as juniors and seniors, with a few studying off-campus as second semester sophomores.

Financial Aid

Financial aid, including merit scholarships, applies to off-campus study tuition. Refer to this document for the maximum tuition that Beloit College will cover for a semester abroad. The vast majority of options have tuition lower than the amount noted on the page. As well, program providers such as CIEE and SIT offer scholarships, students with Pell Grants can apply for the Gilman study abroad scholarship, and Beloit College offers some non-tuition scholarship aid to high-need students to help support travel costs, including Weissberg Study Abroad Equity Scholarships.

Download the off-campus study budget worksheet to estimate the costs for your program.

Grades

Grades for study abroad appear on students’ transcripts but are not factored into GPA calculations. Exception: Grades for courses with Beloit College course codes, such as Cities in Transition courses and summer block courses, are factored into GPA calculations.

Grades received for domestic off-campus study both appear on transcripts and are factored into GPA calculations.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is required for all study abroad, and must include coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation. Provider programs (ACM, CIEE, IES, SIT, etc) generally mandate a specific insurance plan, and some universities abroad require that students purchase a national insurance plan.

Students with Beloit College health insurance may use this abroad for study abroad options not requiring a specific insurance.

All other students will be enrolled in an iNext Comprehensive Plan with an additional rider for Security Evacuation. The insurance is added to Beloit College semester payment bills. The iNext Comprehensive Plan includes substantial health insurance, medical evacuation and repatriation, and Security Evacuation covers evacuation necessitated by political events and/or natural disasters.

Length

90% of students study off campus for one semester, with another 10% spending an academic year off-campus.

Liberal Arts in Practice Requirement

Students may complete the liberal arts in practice requirement through off-campus study. Discuss options with your faculty advisor.

Parent Employer Study Abroad

If a student’s parent works at an educational institution that provides tuition benefits if the student enrolls in that institution, the student will be permitted to study abroad through that institution without paying tuition to Beloit College for the relevant semester. However, the student must complete the normal application process for study abroad and receive approval from the Committee on International Education. The parent’s employer is responsible for determining how the tuition benefit will apply to the cost of the study abroad.

Registration

• For off-campus study: During the registration period for the semester you will study off-campus, register for 3 units of credit using the appropriate SAB (study abroad) or OFFC (domestic program) course code. The number of credits will be adjusted as appropriate upon receipt of the transcript for the completed off-campus study. Exception: Students taking Cities in Transition courses register for these using an IDST course code.

• For the semester following off-campus study: Approximately two weeks before registration begins, registration instructions are went to the Beloit email accounts of off-campus study students. Students should consult their faculty advisors about course choices to registering. On-line registration for off-campus study students typically begins 2-4 days prior to the start of on-line registration for on-campus students. If on-line registration poses challenges because of location or schedule, off-campus students they can send a list of course preferences to registrar@beloit.edu . Staff in the office will register them based on their course preferences.

Travel Advisories

Study abroad in countries or regions of countries assigned a rating of 3 within the U.S. State Department Travel advisory system is permitted under exceptional circumstances. Gilman scholarships, however, will not apply. No study abroad is permitted in countries assigned a rating of 4.

Tuition Remission and Full-Tuition Scholarships

Students receiving tuition remission or full-tuition scholarships are limited to enrolling in exchange programs unless they are able to pay the tuition charged by the host university/program.

Vacation Terms and Off-Campus Study

Students may not receive credit toward the Beloit College degree for study abroad taking place during a vacation term. They may, however, earn transfer credit for domestic off-campus study undertaken on a vacation term. Beloit College financial aid, however, will not apply. Furthermore, students should note that the maximum number of course units that can be transferred toward the Beloit College degree is 15, only 2 of which may be earned in the senior year.

Visas

Students are responsible for acquiring any visas required to study abroad and/or for residency permits in country. Costs are born by the students.

Withdrawal

Students who withdraw from off-campus study before program end should notify the Office of International Education, Accounting, and Student Financial Services. Refunds of tuition and other payments will depend host university/organization refund policies and the Beloit College refund schedule.