Are you studying abroad through OSA? Good news, your courses will automatically come back as general elective credit toward your 120 hour requirement needed to graduate.
Some departments have pre-approved courses abroad and provide equivalency information to our office. This list is provided to students and faculty for convenience, but we encourage students to look beyond this list for the courses that are most suited to them.
If you would like to receive major, minor, or NTC core credit for courses taken abroad, you must meet with the appropriate departmental advisor both prior to departure and upon return to have them complete and sign the OSA Course Equivalency Form. For coursework completed on a Newcomb-Tulane Study Abroad Program or ISO, the Tulane transcript will automatically show all courses, grades, and credits as 5000-level general electives. There is no need to petition for elective credit for courses taken on Tulane-approved study abroad programs, although credit toward a major, minor, or NTC core requirement is awarded at the discretion of the relevant department or program.
In the pre-departure phase, students should bring a list of prospective courses from the website of their chosen program (or programs if you have a shortlist and are trying to decide which will fit best within your major) to their department to discuss transfer of credit. Some departments may have pre-approved programs or courses and some may be more flexible. While most departments will not sign off on credit transfer until you return from study abroad, this is a good opportunity to discuss what content a course should have in order to function as a Tulane equivalent. It is a good idea to have course descriptions or syllabi from your intended host program on hand if they are available. Students should make a plan to stay in contact with their advisors remotely should any last-minute changes in proposed schedule occur--remember, in many cases final course selection is made on-site.
Unless specifically noted in the program description on this website, grades students earn while on their study abroad abroad will appear on the official transcript, but will not be calculated into the cumulative GPA. This policy will not apply to Tulane faculty-led summer programs, or to courses completed in study abroad programs offered through the Freeman School of Business.
To receive Tulane credit for coursework abroad, students must complete the program and submit all materials and assignments to their host instructors by the end of the last day of class, take scheduled examinations, and complete their study abroad program evaluation through OSA. Students are strongly encouraged to retain a personal copy of all work submitted abroad and relevant course syllabi until all grades and courses have been posted to the official Tulane transcript. We recommend uploading them into a cloud file storage system, such as Box or Drive, to ensure they do not get lost. The process to transfer credit from your study abroad program to your Tulane record may take up to four months, depending on the receipt of the transcript from the program provider or host institution. Students planning to graduate the semester of or immediately after their study abroad should take this into consideration.
If you would like major, minor, or NTC core credit, you must meet with the appropriate departmental advisor to have them complete the Course Equivalency Form. Often, faculty wish to see syllabi from the courses abroad, and sometimes also want to see papers that you wrote or exams that you took. Make sure to bring those items with you back to New Orleans if you are going to seek major or minor credit! Bear in mind that depending on the department and host country language, you may need to translate course materials in order to submit them for credit transfer.
Upon downloading the form (see below), complete the following steps:
While certain departments, such as Communications, typically have a designated faculty member who signs off on study abroad transfer credit, others will defer this responsibility to your assigned major or minor advisor within the department. You can check our Major Guides page for more information on interdepartmental policies on credit transfer. In general, when seeking the following credit for courses taken abroad, students should speak to these individuals both prior to departure and upon return to complete the Course Equivalency Form:
Course Equivalency Forms should be submitted to our office upon your return from study abroad. Please note that we cannot post course equivalencies until we receive your final transcripts from your program or host university. Our office cannot hold forms on file throughout the semester or academic year so please do not submit equivalency forms prior to your departure.
Transcripts from approved study abroad programs should be sent via email to crystal@tulane.edu or to the attention of Joanie Vicknair at the following address:
Tulane University Center for Global Education
6901 Willow St, 2nd Floor
New Orleans, LA 70118 U.S.A.
