How to Request Credit

Students request credit for Semester/Year Abroad courses via the Abroad Credit Evaluation System (ACES) on MySwarthmore. Submission of study abroad courses to ACES is as important as course registration for a semester at Swarthmore.

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

Pre-estimation of Credit

All courses you take need to be "pre-estimated" in ACES to be considered for Swarthmore credit.

Pre-Departure

You're required to submit at least a full course load to ACES pre-departure. Wait to begin this process until GEO has instructed you to do so.

1. Gather course information.

You'll need the information below before you can submit courses to ACES. 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: What courses would you like to take on your program? Make note of the full course titles given by the program, as well as course numbers (if provided). You don't need to commit to the courses you select, but it's best to limit this 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. 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?
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.

2. Access ACES.

Screenshot of link on MySwarthmore to the Semester/Year Abroad 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.

3. Add courses to ACES.

Screenshot of "Add Courses" tab in credit system

Read the "Important Tips" in ACES 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 (and number if available), exactly as listed by your program. If the title is in another language, enter a title translated to English.
In the "Swat Department/Program Evaluating the Course" section, select the Swarthmore department/program from which you're requesting credit.
- Before you select an academic departments/program, make sure you understand their specific policies on study abroad credit.
- Select "Off-Campus Study" to request OCST credit. 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" (the credit type should reflect the requirement 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.
Scroll down to the "Courses" section at the bottom of the screen to check the courses you added.
If any course submissions contain incorrect information, contact Global Engagement to request that staff edit these submissions (do NOT add the same course again). Students cannot make changes to courses that they have already submitted.

4. Upload syllabi/descriptions.

Screenshot of "Upload Documents" tab in Credit Evaluation System

Screenshot of "Upload Documents" tab in Credit Evaluation System ("Off Campus Study Documents" section)

Before a course can be processed, an associated syllabus/description needs to be uploaded in the "Upload Documents" tab of ACES.

Read the "Important Tips" in this tab 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 file. *The file upload will fail if the document title contains any "special character" (e.g., a colon or accent mark).
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 of this tab.

5. Check pre-estimation decisions and follow up.

To check whether each course has been pre-approved, follow Step 5A below.
To check the number of pre-estimated credits for each course, follow Step 5B below.
To check whether each course has been approved for Auto Credit, follow Step 3C below.

5A. Check Pre-Estimation status

Screenshot of "Pre-estimation" decision column in system

View decisions in the "Pre-estimation" column of the "Courses" section ("Add Courses" tab). If a course is marked "Yes Approved," then the course has been pre-approved, and no further action is needed before departure. 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 ACES every few weeks, and follow up as needed, until you know whether each course is pre-approved or you cannot take it.

5b. Check Number of Pre-Estimated Credits

Screenshot of "Estimated Swat Credits Given by the Department" column in system

View the number of pre-estimated credits in the "Estimated SWAT Credits Given by the Department" column of the "Courses" section (NOT the "OCS Estimated SWAT credits" column).

Check the number of pre-estimated credits for each course. If this number is less than 1, the course likely cannot meet a major, minor, or distributional requirement by itself. You may need to take another course pre-estimated by the same department/program to reach a full required credit. Alternatively, some departments/programs allow students to complete extra work after return from abroad to increase credit (in which case the course will be marked "Y" in the "Extra Credit/Work" column). Examples of "extra work" include a paper supervised by a Swarthmore faculty member during or after the program (related to a course taken abroad) or work completed through a related Swarthmore course during a subsequent semester. If a department/program allows "Extra Credit/Work" for a course and you wish to pursue this option, you should contact the department/program for details about what types of extra work they can consider.
Calculate the total number of pre-estimated credits. This number must be at least 4 Swarthmore credits.

Step 5C. Check Auto Credit Status

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'll be required to save coursework for all courses NOT marked "Y" for Auto Credit. Be prepared to save work for non-Auto Credit courses once you're abroad (following Step 5 under "Pre-estimation of Credit - While Abroad").

If you discover new courses of interest after you complete these steps, those courses must also be submitted to ACES following the process above. The sooner new courses are reviewed in ACES, the more quickly you'll know whether you can expect credit!

While Abroad

The actual courses you take need to be pre-estimated in ACES to be considered for credit. Follow the steps below as soon as you have finalized your course schedule.

1. Compare actual courses to courses in ACES.

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 courses in ACES to the courses you're actually taking.

2. Add missing courses and syllabi to ACES.

Are any of your actual courses missing from ACES? If so, it's essential that you submit these courses and corresponding syllabi to the ACES as soon as possible, following Steps 3 and 4 under "Pre-estimation of Credit - Predeparture." Courses that weren't already pre-approved in ACES are not guaranteed credit, but you can still submit them to departments/programs to evaluate.

3. Remove courses you're not taking.

Are there any courses in ACES that you've decided not to take? If so, email Global Engagement the titles of these courses, and GEO will remove them from ACES.

4. Check pre-estimation decisions and follow up.

Now that your course schedule is finalized, check how much credit you can expect to receive from Swarthmore. Follow Step 5 under "Pre-estimation of Credit - Predeparture" to check whether each of your actual courses has been pre-approved, how many credits you can expect, and whether you need to save coursework. Follow up as needed.

5. Save course materials (for non-Auto Credit courses).

Screenshot of "Auto Credit" column in Credit Evaluation System ("Add Courses" tab)

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

You're required to save coursework 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 (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.

You can usually 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 ACES. 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 your program ends. GEO will authorize the evaluation of your courses after your first semester back on campus begins.

1. Make sure your courses were pre-estimated.

Log into MySwarthmore using your Swarthmore credentials. If 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 departments/programs. Compare the list of courses in the ACES to the list of courses you actually took.

If a course you took hasn't been pre-estimated in ACES, this is now an URGENT matter! You must submit the course and syllabus to ACES NOW (Steps 3 and 4 under "Pre-estimation of Credit - Predeparture"). Global Engagement will send these courses to departments/programs, but credit cannot be guaranteed.

Check the pre-estimation status and number of pre-approved credits for each course you took, and follow up as needed (Step 5 under "Pre-estimation of Credit - Predeparture").

2. Mark courses as taken in ACES.

Screenshot of "Please Check Courses Taken" column in "Final Credit Evaluation" tab

Click the "Final Credit Evaluation" tab in ACES.
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.

3. Submit final documents for non-Auto Credit courses.

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.

Courses marked "N" for Auto Credit require submission of course materials to be considered for final credit. For guidelines on what materials are needed, refer to Step 5 under "Pre-estimation of Credit - While Abroad."

You can often submit work electronically via ACES. If a course is marked "Y" in the "Submit Final Work Electronically" column of your course grid, follow Step 3A below.
If a course is marked "N" for "Submit Final Work Electronically," or if you cannot submit work through ACES, follow Step 3B below.

3A. Upload Materials to ACES.

Screenshot of "Upload Documents" tab of Credit Evaluation System

Compile materials for each course. If possible, combine materials for one course as a single PDF document.
Click the "Upload Documents" tab in ACES.
Read the "Important Tips" in this tab before you upload syllabi/descriptions.
Select the course that corresponds to the materials you will upload.
Select "OCS FINAL" as the document type.
Choose the correct file to upload. The file upload will fail if the document title contains any "special character" (e.g., a colon or accent mark).
Click the blue "Upload" button to submit the document to ACES.
Make sure that all final documents show up in the "Off Campus Study Documents" section.

3B. Submit Materials outside ACES

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 of submission.
If you saved materials that cannot be uploaded to ACES as a PDF (e.g., artwork, video or audio files), check with the department/program about whether these materials can be submitted by a different method.
Once the method of submission has been confirmed by the department/program, submit materials to them in the format they specified.

4. Mark courses as ready for review in ACES.

Screenshot of "All Materials Uploaded" column of Credit Evaluation System

Screenshot of "Courses Ready for Final Evaluation" section of Credit System

In the "Final Credit Evaluation" tab in ACES, both the "Courses Taken" and "All Materials Uploaded" boxes need to be checked before each course is ready for final evaluation.

In the "All Materials Uploaded" column, check the box next to each course for which you've submitted final materials to departments/programs (whether within or outside ACES). Auto Credit courses are checked off automatically (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 abroad are listed in this section.

5. Check progress on the final review process.

The final evaluation of your courses will begin once a) your first semester back on campus has started, and b) you have completed returned student requirements outside ACES (a full list of requirements is available on GEO's Step-by Step page under "First Month Back on Campus").

Once these conditions have been met, GEO will forward your non-Auto Credit courses to departments/programs for final review (Auto Credit courses will be forwarded to the Registrar's Office). The "Final Department Review Complete" column in ACES 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). You can click the blue "Comments" button to check whether departments/programs have left comments about any courses in ACES. Check ACES periodically until departments/programs have reviewed all non-Auto Credit courses, and follow up on comments from departments/programs as needed.

The Registrar's Office will review all department-approved courses and Auto Credit courses to verify that each course is listed on your official program transcript with a credit-eligible grade (i.e., a straight "C" or higher). The titles and grades of credit-eligible courses will then be added to your Swarthmore transcript and degree audit.

This whole process takes several weeks or months. Departments/programs are given until the end of the semester after the term abroad to review your courses, and a few additional weeks may be needed for the Registrar's Office to add the courses to your Swarthmore transcript (seniors' credits are applied in time for graduation).