Non-GW Summer Abroad

Summer is an exciting time of the year to study abroad! We understand some students may be constrained by their academics of extracurriculars and not able to participate in a full semester or year-long programs. GW offers students lots of options to consider!

In addition to the GW Short-Term Abroad programs (STAPs) offered in the summer, GW undergraduate students may choose to study abroad in the summer on other programs so long as they follow the process as detailed below. Unlike study abroad during the semesters of the academic year, GW does not administer any study abroad programs, outside of the Short-term abroad programs which are GW faculty-led, and does not keep a list of approved study abroad program options for the summer term. Rather, students may choose to study abroad on any accredited program. Approval to participate and receive transfer credit will be evaluated on a case by case basis proceeding the successful completion of a Non-GW Summer Abroad application prior to departure in GW Passport.  To further clarify, an accredited program is one which has official recognition from the country’s Ministry of Education.  Language institutes are not considered accredited institutions.

If you are interested in studying abroad in summer for credit, please follow the process as detailed below. If you do not follow this process and fail to take these necessary steps to receive our office's approval, we will not be able to transfer your credit from your summer abroad. It is important to note that since we do not have any pre-approved summer abroad programs (aside from faculty-led options), every program option is a program proposal and must be reviewed by the Office for Study Abroad prior to departure. Program proposals that are not approved, or programs that lack prior approval by our the Office for Study Abroad before departure, will not be affiliated with GW in any way, which, among other things, means you will not be able to receive any credit from GW for your time abroad. 

*Please note: If you are a graduate student looking to study abroad in the summer on a non-GW program, please contact your school or department for instructions and further guidelines*

Process to Follow for Participating in Non-GW Summer Abroad & Receiving GW Credit

Step 1: Conduct individual research on summer program options abroad that are of interest to you and select a program 

Step 2: Open a Non-GW Summer Abroad application in GW Passport (link to application page found below) - applications will open annually for the proceeding summer on December 15 and will close on April 15. 

Step 3: Apply to your program directly and follow their deadlines, as well (Note: you are still not yet approved by our office at this stage but it is recommended to do the two applications simultaneously)

Step 4: Complete your GW Passport application in its entirety (ensure all boxes are checked off and all info is inputted) by the April 15 deadline 

Step 5: If your application is completed prior to the deadline, and you are eligible (see eligibility requirements below), your application will be reviewed by our office. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and you should receive a verdict roughly 2-3 weeks after completion. Those who are approved will receive a status update to "Approved Forms Incomplete", those who are not will be updated to "Not Approved". We are mainly vetting programs for accreditation and health and safety of the country and the program, and ensuring you are not exceeding any credit restrictions

Step 6: If you are in the "Approved Forms Incomplete" stage, complete the remainder of your GW Passport application (new modules have become available with the status update) to confirm your participation. If your application was not approved, please know you may still attend the program if you so chose but it is not affiliated with GW in any way and you will not receive credit for the experience upon your return.

Step 7: From this point on, these steps only apply to those who were updated to "Approved Forms Incomplete". Commit to your program in GW Passport. You should be committing to your program directly, as well. 

Step 8: Arrange with your program to have your official transcript be sent to our office at the completion of your program. We will only accept official transcripts from the institutions directly. 

Step 9: Complete your course approvals in GW CATS. You will need to submit all courses you took abroad for approval by individual GW departments via GW CATS. In the form for submitting the request, you can indicate your Program Name as "Non-GW Summer Abroad". Please note when planning your courses for the summer: the policy for Non-GW Summer allows for a maximum of 9 credits to be transferred back to GW cumulatively throughout your entire GW career. This means if you have participated in a summer program in a previous summer, you may not able to transfer any additional credits back if you have already received 9 credits total or you may have less than 9 credits left available to you to transfer back. If you take more than 9 credits, we cannot accept the additional credits and you will be asked to decline the excess credits to stay within the 9 limit. **Please also note: Course approvals are not approval of participation/credit transfer, they are simply approving that a certain course abroad equates to a certain course at GW. 

Step 10: Enjoy your time abroad and make sure to pass your classes with a US grade C or above in order for credit to transfer. Please note: You do not pay GW for Non-GW Summer programs, you will be responsible for paying the program directly. This also means you may not be able to receive GW financial aid for this program. 

*Please note: We do not allow retroactive applications made after you have already completed the program. If you have failed to follow the steps above prior to departure, we are unable to transfer your credits from abroad.

Transfer Credit Policy for Non-GW Summer

Eligibility Requirements for Non-GW Summer

In order to be eligible to study abroad and transfer credit as part of a Non-GW Summer Abroad programs, students must meet the following criteria:

1) Students must have obtained at least 24 credits prior to departure 

2) Students must be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.0 cumultatively

3) Students must be in good judicial standing with no probationary action taken against them 

*Please note: Eligibility will be verified as part of your GW Passport application and those who are not Eligible will receive a status of "Ineligible" and do not have our Office's approval to participate on the program and are therefore unable to transfer the credits back to GW.

Non-GW Summer and Winter Applications

Apply for Non-GW Summer Abroad

Apply for Non-GW Winter Abroad

Recommended Options for Non-GW Summer/Winter

Many of our provider partners and exchange partners offer study abroad options for the summer. This would be a good place to begin your research as we already have familiarity with these providers or schools and have already done most of the initial vetting.