Guidelines For Off-Campus Study

The following guidelines apply to students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges who wish to study off-campus, either on programs sponsored by the colleges or those sponsored by another institution:

  1. Although sophomores, juniors and seniors frequently study off-campus, students often plan to do so in their junior year. First-year students will not be permitted to study off-campus.
  2. The Colleges strongly encourage students to avail themselves of the opportunity to study in an off-campus program, but it should be noted that program participation is a privilege to be earned through solid academic achievement, demonstration of maturity, and strong motivation for program participation. Matriculation at the Colleges, in and of itself, does not guarantee the "right" to study off-campus. Students who wish to participate in an off-campus program sponsored by the Colleges must ordinarily meet a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5, and may not under any circumstances participate in a program with a cumulative average under 2.0. Students who wish to join another institution's program or study independently at a foreign institution will be expected to have established a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better and be at junior or senior year standing by the beginning of the proposed program. Students must be in good academic and social standing in their college.
    An exception to these standards, other than the requirement that all participants be in good academic and social standing, can be made if the student is showing strong improvement in academic performance and exceptional motivation and maturity and if the proposed program will be of significant benefit to the program of study in the major. The student must present his or her case in writing to the Off-Campus Committee for consideration, as described in #5 below. Students should note that the selection process for all programs abroad is a competitive one and that proven academic excellence is an important factor in this process. Programs other than those directly offered by the Colleges may require minimum grade point averages greater than the Colleges' requirement.
  3. It is the policy of the Colleges that students participating in the Colleges’ Off-Campus semesters retain financial aid on the same basis as previously awarded (with the exception of work/study) as determined by demonstrable financial need. The Financial Aid Office should be consulted to determine the exact details of aid to be awarded.
  4. Students may have difficulty transferring credit for participation in some non-Colleges programs (for example the Colleges do not allow credit transfer for the Semester-at-Sea and the NOLS program). Therefore, a a student who wishes to participate in a program sponsored by another institution should check carefully with his or her dean's office, the Registrar's Office and/or the Office of Off-Campus Programs to assure that the program is accredited and that credit transfer is allowed.
  5. No student may receive credit for work done in a non-Colleges off-campus semester to a location in which the Colleges offer a substantially comparable semester within the given academic year if space is available in that program. Exceptions can be made if the student can justify the greater academic relevance of such a choice to his or her particular program of study. The student should present his or her case in writing as follows:

    a. The student submits an application stating the academic justification for the program, a supporting recommendation from his or her adviser, and a full description of the program he or she wants to join to the Office of Off-Campus Programs no later than March 1, 2002 for all Non-HWS 2002-2003 programs (fall, spring, or full year). Green Non-HWS Program Application forms are available from the Office of Off-Campus Programs.

    b. The student's application is reviewed by the Off-Campus Advisory Committee and a representative of both deans' offices. The Committee will also review the applications relating to point 2 as noted above.

    c. If an application is accepted, the student goes to the appropriate departmental chair to request preliminary approval of courses. When the student completes the off-campus semester, he or she must provide ample evidence of the substance of each course (course description, syllabus, reading list, course notes, graded papers, and wherever possible, exams) within three weeks of the beginning of the next semester on campus. On the basis of this information and the grade received in the course, the chair and the Registrar will then decide whether credit will be granted. As with all transfer credit, a course that receives a grade below C will not be accepted for credit. Departments will decide how many credits from a non-Colleges semester may count toward the major or minor.

    6. A student on a non-HWS program will pay an administration fee of $500 billed directly by the Business Office after he/she submits a transcript and requests a credit transfer.