Academic Policies
Off-Campus Study Admission Criteria
All students who intend to study off-campus, whether on a Rhodes program or a Non-Rhodes program, must complete an Off-Campus Study Application.
To Create Your Application:
1. Locate your proposed program in this Online Portal (Use the "Find" link on the main page to get to your program's Off-Campus Study Application)
2. Once you're on your program's page within this Online Portal, click "Apply Now"
3. Go to your Applicant home page and click your program application link
4. Complete the checklist items for your application
Rhodes Programs
Applications for Rhodes summer programs are reviewed on a rolling basis. As soon as an application is complete, it is reviewed. Admission decisions are usually made within two weeks of a submitted, completed application. Some programs fill quickly, prior to the stated deadlines. Therefore, it is important to apply as early as possible.
The Buckman Center for International Education at Rhodes College welcomes applications for its programs from students who possess a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 (unless specified higher than 2.50) and are in good social standing. Some Rhodes programs have additional language requirements or other prerequisites.
Applicants are reviewed on the basis of their complete academic record, timely submission of required documents, and disciplinary history. Applicants who have been denied based on one or more of these factors may request a review of the decision by submitting a letter of appeal to the Director of International Programs within 5 business days of the decision. Applicants who have been denied based on an insufficient grade point average MUST also submit a letter of support for participation on the program by the Rhodes faculty member leading the program.
All admissions are conditional based on continued good academic and social standing.
Non-Rhodes Programs
Non-Rhodes programs set their own admission requirements and may differ from those of Rhodes College. You are responsible for submitting two applications: the Off-Campus Study Application and the one required by your program provider.
Academic Credit
Students must consult with their academic advisor(s) to ensure that their proposed courses will enable them to make normal progress toward completion of major and degree requirements in a timely fashion. Seniors wishing to study off -campus must request a waiver of the Senior Year Residency Policy using the "Petition for Variance from Academic Regulations" form, which can be obtained online from the Rhodes Express Downloadable Forms Section.
Credit earned through Rhodes' faculty-led summer programs/Maymesters is Rhodes credit. Credit earned through non-Rhodes programs, including exchange programs, is transfer credit. Courses for transfer credit must be passed with a minimum grade of “C-” to be eligible for transfer credit.
A student cannot earn more credit while on a full-year study program than could have been earned in a regular academic year at Rhodes. In other words, the most a student can earn for an academic year program is 38 credits, or 19 credits per semester.
Rhodes students who study abroad on an Affiliated Program will normally satisfy the F11 requirement, unless the program has been noted by the Center’s Director as particularly unsuitable for this purpose. In addition, students may, through appropriate course work, satisfy up to two additional Foundation requirements while abroad (or up to three additional Foundation requirements for a year-long-program). The Director of International Programs will recommend to the Foundations Curriculum Committee, in consultation with the Registrar and relevant faculty members as necessary, the appropriateness of the course(s) taken abroad for Foundational credit. This recommendation will be done in accordance with any guidelines from the Educational Program Committee.
Credit for courses taken off campus will only be transferred once an official transcript for the work completed has been received by the Rhodes College Registrar and approval for all courses has been given by relevant Rhodes College officials as noted above.
Number of Credits to be Earned
No strict correlation exists between contact hours in courses taken off -campus and credits awarded by Rhodes. The College does not award more credit for a program than that awarded by the host institution, as determined by the host’s official transcript. If the host program’s transcript does not translate easily to “American” credit (e.g. credits, quarter hours, semester hours, units) or provide a conversion scale, or if the host institution’s academic calendar differs significantly from the Rhodes semester calendar, the following statement can act as a general principle:
A student who has submitted a complete Off-Campus Study Application and who is pursuing a fully approved, full-time program of coursework on study abroad for a period roughly equivalent to Rhodes’ fall or spring semester will usually receive a full semester of academic credit from Rhodes upon the successful completion of all coursework. Success completion is defined as earning a grade equivalent to “C-” or better in each course.
*Specifics for host institutions using the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS):
The ECTS system has been developed as a part of the intra-European exchange system to allow European students to transfer credits taken in another European country to their home university. Many transcripts from European member institutions will now list ECTS grades and credits in addition to local grades and credits. ECTS grades rank students on a statistical basis in comparison with other students with passing grades. Because of this, ECTS grades may occasionally be lower than the actual grade “earned.” Unlike the US credit system, which measures classroom hours for credit, the ECTS takes into account the total student workload per class or degree program. European students are usually expected to earn 30 ECTS credits per semester and 60 ECTS credits per academic year.
The standard formula of converting ECTS credits to US credits is a 2:1 ratio. Thus, 1 ECTS credit could be considered equivalent to 0.5 US semester credit hours or 26–28 hours of effective work (total classroom contact hours plus time spent outside of class on course assignments and study).
For programs in which course work will be recorded in ECTS credits, we strongly recommend that students enroll in, at minimum, what is considered a full load of pre-approved credits at the host institution in order to transfer a full load back to Rhodes. In most European universities, a full load is 24-30 ECTS for a semester.
Course Approvals
Students who earn transfer credit while enrolled in a non-Rhodes program off-campus may have that credit applied to their major and/or minor requirements, foundation requirements, or may be given elective credit. If major, minor, and/or elective requirements are to be met with courses taken off -campus, students must receive approval of that coursework from the appropriate department or program chairs in consultation with the faculty advisers. Such approval is granted only through the signature of that department or program chair on the student’s Off-Campus Study Application. Foundation requirement credit will be approved by the Foundations Curriculum Committee. In most cases, this approval notice will come from the Buckman Center for International Education.
To be accepted for credit, each course must be judged comparable in terms of content and quality to a course in the curriculum at Rhodes or it must be judged to be consistent with the liberal arts and science curriculum and of a quality comparable to that expected of courses at Rhodes. Students must maintain a full-time load of academic coursework comparable to that at Rhodes in level, nature, and field, applicable to a Rhodes degree program. Course approvals must be secured prior to taking the course(s) so that the student is clear on the transferability of all courses and credits. Course approval forms submitted after the stated deadlines will incur a $200 late fee.
Should a student’s course selection change for any reason after the course approval for is turned in, substituted courses are not transferable unless approved by an appropriate department or program chair. Such approval must be sought immediately (email); copies of any such correspondence should also be directed to the Director of the Buckman Center for International Education. Credit will not be transferred for any course for which a student has not obtained pre-approval.
Registration for Semester of Return
Registration for the semester of return is completed via the web during the usual registration period on campus. Notification and instructions are sent to students electronically. For those students with little or no e-mail access, contact information MUST be provided in order to participate in the registration process.