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Elliott School of
International Affairs

 

Transfer Credit from Abroad

As per the GW University Bulletin, Graduate Programs:

The Elliott School allows an exception to the transfer credit policy for 40-credit M.A. students and MIPP students who attend an International Exchange Partner school. Those students will be allowed to transfer a maximum of 10 hours of graduate credit, provided the student has received no prior transfer credit. No student may earn more than 10 transfer credits total (e.g. students cannot combine 6 transfer credits and 10 transfer credits from an International Exchange Partner). 

Study abroad credits transfer back as electives by default. Students wishing to count transfer credits towards their concentration/specialization must receive written approval from their program director and academic advisor. 

Please note: 

  • The student must earn a grade equivalent to B or higher in the course they intend to transfer back. Pass/fail, or credit/no credit, is not acceptable for purposes of transfer credit.
  • Credit from foreign language courses is not eligible for transfer. If a student intends to take a language course abroad, this will be in addition to their full-time subject based courseload.

Transfer credit from abroad requires:

  • An official transcript for completed work. Upon successful completion of the course abroad, the partner institution will directly send the student’s transcript to the Graduate Student Services office. Transcript delivery timing varies by host institution.
  • An Elliott School Transfer Credit Approval Form (pdf).
    • For each course taken abroad, a student must obtain approval from their program director for each course to be transferred into the degree program. The program director may require course descriptions and course syllabi for the transfer review process. Students should request that the program director review the course and determine the most suitable GW course equivalent or note approval for a special topics course (e.g., IAFF 6118, 6138, 6158, 6186, 6318, 6338, 6358, 6378, etc). The program director  should indicate the specific equivalent GW course for the course taken abroad (e.g., course ABC from abroad = IAFF 6118). Students should seek written (email or updated CAP) faculty approval prior to enrolling in any non-GW course.
    • Students should submit completed forms to the Elliott School Graduate Student Service office
  • Upon receipt of the Transfer Credit Approval Form and the official transcript, with the appropriate grade, the International Program Associate will post the transfer credit. Note that the grade earned abroad will not be posted on the GW transcript, only the credits transferred.

It is recommended that students resubmit an updated CAP reflecting their transfer credits. Students who participate in GW Short-Term Abroad courses earn direct GW credits, and thus, the transfer credit policy does not apply to those courses.