It takes approximately six to eight weeks for study abroad credit to appear on student records from the date the Office of the Registrar receives the host institution transcript and course approvals.
Receiving the Host Institution Transcript
It may be several months before the Office of the Registrar receives a transcript from a program or institution abroad after a student has completed their study abroad experience. The timing will vary depending on the program.
To avoid delays, notify the program or institution to send the original transcript directly to the Office of the Registrar at the following address:
Office of the Registrar
ATTN: Stewart Schrof, Study Abroad Coordinator
Study Abroad Unit
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
901 W. Illinois St., Suite 140
Urbana, IL 61801-3446
USA
If a student is planning to apply to graduate, medical, or law schools, and/or need official transcripts for such purposes, they must make arrangements with their host institution to have transcripts sent directly to the requesting institution. The university will not provide official copies of the host institution transcript to students or any third party.
How Study Abroad Credit & Grades are Processed
For study abroad prior to Spring 2026:
- To avoid delays in processing courses, students should review their course approvals upon return to determine if any courses are not already on their Course Approval Summary Form (PDF). If any were not approved, students should check the legacy Study Abroad Course Database. If the course is listed, students should “Print to PDF” the course listing and submit it following their academic college’s instructions. If the course is not in the former database, students should log into the new Illinois Education Abroad Course Approvals database, go to the International Course Equivalencies list and add the courses to their My Reviewed Courses. If a course still does not appear on the International Course Equivalencies list, then students will need to click Request New Course and complete the form to begin the approval process. Once all previously unapproved courses taken abroad appear on your My Registered Courses, the student should submit their course list following their academic college’s instructions.
For study abroad Spring 2026 and forward:
- To avoid delays in processing courses, students should review their My Registered Courses upon return to determine if any courses are not already listed. If any courses are missing, students should go to the International Course Equivalencies list and add the courses. If a course does not appear on the International Course Equivalencies list, then students will need to click Request New Course and complete the form to begin the approval process. Once all courses taken while abroad appear on their My Registered Courses, the student should submit their course list following their academic college’s instructions.
Once the transcript is received, the Office of the Registrar will review the transcript and the course approvals. If there are courses missing approvals, the Office of the Registrar will submit those courses for review and approval. Failing to submit necessary course approvals before you return from abroad may delay the processing of your transcript. After receiving the student’s transcript and all course approvals, the Office of the Registrar will use the approved Grade and Credit Equivalency scales to convert international credits and grades into university credits and grades. Documents will be sent to the student’s college office for approval and signature and then sent to the Office of the Registrar to be entered on the student’s permanent university record.
Host institution transcripts are part of each student’s academic record. Every course on the host institution transcript must be processed, even if those courses are not needed to satisfy a graduation requirement.
A student’s University of Illinois transcript will list study abroad courses with 388 (e.g. BADM 388, HIST 388, ANTH 388). A course number of 388 does not indicate the course level; it only signifies that the course was taken abroad. A student’s college office will enter actual course equivalencies on the student’s degree audit based upon the information in the course approvals provided.
Transfer Credit for Non-Approved Programs
If students bypass the petition process, enroll, and participate in a non-approved program, students risk their courses and credits not transferring. Their courses will be processed as transfer credit by International Admissions and will be subject to all transfer credit rules for evaluation. Please review information about the Non-Approved Programs for more information.