In spring 2011, the faculty adopted changes to Colgate’s study abroad offerings that will be in effect for students beginning with the Class of 2016. Beginning with the 2014-15 academic year, students will pay Colgate tuition to study abroad on an approved non-Colgate program. Also in 2014-15, students will be allowed to apply their Colgate financial aid to approved non-Colgate programs.
Students studying abroad on approved programs will be invoiced by Colgate for Colgate tuition and for expenses assessed by the host institution/provider (for example housing, meals, and other mandatory fees). As is the case with Colgate’s faculty-led groups, students participating in approved programs will be eligible for financial aid for one such program on the same basis as when they are studying on campus. Upon successful completion of a full semester’s credit on an approved program, a student will earn 4.00 transfer credits toward the Colgate degree. Students who attend a study abroad program that has not been approved by Colgate will not be eligible for Colgate financial aid, nor will academic credit transfer toward the degree.
Learn more about
non-Colgate program options.
Students must return the following signed and dated forms to Off-Campus Study by the indicated deadlines in order to participate on the study group or extended study: confidential physician’s report, acknowledgement of risk and responsibility, and the parental acknowledgement of student participation.
Confirmed study group courses are listed in the course preregistration booklet published by the Office of the Registrar. Prior to the start of the study group, the registrar will register students for the study group.
All academic regulations, registration changes and drop/add deadlines for a term are applicable to students enrolled in a study group.
Course Load
A normal course load on a Colgate study group is 4.00-4.5 course credits (the equivalent of four regular Colgate courses), unless additional course work is a required part of the program. Any deviation from this norm requires approval first from the director of the study group and the director of Off-Campus Study/International Programs, and subsequently from the associate dean of the faculty. Since credit systems are different at many foreign universities, students should not assume that one course at a host university equals one Colgate credit.
S/U grading option
Use of the satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grading option for study groups is highly discouraged. Requests for the S/U grading option must be approved by the director of the study group, the director of Off-Campus Study/International Programs, and the associate dean of the faculty.
Courses taken on a Colgate study group may not be repeated on campus. Courses taken on campus may not be repeated on a Colgate study group without permission of the department chair/program director and associate dean of the faculty.
All approved courses taken on a Colgate study group are awarded Colgate credit, including those taken at a host institution. Grades for courses taken at a study group host institution are converted to U.S. equivalents by the director and will be recorded on the Colgate transcript and factored into the student’s GPA.
Courses taken at a host institution as part of a study group do not automatically earn credit. Elective courses should be in the liberal arts; courses in marketing, business, journalism, or other subjects beyond the scope of Colgate’s curriculum are not eligible for credit. Major credit must be pre-approved by the department chair, as must all credit (elective or major) in natural sciences and English. At the beginning of the study group semester, students must provide the study group director and Colgate’s registrar’s office with a list of elective courses in which they have enrolled. Note that individual study groups may have specific registration policies that limit the types of courses a student may receive credit for. When in doubt, students should consult their study group director, the Office of the Registrar, or Off-Campus Study.
Colgate grant recipients can receive additional assistance for one Colgate-directed off-campus study group and one Colgate-directed extended study program. Institutional grant assistance is awarded to meet the extra costs after loans have been increased to the maximum eligibility level.
However, if prior to receiving a study-group award letter a student chooses to increase his or her loan beyond the level noted in the initial award for the year, Colgate will continue to provide only the level of grant that would have been available had the additional loan not been taken; the student remains responsible for the portion of the extra study-group costs that would ordinarily have been awarded in the form of additional loan.
Students participating in non-Colgate study groups or attending other institutions as visiting students are not eligible for state or institutional aid unless their program qualifies for the interim portable aid initiative. Only federal aid is transferable. Please be aware that a student may be required to begin repayment on federal loans when participating in certain non-Colgate programs.
If a student receives financial aid from Colgate, an estimate of student expenses for the relevant study group or extended study program will be provided by the Office of Off-Campus Study.
Study group or extended study students who are not currently receiving aid from Colgate should consult the Office of Financial Aid (finaid@colgate.edu or call 315-228-7431) to learn about their eligibility for loans to meet extra cost of a study group.
A student who has been withdrawn from a Colgate-directed study group or a Colgate-directed extended study after it has begun may be eligible for a refund according to the university’s refund policy (see the university catalogue, Chapter 3). For refund purposes, the first day of classes is the official starting date of the group, as listed in the pre-departure materials. Some off-campus study group fees are regulated by the host institution or a participating agency and are non-refundable. Therefore, these non-refundable fees do not fall under Colgate’s refund policy.
A student who officially withdraws from a Colgate-directed study group or a Colgate-directed extended study program less than 90 days prior to departure may be subject to a $500 charge. An additional charge of $10 per day after the 90-day deadline may also be assessed until written notification of withdrawal is received. Notification must be dated and delivered to the faculty director or adviser of the off-campus program and to the director of off-campus study. E-mail notification from a Colgate e-mail address is acceptable.
The Student Government Association provides 50 percent of the semester student activities fee for use on Colgate-run semester study groups (currently $71.00 per student for 2010-2011). Student activity money should be spent for group activities decided upon by the students in the group with guidance from the study group director. Note that university policy does not permit student activities fees to be used to purchase alcohol.
Students must go to the Office of Residential Life before leaving for the study group to make housing arrangements for the semester when they plan to return to campus.
Students must fill out a study group evaluation at the end of the study group semester. These evaluations are confidential.
Travel warnings come in different levels of severity. Once students have turned in their travel plans form, Off-Campus Study will inform them if they fall into one of the categories below.
- Colgate undergraduates may not receive sponsorship for activities abroad, including credit for study abroad; funding for internships, research, or volunteer activities; or sponsorship for extracurricular activities, such as music or sport, for countries for which the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning that does any of the following:
- orders departure of U.S. dependents and non-emergency personnel;
- recommends that any U.S. citizens remaining in the country should depart;
- strongly warns U.S. citizens against travel to the country;
- warns or urges U.S. citizens to defer (non-essential) travel to the country; or
- warns that the U.S. Embassy’s ability to provide emergency consular services is limited.
For countries for which a warning is in place, the lifting of the warning must occur before the date of departure for Colgate sponsorship to be given.
- Colgate students may petition to receive sponsorship for activities abroad, including credit for study abroad; funding for internships, research, or volunteer activities; or sponsorship for extracurricular activities, such as music or sport, for countries for which the State Department has issued lesser travel warning levels, such as, for example, when the State Department only:
- warns U.S. citizens of the (risks, dangers, or potential risk or danger) of travel to the country;
- urges U.S. citizens to evaluate carefully their security and safety before traveling to the country;
- warns (cautions) U.S. citizens to consider the risks of travel to the country;
- cautions U.S. citizens to take prudent security measures;
- urges (warns) U.S. citizens to weigh the necessity of travel to the country; or
- urges U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution.
The petition should include:
- a summary of the student’s plan for the sponsored activity;
- an itinerary that includes likely destinations within the country;
- an explanation of how the student will travel within the country;
- an explanation of where the student will be staying within the country; and
- previous academic courses (including language) or experiences that the student has had that might prepare him/her for this experience
Off-Campus Study and Risk Management will inform the student if their petition has been approved, denied, or if further information is needed.