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IMPORTANT!

If you are applying to a 2025–26 Civilizations, September, or British/Irish direct enrollment program, please only open ONE application, to your first-choice program within these groupings, in Via TRM. You will have the ability to rank alternate choices within. Explore programs

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 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