Academic Policies
This is a condensed version of the Study Abroad Student Contract (see pages 28-31 of the 2023-2024 Study Abroad Manual) that is signed in your online Holy Cross Study Abroad application. Some items or requirements may be mentioned in other sections of the Study Abroad Manual.
1) You MUST arrive on the date specified by your program.
2) Academic credit is earned only upon successful completion of the ENTIRE study abroad program period. Full-year students who withdraw will not receive ANY credit and forfeit ALL tuition and fees for the ENTIRE academic year. The ENTIRE study abroad program includes taking final exams at the host institution at the regularly scheduled time. DO NOT request permission to write a paper instead of taking the exam. DO NOT request permission to 1) take the test earlier than the posted schedule and/or 2) have the exam proctored at Holy Cross at another time.
3) All courses taken overseas must be approved. Detailed descriptions of all courses must be sent as soon as possible after your arrival and registration to the Registrar’s Office via the online course approval form available through STAR. Refer to the instructions on pages 10-11 of the Study Abroad Manual.
4) Courses taken overseas may not be duplicates of courses already taken at Holy Cross.
Note: Courses must be liberal arts courses; you will not receive Holy Cross credit for online courses (including blackboard), or courses in business, marketing, or law.
5) You cannot make up a course deficiency while abroad.
6) Withdrawing from a course (see Registrar’s Guide to Study Abroad on page 11 of the Study Abroad Manual under “Thinking of Dropping a Course?”):
8) All grades earned are entered on your Holy Cross transcript but are NOT included in your GPA. The Independent Cultural Immersion Project does not count toward graduation, but appears on your transcript.
9) Please be sure to inform each and every relevant department of your study abroad plans to see if you should complete any tasks BEFORE your departure.
10) You are responsible for arranging the approval of courses taken abroad for major/minor credits.
11) With few exceptions (some second-language universities), you are required to take a full load of courses at your host university. Credits for pre-university courses will not be counted towards the full load.
12) While abroad, you are expected to continue to live by the same code of conduct, both personal and academic, as that of resident students at Holy Cross and/or in the country of your program.
1) You MUST arrive on the date specified by your program.
2) Academic credit is earned only upon successful completion of the ENTIRE study abroad program period. Full-year students who withdraw will not receive ANY credit and forfeit ALL tuition and fees for the ENTIRE academic year. The ENTIRE study abroad program includes taking final exams at the host institution at the regularly scheduled time. DO NOT request permission to write a paper instead of taking the exam. DO NOT request permission to 1) take the test earlier than the posted schedule and/or 2) have the exam proctored at Holy Cross at another time.
3) All courses taken overseas must be approved. Detailed descriptions of all courses must be sent as soon as possible after your arrival and registration to the Registrar’s Office via the online course approval form available through STAR. Refer to the instructions on pages 10-11 of the Study Abroad Manual.
4) Courses taken overseas may not be duplicates of courses already taken at Holy Cross.
Note: Courses must be liberal arts courses; you will not receive Holy Cross credit for online courses (including blackboard), or courses in business, marketing, or law.
5) You cannot make up a course deficiency while abroad.
6) Withdrawing from a course (see Registrar’s Guide to Study Abroad on page 11 of the Study Abroad Manual under “Thinking of Dropping a Course?”):
a) If for any reason, you are considering dropping a course while abroad, please let the Office of Study Abroad know within 10 weeks of the start of classes. You must discuss the matter also with the Registrar’s Office and with your Class Dean, no later than 10 weeks after the start of classes at your host institution.
b) Please be aware that if you stop attending classes or do not take the final exam for a course or courses without having spoken to all 3 advisors highlighted above, you will receive the letter-grade equivalent of the grade given to you for the course(s) at your host institution, which may be an “F”. If you are studying in Spain and receive a grade of “no presentado” (meaning you did not take the final exam for the course) without following the procedure noted on the Registrar’s Guide for dropping a course, you will receive an “F” on your Holy Cross transcript for that course(s).
7) You are responsible for authorizing the release of your transcript upon completion of your program.8) All grades earned are entered on your Holy Cross transcript but are NOT included in your GPA. The Independent Cultural Immersion Project does not count toward graduation, but appears on your transcript.
9) Please be sure to inform each and every relevant department of your study abroad plans to see if you should complete any tasks BEFORE your departure.
10) You are responsible for arranging the approval of courses taken abroad for major/minor credits.
11) With few exceptions (some second-language universities), you are required to take a full load of courses at your host university. Credits for pre-university courses will not be counted towards the full load.
12) While abroad, you are expected to continue to live by the same code of conduct, both personal and academic, as that of resident students at Holy Cross and/or in the country of your program.