Guidelines for Applicants who do not meet the Skidmore College General Requirements for Study Abroad

Grade Point Average below the required 3.0

Skidmore Students who do not meet the minimum 3.0 GPA requirement must petition the Committee on Academic Standing to apply to study abroad. The Committee on Academic Standing is responsible for final decisions regarding eligibility to apply to study abroad.

Students must:

• Prepare a letter to the committee explaining their academic history;
• Submit at least one letter of support from a faculty member familiar with their academic work (two letters of faculty support are highly recommended);
• Meet with the Office of International Programs’ Senior Program Coordinator to review their petition.

These petition documents must be submitted to the Office of International Programs with the completed Skidmore application to study abroad. The Office of International Programs presents these materials to the committee. The Committee on Academic Standing reviews the petitions and makes the final decision on eligibility to apply to study abroad.

Students are notified of the Committee’s decision by the Office of International programs. Students should allow two weeks for processing and presentation to the Committee. Therefore students should submit their application to the Office of International Programs at least three weeks prior to the application deadline of their chosen approved program. Students applying for an approved program may not submit applications to their program provider of choice until they have received CAS approval.

Study abroad outside of the Junior Year

Customarily, second-semester sophomores and first-semester juniors apply to study abroad. Students at other stages in their Skidmore education must attend a mandatory advising session with the Senior Program Coordinator in the Office of International Programs. After this initial meeting students are required to:

• Submit a letter of faculty support (preferably from the instructor of the student’s Scribner Seminar);
• Submit a one page letter explaining why they want to study abroad outside of the junior year. Students need to indicate in the letter what their academic plans are for the remainder of their time at Skidmore.