I. Quinnipiac University Semester Study Abroad Policies
Students of all undergraduate programs are encouraged to include study-abroad experience in their curriculum at Quinnipiac University. The following are the policies governing study abroad at Quinnipiac University.

1. To be eligible to study abroad, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 and not have any existing or pending judicial sanctions. In special circumstances the university will approve a request for a waiver for students whose GPA is at least 2.60. Students with a judicial sanction or who have one placed on them after being accepted, may submit a request for a waiver for permission to study abroad. Requests for waivers (academic or judicial) must be submitted to the Office of International Education by Oct. 15 for the Spring term and April 1 for the Fall term. Requests for waivers are not normally considered until the sanction has been lifted.

2. The study abroad program site must be approved by the Office of International Education.

3. Students must maintain full-time status by registering as a study abroad student through Quinnipiac University for the semester abroad.

4. Students studying abroad are required to receive prior approval from their respective associative dean for all courses listed on the Study Abroad Registration Form.

5. Students who have not completed the Study Abroad Registration Form and who have not attended a safety and security meeting prior to studying abroad are considered to be on a leave of absence. As such they will be governed by the university's policy for studying at another institution, which generally limits the number of courses taken elsewhere to two.

6. Quinnipiac University students who participate for a semester/year will pay full-time tuition and the cost to live in the Commons Residence Hall, minus the dining service fee. A fee will be added to assure adequate emergency insurance. If the approved program cost exceeds the sum of Quinnipiac's tuition and housing, the difference will be paid to Quinnipiac University by the student. Quinnipiac University will be invoiced from each study abroad program minus housing deposit (responsibility of student). Students who receive financial assistance at Quinnipiac University may apply their aid for study abroad, including federal aid, state grants, college grants and scholarships. A fee will be added to the student's bill if the student neglects to return Quinnipiac University's Study Abroad Registration Form by the date given by the Office of International Education.

7. Forced withdrawal from a program initiated by the Host University or Quinnipiac University without the consent of the student will result in a loss of fees and tuition. The student may also be subject to action based on Quinnipiac University's Student Judicial System.

8. For Quinnipiac University students studying abroad, the credits and grades for approved courses taken abroad become part of the students' academic transcript, and all grades will be included in the calculation of the students' GPA. Students may not take classes for a pass/fail grade unless there is no other grade given for that course.

9. Students are required to be housed at the resident/program dormitory. They will not be able to reside in unaffiliated housing unless given prior approval by the Director of International Education.

II. Criteria for approval of Study Abroad Program Site
In order to be approved by Quinnipiac University, a study abroad program must meet the following criteria as determined by the director of international education. If a study abroad program site does not meet these criteria, the director of international education may refuse to grant permission for a student to participate in this particular program. 

Criteria for an approved study abroad program:

• Demonstrable intercultural experience as opposed to academic site relocation; this is particularly important in English-speaking countries
• Academic accreditation in the host country
• Academic merit as judged at Quinnipiac University
• Evidence of teaching expertise and experience
• Host site facilities that are conducive to academic advancement
• Available student health and welfare facilities
• Assessment verification and accessible reporting contacts at host site
• International orientation program on site
• Adequate living facilities
• Compelling reason why Quinnipiac University site in host country is not adequate

An appeal may be filed with the associate vice president for academic affairs prior to the study abroad deadlines posted by the Office of International Education.

III. Registration
Students are registered for a full-time 12-credit course load during Fall or Spring semesters. While they are abroad, students must not drop below this full-time status. Part-time loads, audits or taking courses for satisfactory/unsatisfactory are not permitted. Dropping below full-time status may result in automatic failure for the course(s) dropped. It will also affect eligibility for student loans or financial aid!

IV. Preregistration
While abroad, students will have to schedule for the classes they would like to take upon return to Quinnipiac. Students should consult the schedule of classes on the Web around the same time the hard copy is printed and distributed at Quinnipiac (mid-March for the following Fall semester and mid-October for the following Spring semester). Once students have picked what they want to take, they  should send the information to their adviser sand register via the Internet.

It will be possible to e-mail the Registrar’s Office to preregister only if appropriate access can not be obtained via the Internet.

If students plan on graduating immediately after their semester abroad, they must plan their academic program carefully in advance in consultation with an academic adviser. They must be certain that the courses offered at the host institution will fulfill graduation requirements.

Please realize that the Office of International Education cannot always guarantee that a particular course will be offered the semester a student studies abroad. Students must discuss plans thoroughly with their adviser and have some contingency plans in case particular courses are not offered. They must deal directly with their adviser and academic department on all matters concerning graduation. The Office of International Education is not an academic unit; therefore, submitting a request or inquiry through us will only delay an answer.

V. Degree Requirements
Students must consult their department academic advisers (preferably much in advance) regarding questions as to how courses taken abroad will count towards their degree. The Office of International Education cannot answer such questions. If applicable, students may substitute courses abroad for degree requirements, but only with the approval of departmental faculty.

VI.   Grades
Grades may not be reported or recorded as quickly as they are at a Quinnipiac campus. Sometimes host institutions abroad do not report grades to our office until a month or two after the end of the semester. Students must be patient with our staff and realize that we are doing everything we can to record grades in a timely manner. Sometimes grades are reported using the American system; however, in many cases we receive reports on the grading scale of the host institution. Grading systems and scales are different according to the country in which students study. Frequently they differ among institutions in the same country, and sometimes even within departments or schools within the same university. Grades will be converted to the American scale after they are sent to the Office of International Education.

The Office of International Education does not have the authority to overrule a faculty member's judgment in the matter of a grade for a course taken during a study abroad program sponsored by Quinnipiac University. Grades are the exclusive prerogative of the faculty members teaching the courses. If students have questions about grading in any particular course, they must be sure to take them up with the faculty member teaching that course. Questions involving grades issued for study abroad undertaken through other institutions should be taken up with those institutions. Quinnipiac will not change grades issued by another institution.

Students who decide to study abroad without prior approval run the double risk of not being readmitted to Quinnipiac and not receiving credit for the work completed abroad.

Note: Students should ask the institutions to send a final, official transcript to the Office of International Education once the courses have been completed. The Office of International Education will process the transcript and forward it to the Registrar's Office.