View available LAS programs in My Study Abroad

View available faculty-led LAS programs in My Study Abroad

There are a few programs in which an internship, research, and/or community engagement experience is the core component of the program.

• GLBL Provider: IFE - Institute for Field Education (France, Belgium, Spain)*
• GEOL Provider - SEA Semester
• LAS Global Leaders Program
• LAS Virtual Global Experiences

LAS International Programs staff advise students interested in all things international, from study abroad to global course offerings, virtual exchange, career development, and graduate school.

Advising is an important part in the process of choosing a study abroad program and preparing for the next steps ahead. As part of the application, all students applying to study on an LAS-sponsored program are required to schedule an appointment with a LAS International Programs advisor.

Note: If you are applying to study on a program through another College, LAS recommends that students meet with the program advisor indicated on the “contacts” tab of the program brochure.

Preparing for your advising appointment: We recommend that students explore their program options and consider these questions before your advising appointment:

• What aspects of a program are most important to me (course-work, location, language, professional development, duration, etc.)?
• What are my personal, academic, and/or career goals and how do I hope to achieve these through study abroad?
• What term do I want to go abroad and how does this fit into my academic plan?
• Do I need advanced-level and/or residential credit?
• Do I want to further develop my language skills or complete my LOTE abroad?

Action items post-advising appointment:

• Select a program and an alternative option (if needed)
• Explore the courses offerings and select 6-8 courses you would be interested in taking
• Meet with your academic advisor to discuss your course selection and how it fits into your academic plan
• Submit your application by the deadline indicated on the brochure
• Apply for scholarships and meet with the Office of Financial Aid

LAS students should review the course approval process for prior to departure.

The policies outlined below apply to all LAS students who study abroad on an approved UIUC program, regardless of whether or not they study abroad on an LAS-sponsored program.

Residency Credit and Advanced Hours

Effective Fall 2023, all study abroad programs approved by LAS are considered to be in residence including at the advanced level. Courses articulated at the 300 and 400 level fulfil the campus and major residency requirements. Individual course articulations are at the discretion of the academic unit articulating the coursework.

General Education Credit

Unless a course abroad is pre-articulated and pre-approved as UIUC general education credit, students must submit the syllabus and relevant course materials from a course completed abroad to LAS SAAO for review and consideration for general education credit. SAAO will make determinations based on syllabi review following the guidance of the current UIUC general education policy. Students are responsible for providing translations of syllabi and coursework if necessary.

GPA and Academic Standing

There is no minimum GPA required to study abroad, however some individual programs and partner institutions set their own minimum GPA requirement for applicants. Students should be in good academic standing during the term prior to study abroad. Students not in good academic standing may be allowed to study abroad, pending the approval of the LAS Student Academic Affairs Office.

Petitions for non-approved programs

LAS students may petition through the college to participate in and receive credit for a study abroad program that is not currently approved by the University of Illinois. Students must demonstrate that the program meets a curricular need not offered by existing UIUC approved programs. If a petition is approved, all policies applied to approved programs apply to the student’s petition program.

Study abroad on non-approved programs

If a student chooses to study abroad on a program not approved by UIUC, the student will not maintain enrollment in UIUC during the term abroad and all credit will be processed as transfer credit through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Note: international transfer coursework is graded as CR/NC on the student’s UIUC transcript. International transfer credit graded as credit may be applied to degree requirements.

CR/NC

All courses taken abroad are automatically processed for credit and grades. If a student wishes to request CR/NC for a particular course taken abroad they must submit the LAS Study Abroad Credit Declaration Form to LAS SAAO for review and approval.

Forms must be submitted prior to the October deadline (for Spring and Summer abroad) or the March deadline (for Fall abroad). Students may submit the LAS Study Abroad Credit Declaration Form at any point during their term abroad or after they return and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For courses approved for CR/NC grading, final CR/NC determinations are based on the current UIUC policy determining the minimum grade needed to earn credit for a course.

Grade equivalencies are determined by the Office of the Registrar and are based on the institutional grade and credit equivalency scales available for review here: https://studyabroad.illinois.edu/outgoing-students/course-approvals/grade-credit-equivalencies/index.html

Courses used to satisfy general education, major, or minor requirements must be taken for letter grades.

Full-time Status Abroad

Students should register for the equivalent of 12-18 credits while abroad and maintain full-time student status as defined by their study abroad program/institution. In rare circumstances, a student abroad may request to take fewer than the equivalent of 12 UIUC credit hours. In this case, a student must first check in with their study abroad program/host institution to ensure that taking less than a full-time course load will not negatively impact their visa status while abroad. Online and independent study courses do not count towards a student’s full-time status while abroad. LAS 292 (2 credits) does count towards full-time status while abroad.

Independent Study with UIUC faculty

If a student wishes to conduct an independent study with a UIUC faculty member during a term abroad, the independent study credit must be in addition to full-time enrollment in courses taken abroad. LAS encourages students to arrange independent studies ahead of time with a faculty member to conduct research while abroad and then register for the independent study credit for the semester of their return.

Online UIUC courses

LAS strongly discourages students from taking online courses during a term abroad unless the online course is needed to fulfil a degree requirement. Any online courses taken while abroad should be on top of a full course load on-site.

Course Approvals

All courses taken abroad are automatically processed as elective credit (LAS 1--) unless a student submits a signed Course Approval Summary Form.

Note: More policy and process changes to come with the new course approval system in 2023.

Transcription of Courses Taken Abroad

LAS 299: The study abroad placeholder – all LAS students are automatically registered for 12 credits of LAS 299 during the term they are abroad. Once the student’s transcript from abroad is processed by the Office of the Registrar, LAS 299 is lowered to zero credit hours and the credits from courses abroad are added to DARS.

XXX 388: All courses taken abroad show up as a 388 (e.g. HIST 388) on the student’s transcript. 388 does not signify an actual 300-level course. It only signifies that the course was taken abroad.

All course equivalencies and usage for courses taken abroad are entered into the student’s Degree Audit (DARS) by a College Records Officer upon receipt of a completed course approval form.