Credit Transfer, Grades and Transcripts
SAF programs are designed to be an integral part of students' undergraduate
degree programs. SAF member universities agree to transfer credit
from another member university. Circumstances vary between universities and
between colleges, faculties and schools. SAF works closely with students
and their home universities to ensure that whenever possible the credit earned
abroad receives appropriate transfer credit from the home university.
SAF facilitates a smooth credit transfer process in the following way:
- The prospective study abroad student consults with SAF staff to
determine which host universities offer appropriate coursework to meet the
student’s academic interests and needs.
- The SAF website provides direct links to each host university’s on-line
course catalogue providing course titles and more specific course descriptions
that allow the student, their academic advisor, and faculty to review more
fully each course the student proposes to undertake while abroad.
- SAF staff fully explain the registration policies and procedures for each
SAF host university or college. In many cases, SAF students are able to
register for courses well before their study abroad experience begins. At
other institutions, registration can only be competed upon arrival at the host
university campus.
- To ensure a smooth credit transfer process, SAF encourages students to
become familiar with their home university’s transfer credit policies and
procedures. SAF Application for Admission provides the opportunity for a home
university official to outline specific policies and procedures at the time the
student makes application to the SAF. The SAF advisors based in Country
Offices are usually familiar with member universities' credit
transfer policies and procedures and are more than willing to speak with a
students home university to help clarify their transfer credit practices.
- In all cases, SAF works closely with students, their home university, and
the host university throughout the registration process to ensure that all
parties are fully apprised on course availability and/or enrollment
constraints.
- At the completion of the SAF program, original, official host university
transcripts are forwarded by SAF to the appropriate official at the students
home university.
- SAF students are advised to keep copies of all course materials they
receive or submit while abroad (e.g., syllabi, notes, exams, quizzes, papers,
etc.) as this information may be required to finalize the transfer credit
process.
Students are advised of the following with regard to credit transfer:
- Students must first visit the international education or registrars office
at their home university and request the rules and regulations regarding
credit transfer. Credit transfer policies and procedures are unique to
each university.
- Students who begin their studies abroad in a language program need to
verify whether their home university will provide any transfer credit for their
language studies. A few SAF host universities award credit for their
language courses, but this will not necessarily mean the home university will
recognize such credit as applying toward the student’s degree completion
requirements.
- Some home universities will require students to pay a fee for transferring
the credit earned abroad to their degree completion requirements at home.
Before participating on a SAF program, students should ensure they and their
parents understand the financial considerations for transfer credit. The
SAF will not be responsible for any fees charged by the home university to
transfer credit back to students home university.
Credits
All SAF program participants are required to maintain a full-time course load
throughout their studies abroad. This is a requirement of SAF and of the
host governments' immigration services. What constitutes a full-time
course load varies by country and often by university. The information
below is representative of full-time course loads at the majority of SAF host
universities. Detailed information regarding each student's specific
host university requirements will be supplied during our initial advising and
pre-registration process.
Required
Required
Counry
Credits/Semester Credits/Academic Year
USA
12-16
24-32
Canada 9-12 18-24
England
60 120
Scotland
60
120
Ireland
15-16 30-32
Australia
8 16
New
Zealand
30
60
Students enrolled in pre-semester or pre-sessional ESL programs must similarly
maintain a full-time course load which is typically determined by the number of
classroom hours per week. SAF students should expect the full-time course
load in their ESL program to be a minimum of 18 hours per week.
Grades
While credits reflect the "quantity" of students work, grades represent the
"quality". The grading scales used by SAF host universities vary by
country and often by university. Increasingly in the UK and Ireland, the
ECTS Grading Scale is the norm while in the US most grades are issued on a
scale of A to F. SAF students will be provided with their host
university's grading scale during their pre-departure orientation. SAF
students are not permitted to take courses pass/fail or credit/no credit.
The methods that SAF host universities use to assess the quality of students
work is as varied as the grading scales. US universities typically rely
upon a high degree of continual assessment with a students final grades
being determined by cumulative achievement on a variety assignments given
throughout the semester (i.e., essays, quizzes, tests, research papers,
etc.). In Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, students final
grades are often more heavily dependent upon performance on a final
examination.
Transcripts
At the conclusion of the study abroad program, SAF will send an official host
university transcript to each student's home university. Final
transcripts are typically released to SAF within a month of the program
completion date, unless the student has outstanding debts. Students
that disagree with a particular grade or credit award on their transcript are
encouraged to contact SAF immediately and request a transcript
query.
Students that require subsequent official copies of their study abroad
transcript must contact their host university's registrar office
directly. There typically is a nominal fee to receive additional
transcripts.
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