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College of Fine & Applied Arts

Important information:
• Completion of the Course Approval Summary Form is required before departure.
• All courses taken abroad must be approved.
• Submit the Course Approval Summary Form to faa-abroad@illinois.edu.

This webpage is for students enrolled in the College of Fine and Applied Arts that are studying abroad on a pre-approved program. To be considered a full-time Illinois student and qualify for financial aid, you must be enrolled in the minimum full-time academic load as defined by your host institution and complete 12 or more Illinois credit hours abroad. Students who receive the Monetary Award Program (MAP Grant) from the state of Illinois, are required to complete the equivalent of 15 Illinois credits.

Course Approval Instructions

Complete a Study Abroad Course Approval Summary Form before you go abroad so that you may understand how courses you plan to enroll in at the partner university articulate as Illinois credit. This form is not used to register for classes at the partner university.

Pre-Departure

You will start the course approval process prior to your departure, with the understanding that for many programs, not all courses may be available to you when it comes time to register. The more you do ahead of time, the easier your course selection process will be once you are on-site.

Complete the Study Abroad Course Approval Summary Form as part of the Study Abroad Orientation Course (LAS 291/292). For this form, you will research and plan for potential courses and determine the appropriate approval process. First, find information on course offerings for your particular term(s) abroad on the host institution’s website, My Study Abroad, a course catalogue or a combination of these resources.

If you want to use a course for any of the following you will need to go through the Course Approval Process, as outlined below:

  • To satisfy a requirement for a major or minor or general education requirement
  • If you need major elective credit as ARTS, ARTD, ARTH, UP etc.
  • For a level other than 100 level
  • To take a course as credit/no credit (CR/NC)

Next, review the process below and meet with your Academic Advisor to discuss your options.

Course Approval Process

Using the Course Approval Summary Form, complete one row for each course using the instructions below.

course approval instruction explanation which is also listed below in text

Instructions for Columns

Follow the instructions in order.

Completed by the student

List the titles of the courses offered at the institution abroad. List the courses in the exact wording used by the host institution. It is important to list the subject and number of the course abroad (i.e. AUST 2022 Australian Studies).

Completed by the student

Check the Course Approval Database to see if your courses have received previous approval.

  • If the course has already been approved, print it out, mark “Y” in Column #2, and attach the printout to the Course Approval Summary Form.
  • If the course is not in the Course Approval Database, or you wish to seek approval in a subject area other than what is already approved, mark “N” in Column #2.

Completed by the student

When registering at the host institution abroad, you must take all courses for a grade. When the credit is articulated to Illinois, the course approval form will be utilized to list grades as G or CR/NC on students’ records.

Select CR/NC or G for each individual course, considering the following:

  • Credit/No Credit (CR/NC): Grade is shown as CR if you earned a C- or higher at the host institution. If you earn a D+ or lower on your foreign transcript, Illinois grade and transcript are shown as NC (translation occurs when grades from the host institution are received at Illinois). This election does not impact your Illinois GPA and if credit is received (CR), you will earn Illinois credit hours toward graduation. This option is not available for anything other than free credit, i.e. you can not elect CR/NC for major or minor requirements or general education courses.
  • Graded (G): Grade listed on Illinois transcript and averaged in with GPA as Illinois course.

Work with Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor to complete

Any course(s) not found in the Course Approval Database or for which the student wishes to seek approval in a new subject area require approval from a departmental advisor, called a Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor. You will need to seek approval from a Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor, who may not be may not be the same person as your academic advisor. You will need to seek out the advisor in the appropriate subject area (for example, for an Art History course, you will need to go to the Art History Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor).

The Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor will require a syllabus or course description at minimum to approve a course. Some advisors will require assignments from your semester abroad, in which case you must finalized your course approvals after you return. It’s helpful to the Study Abroad Course Advisor if the student shares these documents with them electronically so that they have time to review.

Completed by Academic Advisor or Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor

Please indicate what this course will be considered for upon the student’s return by using the following guide:

  • R: Required course in the student's major or concentration
  • ME: Major Elective, list ME in column 9 and then specify in comments section
  • H: Humanities and Arts (GenEd)
  • N: Natural Sciences and Technology (GenEd)
  • SS: Social and Behavioral Sciences (GenEd)
  • W: Cultural Studies - Western (GenEd) or NW: Cultural Studies - Non-Western (GenEd) or UM: Cultural Studies – U.S. Minority Cultures (GenEd)
  • O: Open elective credit hours counting towards graduation

GenEd approval is based on the College of FAA’ review process, and there is no guarantee that a course will be approved for fulfilling any GenEd requirement without approval. GenEd approvals from other Colleges at the University of Illinois are not automatically approved in FAA. A detailed syllabus of the course is required for review and should accompany the course approval form submitted to FAA Academic Affairs Office at faa-abroad@illinois.edu. Review the Campus Guidelines for General Education Courses.

Comment section: use of this section is to be determined by Advisors or College Office.

Academic Advisor: must have both the printed name and the signature.

Student signature: the Study Abroad Course Approval Summary Form will not be considered complete without your (the student’s) signature.

Completed Study Abroad Course Approval Summary Form signed by the student and Academic Advisor should be emailed to faa-abroad@illinois.edu for final approval and signature. Your tentative plan should be submitted BEFORE you depart for your abroad term.

While Abroad

Collect as much information on your courses as you can. This includes bringing back syllabi, homework assignments, tests, textbooks, etc. These will be used in the Course Approval Process.

Upon Return to Campus

If a course is on the host university transcript, it will and must transfer into your academic record at Illinois.

Consult with your advisor to determine which of your remaining completed courses require approval. For those courses, follow the instructions for the course approval process outlined below. Complete and submit your final Study Abroad Course Approval Summary Form to FAA International Programs at faa-abroad@illinois.edu by the end of the 8th week of the semester following your study abroad. FAA International Programs will contact you (Illinois email address) to review the credit recommendation form before your student record is finalized with your study abroad credit.

If No Course Approval Form is Submitted

IFAA International Programs recommends that students complete their course approval forms prior to departing for the abroad semester.

If you do not submit a course approval form by the end of the 8th week of the semester following your term abroad:

  • Your courses will appear as "FAA 388" on your transcript
  • “FAA 388” will factor into your degree audit as FAA 100-level credit
  • All classes will default to free electives. Free electives do not fulfill specific degree requirements, such as major courses or general education categories.
  • All courses will transfer the letter grade to your Illinois transcript, which will factor into your GPA.

For Students Contemplating Studying Abroad During Senior Year

Waiting until your senior year to study abroad will cause considerable delay in the receipt of your diploma for the following reasons:

  • Many institutions abroad routinely take a very long time to send a transcript (3 months is common, sometimes up to 9 months).
  • You may be unaware of how all credit is articulated to identify remaining degree requirements (i.e. fall abroad credit will not inform you of what to complete in the spring term)
  • If the student studies abroad during their last semester, they should anticipate a considerable delay in the certification of their degrees.

Notes for Study Abroad Course (299) Advisors

If you approve this course, please enter the Illinois subject and number or level. If this course has a direct Illinois equivalency, enter Illinois subject and number (e.g., ARTD 210). If this course is acceptable as college level transfer work in your department, enter Illinois subject and level (e.g., ARTD 2--).

Completed by Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor

If you approve the course, please enter “Y” in the box.

Completed by Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor

If you do not approve the course, please enter “N” in the box.

Completed by Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor

Please print and sign your name. For a more detailed explanation use the “Comments” area either on the front or back of the form.

Completed by Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor

If you approve this course to be added to the Course Approval Database, please enter “Y” in the box. Enter “N” if you do not recommend the course to be added to the Database.

Important note: You can approve courses for individual students but opt to not add the course to the Database if you would prefer to review the course on a case-by-case basis.

Completed by Academic Advisor or Study Abroad Course (299) Advisor

Please indicate what this course will be considered for upon the student’s return by using the following guide:

  • R: Required course in the student's major or concentration
  • ME: Major Elective, list ME in column 9 and then specify in comments section

GenEd approval is based on the College of FAA’ review process, and there is no guarantee that a course will be approved for fulfilling any GenEd requirement without approval. GenEd approvals from other Colleges at the University of Illinois are not automatically approved in FAA. A detailed syllabus of the course is required for review and should accompany the course approval form submitted to FAA Academic Affairs Office at faa-abroad@illinois.edu. Review the Campus Guidelines for General Education Courses.