Policies and Procedures

Students wishing to study off-campus on an approved program must first apply through OCSE using our online application. This application should be completed at least two weeks before the approved program’s deadline. After the application is approved through OCSE, the student would apply directly to the approved program for final acceptance.

Students applying to a Skidmore program will only complete the one OCSE application by the program's deadline.

Students interested in a program that is not listed on the approved program list should contact OCSE for an advising appointment. 

Below are the eligibility requirements to study off-campus. All students should meet Skidmore requirements and the requirements of their chosen program before applying. Consult with OCSE if you have any questions regarding your eligibility.

• Declared major: All students applying to study off-campus must have declared a major before completing the application. 
• GPA requirement: The minimum GPA requirement to study off-campus is a cumulative GPA of 2.75. Students with below this requirement may have the option to petition.
• Academic, Financial, & Social Standing with College: As part of the application process, OCSE will contact the Office of Academic Advising, the Bursar's office, and the Student Conduct office to confirm the applicant is in good social, financial, and academic standing with the College.
• Progress towards your Degree: Most students choose to study off-campus during their junior year but for some students, this opportunity fits better into their sophomore or senior year. Students applying to study off-campus outside of their junior year will need to complete a non-junior petition, demonstrating a plan to remain on track with their degree at Skidmore.

Students who do not meet the academic eligibility requirements may be able to submit a petition in addition to the online application. Students who are submitting a petition are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor in OCSE prior to applying to make sure they meet the eligibility requirements of the program they have selected and to confirm they understand the petition process. 

Maintaining Eligibility 

Studying off campus is a privilege that is available to students who have demonstrated the ability to adjust academically and socially to college, and who are ready to benefit from the challenges of off-campus study. Only students in good academic, financial, and social standing are eligible to study off campus. The Office of Off-Campus Study & Exchanges (OCSE) reserves the right to withdraw students from their respective programs if they do not meet these conditions. OCSE will perform a check at the end of the semester to confirm participants are still in good social, academic, and financial standing. If a student is administratively withdrawn from their intended program, the student will incur a withdrawal fee of minimally $500.

If the term GPA falls below a 2.500 or the student's academic record drops dramatically or the student's social standing changes prior to departure, CAS and OCSE reserves the right to withdraw them from the program. Students with a term GPA of 2.000 or below are automatically withdrawn from off-campus study.

Students studying off campus on Approved Programs, either Skidmore or non-Skidmore Programs, are expected to adhere to the same social and academic policies in place at Skidmore College. Students are responsible for understanding Skidmore College’s Honor Code, Code of Conduct, social and academic policies as well as any Code of Conduct put in place by their study abroad provider.

Skidmore College’s Honor Code and Code of Conduct can be found at (https://www.skidmore.edu/student_handbook/community/honor-code.php ).

Stipulations for studying off-campus:

• Students with current or past social infractions may be ineligible to study off-campus.
• Students must complete and submit the mandated OCSE documentation and the requisite confirmation deposit.
• Students must comply with all rules, standards and instructions relating to student behavior which are promulgated by Skidmore or the host college/institution.
• Skidmore, its employees and agents shall have the right to enforce appropriate standards of conduct.
• Skidmore may, at any time, terminate a student’s participation in an off-campus program in the event of any failure to abide by any such standard of conduct.  If a student’s participation in an off-campus program is terminated, the student must immediately leave the program at his/her own expense.

• Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 to participate in off-campus study opportunities administered through OCSE. Students should check with their program of choice regarding the program’s GPA requirements as some programs will require a GPA higher than 2.75.
  
  
• Students may participate on Skidmore Programs and Approved Programs, both international and domestic.
  
  
• Students may NOT apply to more than one program at a time, except in cases where OCSE determines that a program is highly competitive.
  
  
• Students wanting off-campus program credit to count toward their majors and minors should choose study abroad programs from the Approved Programs list for their major/minor department. The Approved Programs list is available in the OCSE office and on the OCSE Web site.
  
  
• Students wishing to participate in the Skidmore/Spelman College Exchange program will work closely with the OCSE Program Manager, academic advisor, and chair of their major/minor department to determine major/minor credit.
  
  
• Students who do not need credit toward their major or minor are able to participate on any of our Approved programs. The Approved Program Master List is available in the OCSE office and on the OCSE Web site.
  
  
• The number of credits in which students enroll in while off campus depends on their program choice. Students must maintain a full course load while studying off campus (usually the equivalent of 15 semester credits) but no more than 18 semester credits. The number of credits for each course is determined by the host institution. Skidmore College will transfer course credit as reported by the host institution. Some programs will require students to take more than 18 semester credits.  Please check with an OCSE Program Manager if you have a question regarding your specific program choice.
  
  
• Students who cannot find an appropriate academic program on the Master Approved Program List, may petition the Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Programs to participate on a program that is not on the Master List. The petition must have an academic focus and have support of the students’ major/minor department. Students wanting to petition must meet with an OCSE Program Manager for details.  All petition decisions are made by the Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Programs.
  
  
• Credits will count as Skidmore credits for Skidmore programs. Credits will count as transfer credits for International and Domestic Approved Programs. Students must earn a “C” or above to have transfer credit accepted by Skidmore.
  
  
• Grades for Skidmore programs will count toward the Skidmore GPA. Grades for International and Domestic Approved Programs will not count toward the Skidmore GPA. 

• Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades will not be accepted for transfer credit except where the hosting institution transcript states that a satisfactory grade is a "C" or above.
  
  
• All courses at the 300 level will be applicable to the all-college requirement for maturity-level credits. Each department determines how many maturity-level credits may be brought in from off-campus for the major or minor. Therefore, students on ALL programs must work with their advisors before departure to determine which of the 300-level courses taken while off campus will fulfill departmental or other requirements.
  
  
• Sophomores, juniors and seniors may all study off-campus. Sophomores and seniors should check with an OCSE advisor regarding the need for additional application materials.
  
  
• All students applying to study off-campus must declare their major before submitting an application to OCSE. 
  
  
• Off-campus study is a privilege extended to students who have the established academic, social and financial standing.  However, a student’s approval for off-campus study can be rescinded by OCSE should a student fail to maintain these requirements.  In addition, neglecting to complete the mandatory OCSE documentation and submitting the requisite non-refundable deposit required to study off campus will jeopardize students’ ability to study off campus.
  
  
• Students may not participate in programs offered by the same non-Skidmore program provider for more than two semesters.  For example, a student is not allowed to participate in three semester-long IFSA-Butler programs during her time at Skidmore.  Students who participate in Skidmore programs are not limited to the number of semesters they may participate in any Skidmore program.  Note, Skidmore's First-Year Experience in London is a Skidmore program and does not count toward the number of IES programs a student may pursue.

 

• Students studying on an international, domestic or exchange program will be charged the Skidmore comprehensive fee for their semester or year off campus. (Note: Skidmore's comprehensive fee will differ from the fees of the program providers.) This fee is equal to Skidmore tuition, room at the on campus apartment rate, board if applicable, and mandatory college fees. Students are required to use program arranged room and board where available. Additionally, if provided a housing option, students are encouraged to select a homestay. Students desiring an alternative to program housing should consult with an OCSE Program Manager. If the program does not include room and/or board, or only partial board, the comprehensive fee will be adjusted accordingly. Students are responsible for paying any refundable deposits and non-included fees directly on-site or to the program provider.

• All off-campus study participants will be billed by Skidmore’s Bursar for the Skidmore comprehensive fee.
  
  
• Students should be aware that their program provider’s mandatory course enrollment and maximum credit load for the semester may differ from Skidmore’s 15 semester credit requirement. Students should adhere to Skidmore’s 15 credit requirement.  Any student seeking an exception to this policy must contact OCSE’s Senior Associate Director.  Occasionally, there have been instances when students must enroll in additional coursework in order to stay on track for graduation. All overloads or underloads must be approved by OCSE and the program on site.  Please consult the Senior Associate Director concerning this process.  Lastly, if a student elects to enroll in courses during his/her off-campus program that have not been approved for academic credit and, therefore, are not transferable to Skidmore, he/she will be responsible for payment of said course fees. Students must also obtain OCSE approval prior to enrolling in courses that carry additional fees or have travel components.

• All students studying on an off-campus program will submit a $500.00 non-refundable confirmation fee two weeks after receiving approval from the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) to study off campus; $400 of the deposit will be credited to your Skidmore College account and the remaining $100 constitutes a processing fee.  Students studying on an Approved Program are responsible for paying any refundable deposits, most commonly a housing deposit, directly to the program provider.
  
  
• Skidmore will handle payments to the program providers on behalf of students. However some providers will submit invoices directly to students via mail, email or their proprietary online system. Students that receive invoices for expenses which are covered under Skidmore’s comprehensive fee must submit them to OCSE for payment. Do not disregard invoices that you receive, doing so may jeopardize your enrollment in the program.  Additionally, failure to submit the invoices in a timely fashion to OCSE may lead some providers to impose late fees which will be the students’ responsibility.
  
  
• For Skidmore and Approved Programs, Skidmore will cover tuition and mandatory academic fees, room (double occupancy), board if applicable, mandatory medical insurance, and any other mandatory program fees. Students are responsible for airfare, on site transportation if not included in the provider’s program fee, books, accommodation upgrades, board where applicable, voluntary field trips and excursions, refundable deposits, and personal expenses. Students are also responsible for their housing and board when participating in programs that do not include those items. For example some Australia and United Kingdom programs do not include board. However students enrolling in these programs can elect to be placed in residential colleges. These types of accommodations may provide a board plan, as well as other amenities/housing services. Since these types of accommodations include services that do not fall within the comprehensive fee structure, Skidmore will not cover the additional cost associated with residential colleges. Therefore, students must be aware that they will receive an invoice directly from the provider for a supplemental accommodations fee for this type of housing. The Skidmore Comprehensive fee will be adjusted accordingly in these cases.

• Skidmore does not cover the cost of optional study tours/courses unless the student seeks pre-approval from the Director of Off-Campus Study & Exchanges.  Please contact OCSE to learn the process of applying for this exception.

• Students may use financial aid on all Skidmore and International and Domestic Approved Programs. Students receiving financial aid should speak with a Financial Aid representative to review possible aid changes based on increased expenses.
  
  
• Students may not participate in programs offered by the same non-Skidmore program provider for more than two semesters.  For example, a student is not allowed to participate in three semester-long IFSA-Butler programs during her time at Skidmore.  Students who participate in Skidmore programs are not limited to the number of semesters they may participate in any Skidmore program.  Note, Skidmore's First-Year Experience in London is a Skidmore program and does not count toward the number of IES programs a student may pursue.