Credits for Exchanges

The University of Washington has agreed to award credits to UW students for coursework completed on this exchange. It is mandatory that students complete all required academic work for each course and submit a transcript to the IPE office to receive credits upon their return.

Although credit is guaranteed, the type of UW credit awarded is not determined until after the exchange has ended and the appropriate UW department has evaluated the coursework completed abroad.  You should retain course syllabi and coursework to help facilitate the transfer of credits upon your return.

Depending on your exchange, you may pre-select some of your courses before departure, but at many foreign institutions you will not formally register for courses until your arrival in the host country. Even so, it is advisable that students communicate with their regular UW academic advisers before and during the exchange to determine the courses best suited for credit in their degree programs.

All grades for courses completed abroad are reported on the host university's transcript and converted to the student's UW transcript regardless of the final mark or need for credit, using appropriate country/university-specific grade conversion scales.

In general, undergraduate students earn the equivalent of 20-24 UW credits/semester, 36-45 UW credits/academic year for coursework completed on this exchange.

You are required to be a full-time student at the host institution.

IPE Credit Conversion Process for Programs/Exchanges 

Before you return to the UW, you should request that a transcript be sent from the foreign institution/program to the IPE Office.  (You may also bring in a sealed copy of the transcript if you have one in your possession).  Once the transcript has arrived, our office will prepare a Credit Evaluation Form, providing a preliminary evaluation of the number of credits and grades for each course, using country/university-specific grading scales.  We will send you an email once this form is ready to pick up, usually within 2 weeks from the transcript arrival date.

You will then take the Credit Evaluation Form, along with course syllabi and coursework completed while abroad, to the appropriate UW departments to have UW equivalent courses assigned to each foreign course.  The number of credits is suggested by the IPE Office and is subject to change by the departmental advisor.  Given that you are to be awarded resident credit (not transfer credit), your advisor may not award XX credit (i.e. BIO 2XX). 

Once all courses have been assigned UW course numbers, return the Credit Evaluation Form to the IPE Office and we will transfer the credits to your UW transcript, usually within one week of receipt of the completed form. 

All grades for courses completed abroad will be reported to your UW transcript regardless of the final mark or need for credit.

For purposes related to registration, graduation and Financial Aid, we recommend that this credit conversion process be completed by the end of the quarter following your study abroad experience.  You are unable to graduate with FSTDY 300 on your transcript.