Study Abroad Policy on Transfer of Credit and Financial Aid

Linfield students who study abroad on Linfield programs maintain their enrollment as Linfield students. Language majors, who are required to spend a year abroad, will also maintain their enrollment as Linfield students through participation in a Linfield administered program. All other students wishing to study abroad through other institutions must take a leave of absence (Section I, below).

Regarding transfer of credit for study abroad, there are two different types of approval necessary: approval of the program itself (e.g., the University of Minnesota program in Montpellier), and approval of individual courses for transfer credit. The process for obtaining these two types of approval is outlined in the sections that follow. While approval of the program itself generally implies that all courses successfully completed will transfer as elective credit, students wishing to receive credit toward a major or minor, or toward the Linfield Curriculum, must follow the policy and procedures as explained in Section II, below.

The college requires that all students who wish to take part in non-Linfield programs apply for pre-approval of the program itself and, to the extent possible, of individual courses. Importantly, no financial aid or financial aid services can be provided unless the program itself is approved in advance of participation (by November 1 for spring programs and April 1 for fall programs).

I. Leave of Absence

Students taking a leave of absence to study abroad through another institution must fill out a Leave of Absence form in the Office of the Registrar and the Permit to Study Abroad Through Another Institution form.

1. Those wishing to receive pre-approval for programs offered by a recognized regionally accredited American university will:

• obtain authorization from the Director of International Programs for participation in the program. The Director will give approval by signature on the Leave of Absence Form and the Permit to Study Abroad Through Another Institution form and, if the student wishes to apply for federal financial aid or financial aid services, on the Financial Aid Consortium Agreement Form (available in the Office of Financial Aid).

• be eligible to apply for federal financial aid, be able to use financial aid processing services from the college, but will not be able to receive Linfield aid or paid airfare.

2. Those wishing to study at a foreign university not regionally accredited in the U.S. will:

• be subject to the policy and procedures outlined above.

• additionally, upon return, provide at their own expense a course-by-course evaluation of all credits sought to be applied to their Linfield transcript. The evaluation can be obtained through an external evaluation agency approved by the college and must be submitted to the Registrar.

Information on the evaluation agency is available from the Office of the Registrar.

II. Transfer for Major/Minor and Linfield Curriculum Credit:

To obtain credit toward a major/minor or toward the LC, students must complete the Permit to Study Abroad Through Another Institution form and provide documentation – course syllabi and/ or course descriptions – to the appropriate offices. For the major/minor, review is conducted only by the chair of the relevant department. For the LC, review is conducted by the Registrar. Students must also follow the procedures outlined in the transfer credit policy on page 12 of the college catalog.