Study Abroad – Outgoing - Study Abroad Transfer Credit
With proper planning, study abroad should not interfere with your time to graduate. It is important to work closely with your academic advisor and Study Abroad Advisor to determine which courses to take abroad, how the courses will transfer to UMaine, and how they will fit with your degree progress towards graduation. Be aware that:
- Grades earned abroad are listed on theUMaine transcript but are not computed in the G.P.A.
- A grade of C- or better is required for undergraduate credits to transfer.
- A grade of B is required for graduate credits to transfer.
On this page:
- Course Pre-approval and Registration
- Instructions for students
- International Study Away Registration Form
- Categories of Study Abroad Courses
- Study Abroad Course Equivalency Search
- USAC course equivalencies
Course Pre-approval and Registration
When preparing to study abroad, students need to go through two parallel processes, which are independent of each other:
UMaine: Students will complete the International Study Away Registration Form (see instructions below) during the pre-departure process. This form is crucial in determining transfer credits and confirming financial aid as applicable at UMaine. This form is an internal UMaine form and is not sent to the partner university or to the recommended program.
Host Institution: Register for classes at the direct exchange university or through the recommended program. This process may happen during the application process or right before departure. The Study Abroad Advisor’s signature is usually required.
1. Make an appointment with your academic advisor to review which courses in your major you will need to take during the period abroad. Find out how many credits of free electives you may take and what general education requirements you still need to fulfil.
2. When selecting the program and institution abroad, pay attention to the academic calendar; for example, in Australia, Semester 1 is in our spring, while Semester 2 is in the fall.
3. Complete the International Study Away Registration form and register for classes at the host institution. It is critical that you follow the order of signatures required on the form: (1) Study Abroad Advisor, (2) Academic Advisor, (3) Dean of College and (4) Office of Financial Aid.
International Study Away Registration form
1. Complete the Student Section of the form, list all possible classes to be taken abroad, and attach course descriptions for any course where an exact course equivalency is desired.
2. The Study Abroad Advisor reviews courses, assigns UMaine credit equivalencies, and signs the form to indicate approval of program.
3. The student meets with the Academic Advisor to review course selections. Academic advisor signs form indicating approval of any equivalencies in the major.
4. The Dean of the College reviews and signs the form indicating approval of the student’s proposed course of study.
5. The student meets with a Financial Aid Advisor to discuss process for transfer of financial aid to approved study abroad program. The Financial Aid Advisor signs form.
6. The student submits the completed form to the Office of International Programs (OIP) in Winslow Hall, room 100.
7. The Office of International Programs keeps the original form and forwards a copy of the completed form to the College and the Office of Financial Aid.
Categories of Study Abroad Courses
Exact Equivalency: Credits for a specific UMaine course are recommended only when it is clear from the course description provided that the content of the study abroad course is equivalent to a course taught at UMaine. Study abroad courses that appear with a course code and name found in the Undergraduate Catalog are courses for which you will be granted exact credit. For example, ”POS 102 Introduction to International Relations” at the American University in Bulgaria will be pre-approved as “POS 273 International Relations” on the International Study Away Registration form.
Same Subject Elective: Study abroad courses for which UMaine has a comparable subject area, but not an exact course equivalent will appear as ”POS 200X Political Science Elective”. For example, if a course in Costa Rica titled “POS 300 Politics of Latin America” is pre-approved on the International Study Away Registration form as “POS 300X Political Science Elective”, it indicates that the subject area was Political Science, the “300″ means that it is a 300-level course at UMaine, and the “X” designates it as an elective.
General Elective: Study abroad courses for which the University of Maine does not offer courses in the specific subject area are listed as “GEL 200X General Elective”.
Study Abroad Transfer Course Equivalency Search
The Office of International Programs has posted in MaineStreet the transfer course equivalencies for some institutions abroad.
Note: No login is required to use Transfer Course Equivalencies in MaineStreet.
- Go to mainestreet.maine.edu
- Select Transfer Course Equivalencies
- Maximize browser window for best display.
- Select Transfer courses or test credit to the Univ. of Maine System.
- Select University of Maine at Orono.
- From the A-Z list, select the first letter of the name of your institution. Please be aware that the names of some universities have been abbreviated.
- Select your school from the list.
- Select Show all Subjects or select a subject.
- Minimize the Menu on left for best display.
Your institution’s courses are listed on the left. UM’s course equivalent is in the column labeled Target Course. If the transfer course satisfies one or more General Education requirements, this information will display in the column to the right.
The Transfer Equivalency Search database displays the course equivalencies but not the credit hours. Credit hour equivalency will be listed in the International Study Away Registration form. Students going on direct exchange programs can find credit equivalency information in the Study Abroad Programs section of this website.