The College faculty, in concert with the Office of International Programs and academic advising in the College, closely monitor the academic quality of the programs in which Penn students enroll. Therefore, students are required to meet with a College study abroad advisor and their major department to discuss their choice of program and the courses they wish to take abroad, to ensure that they will receive credit upon their return.
Study Abroad Course Approval
Students applying to study abroad are required to meet with the College study abroad advisor who oversees the relevant abroad programs in order to discuss course choice during the application process. After consulting the course offerings in the program abroad from the current academic year, students should have an idea of preferred course selections before meeting with the College study abroad advisor.
Individual academic departments at Penn are solely responsible for determining exactly which courses taken abroad will receive credit in particular disciplines and whether the courses fulfill major or other requirements. Students submit requests for approval and departments make determinations through the online XCAT (External Course Approval Tool).
In some cases, the department may impose additional requirements for credit to be granted, or the department may wish to evaluate credits upon the student's return from study abroad. Students should be aware that it is difficult to fulfill general requirements with courses from abroad. Whether pursuing free electives or course work for the major, students would be well advised to consult with the College study abroad advisor for their area, submit electronic syllabi through XCAT and bring back all papers, exams, bibliographies and syllabi from abroad.
Students from all 4 undergraduate schools should request approval for College courses through the XCAT. When requesting credit from Nursing, Engineering, and Wharton, please consult the study abroad academic advisor in the appropriate school.
