ACADEMIC REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES

ENTERING ST. OLAF

PRE-COLLEGE CREDITS APPLIED TO ST. OLAF COLLEGE

Pre-college credit includes:

PSEO (Post-Secondary Education Option): Courses taken by high school students that are taught on the campus of a regionally accredited college or university under the instruction of a university faculty member.

CIS (College in the Schools): Courses taken by high school students that are offered in conjunction with a university but are most often taught by a high school teacher at the high school. In some cases, these courses may make use of distance education methods.

AP (Advanced Placement) Exams: College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) national exams normally taken in conjunction with a high school AP course. See: http://www.stolaf.edu/offices/registrar/apexam.htm

IB (High School International Baccaleaurate) Higher Exams: Exam taken in conjunction with an IB high school curriculum. See: http://www.stolaf.edu/offices/registrar/apexam.htm

General Policy on Pre-College Transfer Credit:

St. Olaf College awards a maximum of 6.00 (six) St. Olaf equivalent credits from among all pre-college (PSEO/CIS/AP/IB) credits presented by matriculating first-year students. The Registrar first awards credit for the AP Exams that qualify. If the six pre-college credits allowed are not fulfilled by AP alone, then the Registrar can award up to a maximum of 4.00 (four) of the 6.00 allowable pre-college credits through approved PSEO/CIS courses. An official transcript, requested by the student and sent directly to the Registrar’s Office from the college or university certifying the credit (PSEO, CIS), or an official report (AP/IB), is required for consideration of awarding St. Olaf credit.

PSEO or CIS courses do not reduce the 24 graded course credit requirement for all degree seeking students.

Pre-college courses may each, when appropriate, count toward only one general education credit except for the MCS-D, MCS-G, or WRI attributes, which may be awarded in conjunction with a second general education attribute . Students may fulfill a maximum of one of the two requirements in HBS, HWC, NST. For students entering in 2007 or before, Advanced Placement credit awarded in biology, chemistry, or physics may satifsy a science requirement (NST), but it does not satisfy the NSL (laboratory science requirement). For students entering in 2008 or later, only one of the two natural science requirements SED and IST may be fulfilled by pre-college credits. A maximum of six (6.00) GE requirements may be fulfilled via pre-college course credits.

Double credit is not given for equivalent PSEO courses and AP credits.

In all cases, final judgment on the awarding of credit is made by the college registrar.

Post-Secondary Education Option (PSEO) / College in the Schools (CIS)

Only PSEO courses taught by a college/university faculty member on the campus ofan accredited college or university under an established post-secondary program, of a liberal arts nature, and of at least 3 semester or 4 quarter credits, and in which the student has received a grade of “C” or higher, are considered for St. Olaf credit.

Only CIS courses that are taught in the high school through an accredited college or university are accepted for credit. The college or university either trains the high school teacher and reviews the program or provides a college instructor for the class. (In many cases coursework is reviewed and graded by a college instructor even if that instructor is not the teacher of record for the class.) CIS courses must appear on the transcript of an accredited college or university under an established post-secondary program, be of a liberal arts nature, and receive at least 3 semester or 4 quarter credits, and the student must receive a grade of “C” or higher, are considered for St. Olaf credit.

No online or distance learning courses will be accepted to fulfill PSEO or CIS.

Advanced Placement (AP)

Department/program policies concerning AP exams are set once each year, in February, for the following academic year’s incoming class and may, therefore, change from year to year. Generally students who receive scores of “4” or “5” from the CEEB Advanced Placement Program receive placement and/or credit according to policies set by the college’s departments and programs. Some departments require a score of “5” on some tests. Departmental/program policies and guidelines for awarding advanced placement credit are available at the registrar’s office and on the registrar’s website at http://www.stolaf.edu/offices/registrar/apexam.htm .

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Upon receipt of official documentation, and with certain departmental restrictions, St. Olaf awards credit only for scores of “5” through “7” on the Higher Level Exams of the High School International Baccalaureate Program. Departmental/program policies and guidelines for awarding international baccalaureate credit are available at the registrar’s office and website at http://www.stolaf.edu/offices/registrar/apexam.htm; questions should be directed to the registrar.

WRITING PLACEMENT TESTS

Almost all first-year students are required to take GE 111: First Year Writing (FYW), with one exception: FYW is awarded to those first-year students who receive a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement English Literature or English Language Exam.

The writing program coordinator administers a writing placement test for first-year students whose SAT verbal and writing scores, ACT English and reading scores, or additional admissions materials indicate that they may benefit from taking English 107 or English 110 before enrolling in FYW. Students required to take the writing placement exam receive a letter from the director of writing upon arrival to campus. The writing placement exam is offered only during Week One. International students take a writing placement test as part of International Student Orientation.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE (policy approved by the faculty April 5, 2007)

New matriculating students are expected to complete their foreign language (FOL) requirement with a course or courses taken at St. Olaf. Students entering with previous training in a foreign language must take the relevant placement test. If they decide to complete the FOL requirement in that language, they must take and pass the necessary course(s) according to the placement test results and the FOL policy for the specific language. Students who place higher than the last course normally required to complete the FOL requirement may be eligible to take a proficiency exam. Please consult individual departments for information about their FOL policies.

New matriculating or new transfer students who have taken college-level foreign language courses at another institution may receive elective credit for those courses, within the maximum number of pre-college credits allowed by St. Olaf, if the courses are deemed appropriate by the registrar. To complete the FOL requirement in that language, such students must take the relevant placement test and follow the procedure described in the preceding paragraph.

If new matriculating students or new transfer students wish to complete their FOL requirement with courses in a language not taught at St. Olaf, the course(s) must comply with college policy for completion of the FOL requirement, as determined by the registrar.

After a student matriculates, under special circumstances, the registrar, in consultation with the appropriate foreign language department, may grant permission to a student to complete the final course for the FOL requirement through summer intensive or semester courses (through a leave of absence) taken at another institution.

Students who enter St. Olaf College with a native language other than English may have their foreign language requirement fulfilled by showing evidence of their native language. These students must prove completion through eighth grade in their native language; or they must provide a high school transcript that shows they completed their high school requirements in their native language; or they may take a St. Olaf College proficiency test.

Foreign Language Placement Tests

The foreign language departments place first-year students and other new students in appropriate language courses on the basis of placement tests or high school preparation. The foreign language placement tests are relatively short, diagnostic tests; they should not be considered exhaustive and do not provide a satisfactory basis for the certification of proficiency or for receiving course credit. Rather they function entirely for placement in St. Olaf language courses.

Foreign Language Proficiency Tests

The foreign language proficiency tests are administered by the various foreign language departments. The foreign language proficiency tests measure proficiency at a level equivalent to the end of the corresponding number 231 or 232 language course. A student who passes the appropriate proficiency test satisfies the St. Olaf foreign language requirement (FOL), but does not receive course credit.

Proficiency reports from persons not known to St. Olaf must be based on documented exposure or training by the student in a foreign language equivalent in length to three or four college semesters or demonstration of a sufficient length of time in a non-English speaking culture to give credence to a proficiency report. As a rule, proficiency reports from persons outside of St. Olaf are not acted upon until the student arranges for a final proficiency exam by persons and methods agreed to by members of the foreign language faculty, the registrar, and, if deemed necessary, the dean of the college. Such exams may involve an expense charged to the student.

TRANSFERRING CREDITS TO ST. OLAF

Policies Governing All Transfer of Credit To St. Olaf College:

Credit for work done at other regionally accredited colleges or universities, if satisfactory in grade and applicable toward a liberal arts degree, is generally allowed to count toward a bachelor’s degree at St. Olaf, with some restrictions; see #6 below. A “regionally accredited college or university” means a liberal arts institution accredited by an approved regional accrediting commission and excludes vocational, technical, business, and on-line/correspondence institutions.

The following are not transferrable as St. Olaf credit: courses that are essentially workshops, camps, summer theater, guides, summer jobs, assistantships, and travel programs; music ensemble participation credits (band, choir, orchestra, etc.); intercollegiate athletic participation; correspondence courses, online, distance learning, internships, and/or independent study courses taken through another regionally accredited college or university. Courses of fewer than four weeks in length (regardless of the number of class contact hours) are not transferable as St. Olaf credit. Students thinking of taking “ Extension School” courses at the University of Minnesota or elsewhere must check with the registrar.

One St. Olaf course credit is equivalent to 4.00 semester or 5.50 quarter credits (hours). A course must meet the normal requirements of a minimum of 36 class contact hours to qualify for St. Olaf credit. If a St. Olaf student has previously taken work on a semester and/or quarter system, semester credits are counted separately from quarter credits and all are converted, using the transfer course scale, to St. Olaf course credits. Once the conversion has been made, the course credits are added together to determine the total number of course credits transferred.

Transfer Course Scale: Semester and Quarter Credits Converted to St. Olaf Courses

0-3 qtr. crs. or 0-2 sem. crs. = 0 St. Olaf course
4-7 qtr. crs. or 3-5 sem. crs. = 1 St. Olaf course
8-12 qtr. crs. or 6-8 sem. crs. = 2 St. Olaf courses
13-18 qtr. crs. or 9-12 sem. crs. = 3 St. Olaf courses
19-23 qtr. crs. or 13-16 sem. crs. = 4 St. Olaf courses
24-29 qtr. crs. or 17-19 sem. crs. = 5 St. Olaf courses
30-34 qtr. crs. or 20-23 sem. crs. = 6 St. Olaf courses
35-40 qtr. crs. or 24-27 sem. crs. = 7 St. Olaf courses
41-45 qtr. crs. or 28-30 sem. crs. = 8 St. Olaf courses
46-50 qtr. crs. or 31-34 sem. crs. = 9 St. Olaf courses

Only courses graded at C or higher at the original institution are given credit for appropriate courses through transfer. The actual grades earned at other institutions are entered on the student’s St. Olaf record but are not considered graded courses that count toward the St. Olaf grade point average. The college does not accept P or S grades from other institutions.

Non-St. Olaf off-campus work during summer school or a term or more of an academic year through another college/university must be evaluated and approved by the registrar in advance. Students must submit a transfer of credit form (available at the registrar’s window or http://www.stolaf.edu/offices/registrar/transfercredit.pdf for pre-approval. The student is given a copy of the approved form as a receipt; the registrar retains the original. An official transcript reflecting the completed course work at the host college/university must be sent by that institution directly to the St. Olaf registrar before credit transfer can be considered. The registrar may also request a photocopy or printed copy of the web pages of the relevant pages of the host college’s catalog and the class schedule, course outlines, or syllabi.

Current students should be aware of restrictions on the number of courses that can be transferred from other institutions. In most cases, after students have matriculated at St. Olaf, they may subsequently transfer a maximum of 4.00 equivalent St. Olaf courses from other colleges or universities to St. Olaf for degree credit; only two (2) general education requirements may be awarded. This applies, as well, to students who take a leave of absence from St. Olaf. A transfer student may be allowed fewer than four equivalent St. Olaf credits, depending upon the total credits initially transferred. The specific number allowed is found on the student’s degree audit.

Course credits earned on St. Olaf off-campus programs or through inter-registration with Carleton College or an approved interim exchange program are excluded from these restrictions.

Transfer courses may reduce a student’s requirements under the 24-graded-course rule under GENERAL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS. Consult the reduced graded course scale under GRADED AND UNGRADED COURSES in this catalog.

Juniors and seniors planning transfer work from other institutions must be aware of the St. Olaf senior residency requirement. New transfer students must complete a minimum of 17.00 credits at St. Olaf or through St. Olaf programs. Current students must enroll full-time both semesters of their senior year or complete 9 of their last 12 credits at St. Olaf.

GE Accreditation: If transfer work is accepted for St. Olaf credit, the Registrar’s Office may authorize GE credit for such work in accordance with the GENERAL EDUCATION ACCREDITATION OF TRANSFER COURSES AND OFF-CAMPUS COURSEWORK (ST. OLAF-APPROVED AND NON-ST. OLAF-APPROVED). New enteringtransfer students receive a written evaluation of credits accepted by St. Olaf from the Office of the Registrar.

At least three semester or four quarter credits (hours) are required for a transfer course to fulfill a particular general education requirement. A course worth fewer than three semester or four quarter credits cannot by itself satisfy a St. Olaf general education requirement or be applied to a major.

The following GE requirements are waived for transferred students under certain circumstances:

The First Year Writing (FYW) requirement is waived for students entering with fifteen (15) or more transfer credits (junior standing).

Writing in Context: One Writing in Context requirement (WRI) is waived for students entering with six to fourteen (6-14) transfer credits (sophomore standing); two Writing in Context requirements (WRI) are waived for students entering with fifteen to eighteen (15-18) transfer credits (junior standing).

The Biblical Studies requirement (BTS-B) is waived for students entering with fifteen (15) or more transfer credits (junior standing).

Students wishing to apply a transfer course toward a major or a concentration should consult with the department chair or program. Courses not granted preliminary approval for transfer by the registrar are not allowed for transfer credit, regardless of the judgment of a department or program about their suitability for a major.

Transfer Students (Students currently enrolled at other institutions wishing to transfer to St. Olaf): Additional Policies

Transfer students should seek admission to St. Olaf by contacting the director of admissions. During the admissions process, the registrar is asked by the Office of Admissions to provide the applicant with an evaluation of transfer credit, based on official transcripts. For additional information, see http://www.stolaf.edu/admissions/applying/transfer/ .

All students transferring to St. Olaf from other colleges or universities must be aware of restrictions on the number of transfer credits allowed after matriculation to St. Olaf. The number of additional transfer credits allowed is printed on the degree audit.

Transfer students should become familiar with the college’s S/U policy. Students who are transferring more than six courses to St. Olaf from another institution may have the allowable number of permitted S/U courses reduced by scale. This scale is recorded by the registrar on the evaluation of transfer credit form returned to the transfer applicant during the admission process and is posted on the student’s degree audit.

Transfer students who have previously received college credit for courses taken in high school or college courses taken while in high school should be aware of the college’s policies. See HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS APPLIED TO COLLEGE. College Board Advanced Placement credit is considered if the transfer student provides St. Olaf with the original scores.

GENERAL EDUCATION ACCREDITATION OF ST. OLAF-APPROVED TRANSFER COURSES AND OFF-CAMPUS COURSEWORK

General Policies For Accreditation Of All General Education Credit

Courses taken by St. Olaf students at colleges and universities within the United States and on St. Olaf-approved off-campus programs, at the appropriate level and worth the equivalent of three semester credits or four quarter credits, may earn general education (GE) credit if they meet the criteria listed under the Comprehensive Graduation Requirements, listed at http://www.stolaf.edu/catalog/0607/gradrequirements/comprehensive-requirements.html. The amount of GE credit a student may earn will depend on the source of the work being accredited, that is, whether it was earned through work completed prior to enrollment at St. Olaf, work completed on a faculty-led international program, work completed at another university, etc. Non-St. Olaf abroad program courses do not fulfill any General Education requirements.

At least one of the two courses in each of the following general education requirement categories must be taken from a St. Olaf faculty instructor.

Historical Studies in Western Culture (HWC)

Studies in Human Behavior and Society (HBS)

Studies in Natural Science (NST) for students entering in 2007 or before

Scientific Exploration and Discovery (SED) / Integrated Scientific Topics (IST) for students entering in 2008 or after

Exception : If a student has received credit for one of the above general education requirements through pre-college credit, s/he may receive credit for the other one via a St. Olaf-approved off-campus program.

Double-counting for off-campus courses instructed by non-St. Olaf faculty is permitted only for the following types of courses:

Courses appropriate to the Writing in Context requirement (WRI)

Courses appropriate to the Multicultural Studies Global Course requirement (MCS-G) or Domestic Component requirement (MSC-D). Such courses may meet one additional GE requirement if they meet the relevant guidelines described under the COMPREHENSIVE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS.

With the approval of the relevant department chair or program adviser, off-campus advisor, off-campus courses may meet a major or concentration requirement in addition to meeting a GE requirement.

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http://www.stolaf.edu/catalog/academicregs/specialreg.html (section on Off-Campus Programs)

SPECIAL REGISTRATIONS:

OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS ( ST. OLAF-SPONSORED)

St. Olaf offers a rich variety of off-campus programs. They are defined only in this catalog and in the St. Olaf Off-Campus Studies Catalog and on the web: http://www.stolaf.edu/international/ Specific questions should be directed to the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies or to the faculty adviser of each off-campus program. See: INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC OFF-CAMPUS STUDIES: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.

Eligibility

Off-campus study opportunities are available to students who meet the requirements of the host institution and the St. Olaf prerequisites. Certain programs have limitations based on a students class year; others are open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. All off-campus programs are closed to first-year students with the exception of certain language Interims. However, a first-year student may file an application during the first year for participation in the sophomore year. Students on academic probation may file an application for participation but must be declared off probation by the end of the semester prior to planned international participation.

Registration

Students going on off-campus programs must register for the program at the normal registration preceding the term off campus. In order for a student to receive academic credit for off-campus study sponsored by an institution with which St. Olaf has a program relationship, registration must be done in advance through St. Olaf College. Students going on programs that include both the Interim and Spring Semester will be registered by the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies. Students on St. Olaf-sponsored off-campus programs may have a resident student proxy register for them for the next St. Olaf term. St. Olaf’s S/U policy applies to courses taken on off-campus programs. Students must notify the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies in writing to change a course credit from graded to S/U or S/U to graded where these options exist. If this is done by mail, postmarks must conform to deadlines posted on the registrar’s calendar.

Credit

Students considering an off-campus program must consider major and general education requirements to make sure participation will not jeopardize normal progress toward graduation.

Students may not earn more credit on an off-campus program than would be earned on-campus in a given semester (up to a maximum of 4.5 credits).

All credits earned on St. Olaf-approved programs are viewed as resident credit. Although they fall under the guidelines for transfer credit, they do not count against the minimum transfer credits allowed after a student matriculates.

Certain off-campus courses count toward St. Olaf general education requirements, as indicated. As with on-campus courses, general education credit is not awarded when the course is taken S/U.

Certain off-campus courses may, with the approval of the department/program concerned, count toward a student’s major or concentration.

A St. Olaf independent study/research or internship credit cannot be registered independently from the program while a student is on a St. Olaf-approved off-campus program.

Grades

Students studying on St. Olaf-approved off-campus programs should be aware of the “24 graded courses” graduation requirement. Full details on how this requirement is affected by off-campus courses is found in the ACADEMIC REGULATIONS section of this catalog. Grades from St. Olaf-sponsored off-campus programs are recorded on the student’s official transcript, but do not count in the St. Olaf grade point average or toward the 24-graded-course requirement.

Exceptions:

Only letter grades given for a course taught by a St. Olaf faculty member are calculated into a student’s grade point average and count toward the 24-graded-course requirement.

A full-year program (not a semester-length program) gives a student partial graded course reduction toward the 24-graded-course requirement even though the letter grades from a full-year program are not computed in the grade point average unless taught by a St. Olaf instructor. For a full-year program, the 24-graded-course requirement is reduced according to the reduced graded course scale under GRADED AND UNGRADED COURSES in this catalog.

Graded course reduction is not permitted for fewer than six off-campus, full-course credits in a single program experience. It follows that a semester-length program, or a combination of different semester-length programs, does not reduce the 24-graded-course requirement.

GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) CREDIT LIMITS BY PROGRAM CATEGORY

GE credit earned through work completed on St. Olaf off-campus programs:

Faculty-led interim courses – Credit students receive through completing domestic or international off-campus courses offered during interim by St. Olaf faculty. These courses are reviewed by the Curriculum Committee in the same way as are on-campus courses. As a result, faculty-led interim courses are not subject to GE credit limits. The Curriculum Committee reviews these courses in the same manner as on-campus courses.

Faculty-led international programs – The credit students receive through participation in Term in the Middle East, Term in Asia, Environmental Studies in Australia, and the Global Semester. This credit derives from two types of instruction:

The St. Olaf faculty field supervisors’ courses . Like faculty-led interim courses, such courses are reviewed by the Curriculum Committee in the same way as are on-campus interim courses. As a result, field supervisors’ courses are not subject to GE credit limits. The Curriculum Committee reviews these courses in the same manner as on-campus courses.

Courses offered by non-St. Olaf instructors affiliated with the programs . The amount of GE credit students may earn through such work depends on the content of the courses and the duration of the program.

Courses taught by non-St. Olaf instructors on semester-length programs may meet up to four (4) GE requirements, distributed as follows: Credit toward the multicultural Studies Course requirement (MCS-G), if appropriate; credit toward the Writing in Context requirement (WRI), if appropriate; and no more than two (2) additional GE requirements within the parameters specified above.

Courses taught by non-St. Olaf instructors on semester-plus-interim-length programs may meet up to five (5) GE requirements, distributed as follows: Credit toward the Multicultural Studies Course requirement (MCS-G), if appropriate; credit toward the Writing in Context requirement (WRI), if appropriate; and no more three (3) additional GE requirements within the parameters specified above.

The program adviser may authorize GE credit for such work within the parameters of the above policies. The program adviser will notify in writing the Coordinator of Program Advising in the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies to the type(s) of GE credit to be assigned. Whenever possible, such authorization will be made prior to publication of the annual St. Olaf Off-Campus Studies brochure in which the program is described. In reviewing these courses for GE credit, the program adviser may consult with the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies, the faculty field supervisor, non-St. Olaf instructors, and/or the Curriculum Committee.

Other St. Olaf-approved off-campus programs unaccompanied by St. Olaf faculty – These include a variety of academic and field-based programs offered within the United States and abroad under the auspices of sponsoring organizations or institutions with which St. Olaf has a formal relationship (for example, ACM, HECUA, Manchester College, East China Normal University, Curtin University, etc.). Such programs are listed annually in the St. Olaf Off-Campus Studies brochure published by the Office of International and Office-Campus Studies. The amount of GE credit students may earn on such programs depends on the content of their courses and the duration of each program.

Semester-long programs may meet up to five (5) GE requirements, distributed as follows: Credit toward the Multicultural Studies Course requirement (MCS-G), if appropriate; credit toward the Writing in Context requirement (WRI), if appropriate; and no more three (3) additional GE requirements within the parameters specified above.

Semester-plus-interim-length programs may meet up to six (6) GE requirements, distributed as follows: credit toward the Multicultural Studies Course requirement (MCS-G), if appropriate; credit toward the Writing in Context requirement (WRI), if appropriate; and no more three (3) additional GE requirements within the parameters specified above.

Year-long programs may meet up to seven (7) GE requirements, distributed as follows: credit toward the Multicultural Studies Course requirement (MCS-G), if appropriate; credit toward the Writing in Context requirement (WRI), if appropriate; and no more three (3) additional GE requirements within the parameters specified above.

Other St. Olaf-approved off-campus programs, unaccompanied by St. Olaf faculty:

The program adviser may authorize GE credit for such work within the parameters of the above policies. Unless alternative arrangements have been made with the Offices of the Registrar and of International and Off-Campus Studies, the program adviser notifies in writing the Coordinator of Program Advising in the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies of the type(s) and level(s) of GE credit to be assigned.

Whenever possible, such authorization is made prior to the student’s participation in the program; however, in many cases students do not know what their off-campus academic program entails until after their arrival on site. In these cases GE accreditation takes place after the student has received written approval for such credit for the program adviser while on the program, or has completed the program and returned to St. Olaf. Program advisers should apprise students that if they require approval for GE credit upon their return, they should keep syllabi and written work from their off-campus experience for review by the program adviser.

In reviewing work from unaccompanied off-campus programs, the program adviser may consult with the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies, the non-St. Olaf instructors, and/or the Curriculum Committee.

Credit earned through inter-registered course work : Courses completed through inter-registration provisions with Carleton or an interim exchange programs may receive GE credit within the parameters of the above policies but are not subject to credit limits described above.

OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS (NON-ST. OLAF SPONSORED)

Students wishing to study on non-St. Olaf-sponsored off-campus programs (foreign or domestic off-campus programs through another college, institution, or consortium unaffiliated with St. Olaf) take a leave of absence from the college and must negotiate in advance with the registrar in order to be sure that credits will transfer. The student/applicant is responsible for providing the registrar in advance with detailed program descriptions, outlines and course syllabi.

Students should consult with the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies about programs offered by St. Olaf before asking to attend a non-St. Olaf domestic or abroad program. No transfer credit is awarded if students make their own arrangements to enroll in a foreign institution with which St. Olaf has already developed a program relationship. If a student is to receive academic credit, registration must be through St. Olaf.

Students may earn elective credit and credit toward a major (if approved in advance by the registrar and a department chair or interdisciplinary director), but may not fulfill general education requirements through non-St. Olaf-sponsored domestic or abroad programs.

Grades from non-St. Olaf-sponsored off-campus programs are recorded on the student’s official transcript, but do not count in the St. Olaf grade point average or toward the 24-graded-course requirement. Grades earned in courses taught by a current St. Olaf College faculty member but through another accredited institution, organization or consortium are computed in the student’s St. Olaf G.P.A and count toward the 24-graded-course requirement.

The following do not transfer as St. Olaf credit: Independent study, research, internship or practicum courses taken on non-St. Olaf off-campus programs; non-St. Olaf off-campus programs that are essentially “travel” programs, work experience, visits to museums, or other programs that do not have a solid liberal arts, student-instructor component.

Appeals Procedures:

In cases where students believe they should receive a different type of amount of general education credit that what has been authorized through the above procedures, they may appeal the decision to the Curriculum Committee. An appeal should include documentation of the work the student completed (syllabi, examinations, papers, letters from course instructors, and/or any other relevant supporting materials), and a written explanation of how such work meets the guidelines for the requirement(s) the student wishes the work to fulfill.