University of Michigan
International Center

home | study, work, travel | study abroad | academic credit

Academic Credit

There are many opportunities for students that are looking to study abroad and would like to receive academic credit. The process for obtaining credit varies depending on whether or not the student goes through a U-M study abroad program or a program not affiliated with the University of Michigan.

 

U-M Study Abroad Programs

Selecting a U-M study abroad program often provides “in-residence” credit towards your U-M degree. Contact U-M study abroad offices or see the U-M Global Portal for information about programs and opportunities. Please note that even for U-M programs, you should meet with your general and concentration advisor to ensure that that you will receive credit towards distribution or your concentration

 

Non-UM Study Abroad (Transfer Credit)

Students must go through a specific process in order to make sure credits will transfer from a non-UM program. Additional steps must be taken to see if credits will count towards a concentration or minor. The process should be completed before students leave for study abroad to gain full credit. Below are the recommended steps in the process.

1. Find out whether credit from the program will be transferred into credit at the University of Michigan and what degree requirements the credit may be used for

    • Go to the LSA Academic Advising Center and speak to an LSA Advisor. Bring the class name and any information about the course with you. Advisors can tell if the credit will count as transfer credit at UM
    • Students should see what courses they need to take in order to fulfill distribution requirements and gain valuable information about their degree progress and completion
    • See the database of previously accepted courses from various abroad programs. Students are to search for the program they are going on and then find the class they want to take. If the class is there, they can see whether or not it was accepted as transfer credit by UM in the past. If the class is not listed, then students fill out the Transfer Credit Evaluation form. This form acts a pre-evaluation form for the course. UM will decide within a few weeks whether or not the class will count.
    • Fill out a pre-evaluation form for a course if necessary. This is an online form that will be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Credit Evaluation Office.

Note: Students in other U-M schools and colleges will need to see academic advisors within their respective school or college.

 

2. Find out if credit can be transferred to a specific concentration or minor

    • Contact the concentration advisor to have the courses pre-approved
    • Be clear to say whether or not the program is sponsored by U-M or is an outside program
    • Bring any materials and or information about the course to the advisor for pre-approval. Note: many study abroad programs post course syllabi online
    • Some departments require an additional review of the course when students return so it is suggested to keep coursework and syllabi

Note: Many U-M departments place a cap on the number of hours of transfer credit allowed to count towards the major. Transfer students should also check with their academic advisors to ensure that they have not already transferred in the maximum amount of credits allowed by their school/college. For LSA, the maximum is 60 credits.

 

3. Submit an official transcript after the student returns

    • Send transcript to: Office of Undergraduate Admissions
                                      University of Michigan
                                      515 East Jefferson
                                      1220 Student Activities Building
                                      Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316

 

 

Last reviewed: 12/12