How to Request Credit

Students request credit for courses abroad via the Semester/Year Abroad Credit Evaluation System on MySwarthmore. 

In preparation for this process, please review important information about Coursework and Credits.

Pre-estimation of Credit

All courses you take need to be "pre-estimated" in the Credit Evaluation System to be considered for Swarthmore credit. 

Pre-Departure

You're required to submit a full course load to the system before you study abroad. Begin this process after you have committed to a program.

Step #1: Gather course information.

You'll need to gather some information before you submit courses to the Credit Evaluation System. You can often find this information on your program's website. If there's information you cannot find, contact your program. If your program cannot provide the needed information, contact Global Engagement. 

• Intended courses: Choose courses offered by your program that you plan to take. Make note of the full course titles given by the program, as well as course numbers (if provided). These courses do not need to be your final selections, but it's best to limit your list to probable courses.
• Syllabi/descriptions: Find the most detailed syllabus you can for each course. If full syllabi are not available, you can use course descriptions for now, but some departments/programs will need to see syllabi before they pre-approve credit. Download and save each syllabus/description. 
• Program credit units: What credit units does your program use (e.g., semester credit hours, ECTS, units, tutorials/papers)?
• Program course load: How many credits (in the program's units) is considered a full course load by your program? If the program allows a range of total credits, Swarthmore usually considers full credit for the middle of the range or higher.
• Credit amount of each course: How many credits is each of your intended courses worth (in your program's units)? Calculate the total number of credits to make sure you've listed at least a full course load. 

Step #2: Access the Credit Evaluation System.

• ​Log into MySwarthmore using your Swarthmore credentials. If you are off-campus, access Swarthmore VPN. Make sure your pop-up blocker is disabled. 
• Click the "Student" link in MySwarthmore. Under "Student Menu," click the "Semester/Year Abroad Credit Evaluation" link. Do NOT click the "Student Transfer Credit Evaluation" link. 

Step #3: Add courses to the system.

• Read the "Important Tips" in the system before you add courses. 
• In the "Term Abroad" section, select the term when you will take the course. If the course is a full-year course, contact Global Engagement for instructions. 
• In the "Off-Campus Study Program" section, select your program. If you cannot find your program, contact Global Engagement.
• In the "Course Number/Title" section, enter the title of the course, exactly as listed by your program. Also include the course number if the program provides this.
• In the "Swat Department/Program Evaluating the Course" section, select the Swarthmore department/program you're requesting credit from.
  • Before you select an academic departments/program, check their specific policies on study abroad credit (search their website or contact them). Certain policies could make you ineligible for credit or limit the total number of credits that you can request from a particular department/program. 
  • Select "Off-Campus Study" to request OCST credit. This credit is available for most courses that do not need to fulfill a departmental requirement. If you wish to request OCST credit for a course that could fall under your major or minor, contact Global Engagement so that written permission can be requested from your major or minor department/program.
• In the "Type of Credit" section, select "Major," "Minor," "Departmental/Distributional," "OCST," or "Business Elective" (depending on the credit types available for the selected department/program). Make sure that the credit type reflects the requirement(s) you hope to fulfill. 
• In the "# Course Credits at the Institution Abroad" section, enter the number of credits in your PROGRAM's credit units. Do NOT enter the number of Swarthmore credits you wish to receive.
• Click the blue "Add Course" button to submit the course information.
• Check the "Courses" section at the bottom of the screen to check the courses you added. If any courses were added incorrectly, contact Global Engagement to request changes (do NOT add the same course again).

Step #4: Upload syllabi/descriptions.

Before each course can be processed, an associated syllabus/description needs to be uploaded in the "Upload Documents" tab of the Credit Evaluation System.

• Read the "Important Tips" in the system before you upload syllabi/descriptions.
• Select the course that corresponds to the document you will upload.
• Select "OCS PRE ESTIMATION" as the document type.
• Upload the correct file. Make sure the document title and content meet all guidelines in the "Important Tips" section.
• Click the blue "Upload" button to submit the document to the system. 
• Make sure that all documents show up in the "Off Campus Study Documents" section.

Step #5: Check pre-estimations and follow up. 

Step #5A: Check Pre-Estimation Decisions

• View decisions in the "Pre-estimation" column of the "Courses" section ("Add Courses" tab). If a decision is NOT "Yes Approved," then you're required to follow up. Follow steps based on the decision.
• Click the blue "Add or Review Comments" button to check whether evaluators have left comments about your courses. Follow up on comments as needed.
• Continue to check the Credit Evaluation System every few weeks until every course has either been pre-approved or removed from the system.

Step #5B: Check Pre-Estimated Credit Amounts

The number of credits pre-estimated for each course can be viewed in the "Estimated SWAT Credits Given by the Department" column of the "Courses" section. The "OCS Estimated SWAT credits" column does NOT reflect the pre-estimated number of credits; departments/programs make the pre-estimation decision.

• Check the number of pre-estimated credits for each course. If this number is less than 1, the course likely cannot a departmental requirement by itself. You may need to take another course in the same department/program to reach a full required credit. Alternatively, some departments/programs allow students to complete extra work outside their program to reach a required amount of credit (in which case the course will be marked "Y" in the "Extra Credit/Work" column). If you have any questions, contact the department/program. 
• Calculate the total number of pre-estimated credits for your intended courses. This number must be at least 4 Swarthmore credits. Not only do 4 total credits need to be pre-estimated in the system, but you're required to actually take courses pre-estimated for 4 credits. 

If you discover new courses of interest after you complete these steps, those courses must also be submitted to the Credit Evaluation System and monitored until a pre-estimation decision is reached. The sooner you submit courses, the sooner you'll know whether you can expect credit!

While Abroad

Ideally, courses you select once abroad should be pre-estimated in advance of registration deadlines (so that you can change courses if necessary). Follow the steps below as soon as you've finalized your course selections.

Step #1: Compare actual courses to courses in the system. 

• Log into MySwarthmore using your Swarthmore credentials. You will need to access Swarthmore VPN. Make sure your pop-up blocker is disabled. 
• Click the "Student" link in MySwarthmore. Under "Student Menu," click the "Semester/Year Abroad Credit Evaluation" link. 
• Scroll down to the "Courses" section to view the list of courses pre-estimated by Swarthmore.
• Compare the list of courses in the system to the list of courses on your final schedule.

Step #2: Add missing courses and syllabi to the system.

Are any of your actual courses missing from the Credit Evaluation System? If so, you need to submit these courses to the system following Pre-Departure Steps #3 and #4. Remember that a syllabus/description needs to be uploaded before an added course can be processed.

Step #3: Remove courses you're not taking.  

Are there any courses in the system that you've decided not to take? If so, email Global Engagement the titles of these courses, and GEO will remove them from the system. Doing so will make it easier for you and Swarthmore to review the courses for which you actually need credit.

Step #4: Check pre-estimations and follow up.

Now that your course list is finalized, make sure that you know how much credit you can actually expect to receive. Follow Pre-Departure Step #5 to check the pre-estimation decisions and number of pre-approved credits for your courses, and follow up as needed. Courses that weren't pre-approved in the system before the start of your program are not guaranteed pre-approval.

Step #5: Save course materials. 

Check the "Auto Credit" column of the "Courses" section. Courses marked "Y" in this column are approved for Auto Credit, meaning you don't need to save materials.

You're required to save materials for all courses NOT marked "Y" for Auto Credit. Ideally, the following records should be saved:

• The syllabus: If the syllabus does not contain an organized and complete overview of the course (e.g., assigned readings, schedule of classes and topics treated, instructional format, written assignments), then, from your knowledge of the course, you can write out an accompaniment to the syllabus which contains all of this information. 
• Copies of all assigned written work: Examples of relevant work include papers, projects, lab reports, etc. Students do NOT need graded copies, any copies will do. If students are required to do oral reports for one or more courses, they should provide a brief summary of what the report consisted of and what they read in preparation for it. Whenever possible, students should save a copy of required written work before they submit it, in case their submitted copy is not returned to them. Some departments/programs will not review work that is not in English (please verify with departments/programs). If you have any questions about what work needs to be saved, contact the department/program that pre-estimated the course.

Usually you can save materials in an electronic format. If a course is marked "Y" in the "Submit Final Work Electronically" column of your course list, then you will be able to submit course materials within the Credit Evaluation System. If a course that requires final materials is marked "N" in this column, contact the department/program to check the best method to save and submit materials.

Final Credit Evaluation

After Return

You can prepare for the Final Credit Evaluation process as soon as you return from abroad. However, courses will not be evaluated for final credit until the semester after your term abroad. 

Step #1: Make sure your courses were pre-estimated. 

• Log into MySwarthmore using your Swarthmore credentials. If you are off-campus, you will need to access Swarthmore VPN. Make sure your pop-up blocker is disabled. 
• Click the "Student" link in the menu at the top of the MySwarthmore screen. Under "Student Menu," click the "Semester/Year Abroad Credit Evaluation" link. 
• Scroll down to the "Courses" section to view the list of courses pre-estimated by Swarthmore. Compare the list of courses in the system to the list of courses you actually took. If there are any courses that need to be edited to match the courses you took, contact Global Engagement. Check the pre-estimation decision and number of pre-approved credits for each course you took, and follow up as needed (Pre-Departure Step #5).

If a course you took hasn't been pre-estimated in the system, this is now an URGENT matter! 

• You must submit the course and syllabus to the system and follow up on the evaluator's decision as needed (Pre-Departure Steps #3-5).
• Global Engagement will send these courses to departments/programs, but credit cannot be guaranteed.

Step #2: Mark courses as taken.

• Click the "Final Credit Evaluation" tab in the Credit Evaluation System. 
• Read the "Important Tips" section in this tab.
• In the "Please Check Courses Taken" column, check the box next to each course you completed abroad. 
• Click the blue "Save Changes" button so that your changes aren't lost.

Step #3: Submit final documents.

Check the "Auto Credit" column in the "Add Courses" tab. Courses marked "Y" in this column are approved for Auto Credit, meaning you're not required to submit final materials.

All other courses require submission of course materials to be considered for final credit. For guidelines on what materials are needed, refer to While Abroad Step #5. 

• You can often submit work electronically in the Credit Evaluation System. If a course is marked "Y" in the "Submit Final Work Electronically" column of your course list, follow Step #3A below.
• If a course is marked "N" in the "Submit Final Work Electronically" column of your course list, or if you cannot submit work through the system, follow Step #3B below.

Step #3A: Upload Materials to the system.

• Compile all materials for each course. If possible, combine materials for one course as a single PDF document. 
• Click the "Upload Documents" tab in the Credit Evaluation System.
• Read the "Important Tips" section before you upload documents.
• Select the course that corresponds to the materials you will upload.
• Select "OCS FINAL" as the document type.
• Choose the correct file to upload. Make sure the document title and content meet all guidelines in the "Important Tips" section.
• Click the blue "Upload" button to submit the document to the system. 
• Make sure that all final documents show up in the "Off Campus Study Documents" section.

Step #3B: Submit Materials outside the system

Communicate with departments/programs and submit materials during the semester after your term abroad (unless the department/program tells you otherwise). 

• If a course is marked "N" for "Auto-Credit" AND marked "N" for  "Submit Final Work Electronically," you must arrange to submit materials directly to the department/program credit evaluator. If you haven't already, check with the department/program about the best format and method for submission. 
• If you saved materials that cannot be uploaded to the Credit Evaluation System as a PDF (e.g., artwork, video or audio files), check with the department/program about whether these materials can be submitted to them outside the Credit Evaluation System.
• Once the method of submission has been confirmed by the department/program, submit materials to them directly in the format they specified.

Step #4: Mark courses as ready for review.

After all required course materials have been submitted to the Credit Evaluation System or directly to departments/programs, verify that this step is complete.

• Click the "Final Credit Evaluation" tab in the Credit Evaluation System. 
• In the "All Materials Uploaded" column, check the boxes next to each course for which you've submitted final materials (via the system or directly to departments/programs). Courses approved for Auto Credit are checked off automatically, and no further action is needed.
• Click the blue "Save Changes" button so that your changes aren't lost. 
• Scroll down to the "Courses Ready for Final Evaluation" section. Make sure that all the courses you took are listed in this section. If any courses aren't listed in this section, click the needed checkboxes above. Contact Global Engagement if you need assistance.

Step #5: Check progress on the final review process.

Wait for the Global Engagement Office to submit your courses for Final Credit Evaluation.

• GEO will not submit any courses for final credit evaluation until the start of the semester after your term abroad (unless a special arrangement has been made with GEO and/or departments/programs).
• You will need to complete requirements outside the Credit Evaluation System before your courses are evaluated (GEO will notify you of these requirements after your return).

Once GEO submits your courses for Final Credit Evaluation, courses that require departmental review will be forwarded to faculty, and Auto Credit courses will be forwarded to the Registrar's Office. If any courses require departmental review, check the Credit Evaluation System until all those courses have been evaluated.

• The "Final Department Review Complete" column of the "Courses" section will be marked "Y" once the department/program has made a final decision about your course. This column is left blank for Auto Credit courses.
• Click the blue "Add or Review Comments" button to check whether evaluators have left comments about courses. Follow up on comments as needed.
• Departments/programs will determine the final number of credits they can approve. If a department/program approves less credit than was pre-estimated, a course can receive supplemental OCST credit to reach the pre-estimated amount of credit (up to a maximum of 4 credits for the semester abroad).

The Registrar's Office will review all department-approved courses and Auto Credit courses before they are added to your Swarthmore transcript.

• The Registrar's Office will verify the courses on your official program transcript. Courses must show up on your program transcript to receive credit from Swarthmore.
• Grades will be converted to U.S. letter grades if necessary. Courses with grades of C- and below will not appear on your Swarthmore transcript and will not receive credit. 
• The Registrar's Office will add courses with grades of C and above to your Swarthmore transcript.

This whole process takes several weeks or months. Departments/programs and the Registrar's Office are given until the end of the semester after the term abroad to review courses.