Registering for Study Abroad

Registering for Study Abroad in General

You must be registered for study abroad before you leave. UAlbany students are registered at UAlbany by the Office of International Education for study abroad. Other SUNY students who attend 4-year SUNY schools register at their home SUNY campus for study abroad. Non-SUNY students and SUNY Community College or Technology college students on UAlbany programs are registered at UAlbany by the Office of International Education, but should also check their home-campus regarding other possible requirements.

When you register for study abroad in general, you register for a full-time load (15 credits, usually), unless your program-specific materials indicate that you should register for a different number. When your actual credits from overseas are processed, this number of credits will be changed to match what you have actually taken: your credits may increase or decrease accordingly. Registration before departing varies according to who you are:

• UAlbany students going on UAlbany programs will be registered for their first semester of study abroad by the Office of International Education. Students who are unsure about whether they will go overseas at the time of early registration should register for on-campus classes and then follow the drop-add procedures once they are certain of their plans.
• UAlbany students going on programs administered by SUNY Community Colleges or FIT or on any non-SUNY programs should follow the instructions on www.albany.edu/studyabroad  and/or come to the Office of International Education for information about transfer credit procedures for study abroad.
• Other SUNY students on UAlbany programs should report to the Office of International Education at their home SUNY campus and register there for study abroad.
• Non-SUNY students on UAlbany programs will be registered at UAlbany by the Office of International Education. UAlbany will arrange for you to be admitted and registered at UAlbany as a non-matriculated undergraduate student for the duration of the program. You must complete all portions of the "Application for Undergraduate Admission to a University at Albany Sponsored Study Abroad Program as a Non-Matriculated Student" that you will find as part of your online study abroad application and submit it to the Office of International Education at UAlbany. Your campus official's signature on the back of the form is important: it is your guarantee from your home campus that your credits will be accepted.
• Any students who will have graduated before the start of their program should consult UAlbany about how to register. Special paperwork and/or procedures may be required.

Non-SUNY students on UAlbany programs: contact your academic adviser and the Director of International Education on your home campus for information about the leave of absence and transfer of credit procedures at your home school. The courses you take overseas will appear on the UAlbany transcript with the title (and number, if any) used at the host institution. Each course will be assigned the equivalent number of SUNY credits and a grade, but the courses will not be converted into equivalent courses at the University at Albany. Your home institution must determine any specific course equivalents. With this in mind, keep all course descriptions and syllabi from classes you take overseas. These will be very valuable when determining equivalents at your home campus.

UAlbany students attending non-SUNY semester-length programs: contact your academic adviser and the Undergraduate Dean’s Office for information about a Leave for Approved Study and transfer credit procedures. For summer programs, you must follow the transfer credit procedures but you do not need to apply for a leave of approved study.

Registering for Exact Classes

Register for the classes you are taking overseas according to the rules of your particular study abroad program. In some cases, this means choosing specific classes in advance or perhaps your schedule may not be finalized until after your arrival overseas. Your program-specific materials should give instructions for your program.

Required Grade Point Average for Participation

Students must be in "good academic standing" and not on academic or social probation at their home campus in order to participate in any SUNY study abroad program. Students with cumulative grade point averages of less than 2.0 or whose grades fall below 2.0 during the semester immediately prior to when they expect to study abroad will be blocked from participating.

If your letter of acceptance contained any conditions, you must prove that you have met those conditions prior to the start of your study abroad program. If your acceptance depended upon your grades, you must submit a copy of your grades from the current semester for review and approval by UAlbany prior to the start of the program.

Registering for a SUNY-Sponsored Overseas Program

Albany students who are not participating on an Albany program should register according to the following guidelines.

• SUNY Program administered by any 4-year SUNY campus: You should register at Albany following the instructions under "Registering for Study Abroad in General."
• SUNY Community Colleges, F.I.T, or similar college's Program: The instructions given previously about how to register do not apply to you! You should obtain a separate set of instructions for registration, transfer credit, and financial aid from Albany's Office of International Education, Science Library G 40. If you are going on a summer or short-term program, you will just need to follow the rules for transfer credit. If you are going on a semester or year-long program, you will need a Leave for Approved Study. But please do read the rest of this material. Everything else applies to you as well.

Registering For Your Second Semester Overseas

 UAlbany students who originally applied and were accepted for study abroad for the academic year will automatically be registered by UAlbany for their second semester of study. Other SUNY students who originally applied and were accepted for the academic year should automatically be registered at their home campus for their second semester of study. However, it is a good idea to confirm your registration status with your home campus.

 If you originally applied for only one semester and want to extend your stay for a second term, you must obtain permission from the SUNY campus that administers your program and from the overseas site. If you do get permission to extend your stay, make sure that your home campus knows so that your registration can be updated. Note: The Office of International Education can only make changes in your registration for study abroad. If you decide to extend your study period from one semester to a full year, you must take full responsibility for notifying the Office of Residential Life, your academic adviser, financial aid, and any other relevant parties of your plans.

Holds on Registration

If you have any holds at your home campus, we will not be able to register you for study abroad, and if you have any holds added while you are overseas, no one will be able to register you for the second semester you are away. Therefore, be certain that all your library books have been returned and that you have no outstanding bills or fines of any kind before you go away. If you cannot be registered, you cannot officially participate in your study abroad program and your financial aid may be canceled.

If you have any unpaid charges from your period of study abroad, and you do not make arrangements to have them paid in full, the Office of International Education will hold your grades and will also have holds put on your records at UAlbany and at your home campus.

Last modified 2/12/2015