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STUDY ABROAD WEEK

UChicago College students who have committed to studying abroad during the 2025–2026 academic year are invited to participate in our 2nd annual Study Abroad Week (April 14–17, 2025). Learn more and register for events

Direct Enrollment Credit Guide

The College’s Study Abroad Office offers students two dozen opportunities to enroll directly in foreign universities with which the College has established an academic partnership. These strategic partnerships reflect academic breadth, depth, and diverse intellectual perspectives. Most credits earned through direct enrollment programs will count toward students’ graduation requirements, though this is not a guarantee and credits can count in different ways.

Direct Enrollment Requirements

  • Students are required to carry a full-time course load of minimum equivalence to three Chicago credits per term. At some institutions, the number of courses that constitute a full-time course load may be different than at Chicago due to differences in academic calendar or course weighting, in which case students should follow local regulations and consult with Study Abroad about equivalencies.
  • Students are prohibited from being concurrently enrolled in courses at Chicago while abroad.
  • The rules for registering, add/drop, and withdrawal from a course abroad are subject to the policies of the host university and at their sole discretion. The host institution is under no obligation to provide exceptions to their course procedure rules during a term abroad.
  • Students are expected to complete all assigned work and exams before leaving the study abroad site at the end of their term abroad.
  • Students are required to remain at their host university for the full length of their program dates, from the start of orientation until the end of scheduled examinations. Should they depart from their program abroad before the completion of scheduled instruction and examinations, either by way of a formal withdraw from the program or a self-arranged early departure, there is no guarantee they will receive credit for their term abroad and/or their grades may be negatively impacted.
  • Some selected universities abroad require participants to attend the program for a full academic year. If students apply and are admitted to one of these programs, they may not leave the program after the first term. Credits and grades will be awarded only to students who complete the full academic year. Any student who leaves a full-year program early continues to be liable for all costs associated with the program.

Direct Enrollment Credit Use Towards Chicago Degree

Direct enrollment credit should be evaluated by both Study Abroad and an academic adviser in the College. If approved, direct enrollment credit is listed on the students’ University of Chicago transcript along with the number of approved credits. Grades earned in direct enrollment programs do appear on your University of Chicago transcript but the grades do not count toward your University of Chicago GPA. Because grades do not factor into your GPA, you will not be eligible for the Dean’s List for the quarter(s) you participate in a direct enrollment program.

Approved direct enrollment credits count toward the total number of course credits that College students are required to complete for a bachelor’s degree. As you are planning for study abroad, keep in mind that more than half of your major or minor requirements must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers, which direct enrollment credits do not. Certain academic departments place further limitations on the number of direct enrollment credits they will allow you to count toward your major or minor, so check in with your academic department(s) about their requirements early on.

In most cases, courses that are approved as direct enrollment credits initially count as general elective credits. In addition to following this guide, be sure to check in regularly throughout the process with Study Abroad and your academic adviser to discuss what courses could meet these approval requirements. Students can then petition to have approved credits count specifically toward major, minor, or Core requirements. For major or minor credits, students should petition the Undergraduate Chair of their academic department directly. For Core credits, students should petition the Office of the Dean of Students in the College.

In this section you will find:

  • Recommended steps for managing course credits before, during, and after direct enrollment
  • Guidelines for which credits may or may not be accepted by the College from direct enrollment study abroad programs
  • Information about the petition process(es) required in order to articulate direct enrollment credits toward your academic plan
  • Information for Economics Majors