LSA students receive Michigan in-residence—not transfer—credit for participating in CGIS programs. Credits appear on your academic record and are applicable toward your U-M degree. Non-LSA students should contact their home school or college concerning the applicability of LSA courses and Michigan in-residence credits.
At the end of your global study program, the overseas office or on-site staff send a record of your courses, credits, and grades to CGIS. We work with the registrar’s office to add these to your U-M transcript. Courses are listed on your U-M transcript with the CGIS program's STDABRD (Study Abroad) title and number followed by the individual course titles, credits, and grades as they correspond to the courses you completed abroad. Credit hours and grades are converted whenever the grading/credit system from the abroad institution differs from U-M's. Grades are calculated into your overall GPA.
Because LSA students earn in-residence credit, you may be eligible to fulfill distribution or concentration requirements abroad. Courses do not automatically fulfill distribution or concentration requirements. You should communicate with advisors to see which courses may fit into your program of study and to seek pre-approval for distribution or concentration requirement credit.
Depending on the program, it may take several weeks or months for student grades to appear on your U-M transcript. This may delay the issuing of your diploma.
CGIS is required to record and report all grades and courses taken abroad as posted on official transcripts and cannot delete or remove courses posted on your official transcript. You should respect local academic practices and understand that most university systems outside the US do not allow students to contest grades. Consult the on-site staff if you have questions about local grading procedures.
Learn more about the credit approval process:
Pass/Fail Option
If you plan to take a class pass/fail, you must submit a Pass/Fail Form to your CGIS advisor (found in the document center on MCompass prior to the program start date). CGIS follows the Newnan Academic Advising Center's Pass/Fail Policy:
Effective Fall 2021: You have until the last day of class the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer terms to decide whether you want to record a class as Pass/Fail. After the last day of class has passed, you cannot change from Graded to Pass/Fail. Please consult an advisor if you need help thinking through this decision.
For more information on the Pass/Fail option, LSA students should consult the Newnan Advising Center's website.
For CGIS students, since the beginning of on-site classes often does not coincide with the start of classes in Ann Arbor, the on-site academic calendar will be used.
Classes graded pass/fail may not be included in a major or minor, although they can be used to satisfy an LSA student's distribution requirements. LSA students must achieve a grade of C- or better to receive a pass. If LSA students have any questions about the pass/fail option, they should consult with an academic advisor before departure. Some CGIS programs may not be taken Pass/Fail.
Credit Load
All students on a semester-long CGIS program must carry a full-time course load, which means between 12 and 18 credits during Fall or Winter semester. Half-term spring or summer programs normally award between 3 and 10 credits. Some programs specify a required course load, others do not. Under no circumstances should you earn fewer than 12 credits per full term or fewer than 3 in a spring or summer half term. Consult your program-specific materials to determine the appropriate number of credits and course load for your program.
In some cases you may petition to take more than 18 credits per term. You must have permission of both your host institution and CGIS to do this. Be aware that U-M will charge additional tuition for each credit hour over 18 (over 9 for spring and summer half terms) even if you have permission to take more classes. For details on tuition fees, refer to the Office of the Registrar tuition information.
At certain program sites and with the permission of the on-site director, you may audit courses over 18 credits, but all LSA rules apply. For example, as an auditor, LSA requires that you complete all coursework including tests and exams. Official audits (visitor status) do not earn credits or honor points. If you elect to audit a course, this is recorded on your U-M transcript, and you will be charged for credits over the normal credit limit.
Exceptions on Academic Transcripts
Students may not be awarded credit on their U-M transcript for participating in sports or other athletic activity abroad, even in cases where the local program or university awards credit. If you believe your athletics course contains substantial cultural and/or academic content, please contact your CGIS advisor.
Courses which focus solely on food and/or wine tasting are unlikely to be awarded credit. Contact your CGIS advisor if you are on such a course and wish to bring it back for U-M credit. There may be other exceptions for which U-M will not accept credit when the university does not offer such classes – when in doubt, please contact your CGIS advisor.
Non-LSA Students
Non-LSA students should consult advisors within their home school or college about the type of credit they will receive and whether it fulfills college requirements.
