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Home Getting StartedAcademic Credit

Academic Credit

Wake Forest Programs
If you participate in a Wake Forest program, you will receive course credit that will apply to your GPA. Divisional credit is given if you participate in a Wake Forest program and a divisional course is being taught.

Affiliate Programs
If you entered Wake Forest before fall 2005, you will receive course credit that will apply to your GPA. If you entered Wake Forest in fall 2005 or after, your study abroad grades of a "C" or better will count as transfer credit and do not apply to your GPA. Divisional credit must be approved by the department chair for affiliate programs.

Transfer Hours
You may transfer a maximum of 60 hours to Wake Forest. All attempted courses and earned grades while abroad will appear on your transcript, even if the courses were not approved. Non-approved courses will be designated with an "N" beside the grade.

Receiving Course Credit
Be sure you are taking a full course load according to your abroad institution's standards of preapproved courses. Once you are abroad, if you discover that some of your preapproved courses are not available, see section on Enrolling in Alternate Courses below.

Course Approval for 500-Level
The appropriate department chair must preapprove your study abroad courses. A course approved for 500-level credit will count as an elective in that particular major/minor department unless the department chair notes an exception on your approval form. A written exception is required so the Registrar's Office can make a manual exception on your WIN degree audit. A course awarded 520 credit will not count toward the major/minor; it will only count toward the credits/hours you need to graduate.

ABO 100
While students are abroad with affiliate programs they are registered in the course ABO 100 to verify their full-time student status. This course is worth 12 hours during a semester.

This course will appear on your grade report and on your WIN degree audit. As soon as your transcript is received from the study abroad institution, the ABO 100 course will be removed from your record and your actual courses and credits will be reported. If you have earned the equivalent of 15 Wake Forest hours abroad, your degree audit will be updated at this time.

Communication Requirements
Once you are abroad, contact the Center for International Studies and the Registrar's Office. Send a copy of your course schedule to your study abroad advisor to verify you are taking pre-approved courses.

Set up a forwarding account on your Wake Forest email address or regularly check your Wake Forest email through Mailman if you plan to use a different account. When it is time to register for the next term, you will be notified via your Wake Forest email. Remember to deactivate any forwarding services upon your return to campus.

Enrolling in Alternate Courses
Take a copy of your preapproved courses for reference while abroad. Sometimes a preapproved course is no longer offered when you register abroad. In this case, you may choose an alternate course and email a Study Abroad Advisor to find out if the course has been approved in their database. If so, email the Registrar's Office to have this approval added to your form.

If not, contact David F. Taylor (taylordf@wfu.edu) for an Email Course Approval Form (ECAF). Complete and send the form to the appropriate department chair, the Center for International Studies and the Registrar. Include a copy of the course description and syllabus, if possible.

Once the department chair has evaluated the course he/she will notify you, the Center for International Studies and the Registrar. The form will be kept in your file in both offices. Print and save a copy of the form for your own records.

Course Overloading
If you want to take more than the equivalent of 17 hours/semester while abroad, you must have permission from the Dean of Students before you leave campus. The Registrar's Office can only award a maximum of 17 hours without permission.

Registering for Next Semester
Refer to "Registering for Next Semester" for complete details. If you have any problems or questions concerning registration while abroad, contact Sharon Payne in the Registrar's Office at paynese@wfu.edu.

Declaring a Major while Abroad
You must be classified as a second-semester sophomore to declare a major. Each department has its own policy about declaring a major/minor while abroad. Contact the department?s administrative assistant in your prospective major about the policy. If you are accepted into the course of study, the department should include your name on the list of new majors that is sent to the Assistant Registrar. This allows the department to have access to your record for registration.

Staying Abroad Another Semester
Once you are abroad, if you are considering staying another semester, you must contact the Center for International Studies to discuss your plans.

Transcripts
Some study abroad programs will only send transcripts to home institutions by request; others automatically send a copy once your grades have been processed. Know your program's policy. It is your responsibility to have your transcript sent to the Registrar's Office. Transcripts should be sent to:

Wake Forest University
Registrar's Office
P.O. Box 7207
Winston-Salem NC 27109-7207

Once an official transcript has been received by the Registrar's Office, your Wake Forest record will be updated and you will be notified via email to check your records. The email will also list any courses that were not pre-approved and provide instructions for seeking a post approval.

If you have not heard from the Registrar's Office, chances are your transcript has not arrived. Contact the Registrar?s Office if you have questions. If your transcript has not arrived within three (3) months after your return, contact your study abroad program and specifically request your transcript.