Off-Campus Activities
Students have a variety of opportunities for studying off-campus. Dartmouth strongly encourages students to study through Dartmouth-sponsored programs and exchange programs. In addition, students may independently seek out programs offered by other institutions which Dartmouth refers to as transfer terms. The Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education administers Dartmouth-sponsored credit-bearing programs and applications to participate in exchange programs. The Office of the Registrar administers transfer term applications as well as exchange and transfer course approvals.
To be eligible for a Dartmouth-sponsored off-campus program or exchange program, accepted students must be in good standing, must not have the temporary standing of Incomplete in any course, and must have completed the First-Year Seminar requirement. The rules for approval of transfer courses taken while on an exchange program are the same as for all transfer courses. (See 3 below, Transfer Credit from other Institution.) Students who wish to participate in a transfer term must petition the Committee on Instruction (COI) outlining how the transfer term meets their academic goals.
Only programs taught by Dartmouth faculty, i.e. Dartmouth L.S.A. (L.S.A.+) and Dartmouth F.S.P. carry Dartmouth course credit. The Committee on Off-Campus Activities (COCA) is charged to review and supervise all Dartmouth-sponsored off-campus academic programs and activities. Other off-campus coursework activity, exchange programs or non-Dartmouth programs may be eligible for transfer credit.
The Off-Campus Programs Office determines the cost of each of the programs. While tuition remains the same, the total cost of most programs exceeds the cost of a term spend on campus due to increased travel and living/food costs. Students who receive need-based financial aid will receive scholarship assistance to cover costs in excess of those of a typical term, and their expected family contribution (EFC) will remain the same as a term here on Campus. If you have a work expectation for the term, it will be replaced by scholarship funding for programs that span the entire term. Work is not replaced for fall plus programs as students are in Hanover for the 10-week term and remain eligible to work.
The Committee on Instruction is charged with the oversight of transfer terms. Students may transfer no more than four Dartmouth-equivalent course credits from other institutions toward the degree at Dartmouth and transfer credits received for courses taken at other institutions prior to matriculation count toward the maximum permissible total of four. A student participating in a transfer term pays an application fee to Dartmouth for each term of participation. No Dartmouth scholarship aid is available to students enrolled in an academic institution with which Dartmouth has no formal exchange agreement.
Dartmouth College does not investigate the issues of safety and security in the various transfer programs students may consider when taking a transfer term; it is the students’ responsibility to investigate these issues. Dartmouth urges students to explore with their parents all issues of safety and security.
1. Guarini Institute Off-Campus Programs: Officially recognized programs that are administered and led by Dartmouth Faculty. Students receive specific course credits and grades. A list of programs is published on the Guarini Institute website.
The Guarini Institute website describes all programs in detail. Note: The Arabic, Chinese, Film Studies, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Theater summer programs serve in satisfaction of the summer residence requirement.
Candidates for Foreign Study (FSP) and Language Study Abroad (LSA) Programs apply online via the Guarini Institute website by the appropriate deadlines; selection is made by the sponsoring department or program. It is the student’s responsibility to review information on the Guarini Institute website or contact the Guarini Institute staff for application deadline information. Although the Language Requirement is, by regulation, to be completed by the end of the seventh term, the Registrar can grant an extension to permit L.S.A. study at a later time if a student’s program of study prevents earlier enrollment.
Specific Dartmouth course credit and grade can be given only for a course taught or directly supervised by a Dartmouth faculty member. Students must elect a three-course load; two-and four-course loads are not allowed on Dartmouth off-campus academic programs. Courses taken on such programs are out of bounds for the use of the Non-Recording Option. Students are expected to be at their program for its full duration.
For academic off-campus program courses delivered in the English language, elective courses must be closely related to the subject of the program and an integral part of an officially defined undergraduate Arts and Sciences curriculum. Thus, pre-professional, technical, business or graduate courses are not acceptable. The elective course does not satisfy distributive or world-culture requirements unless such requirements have been assigned by the Committee on Instruction at the time the off-campus program is authorized.
A senior who participates in an off-campus program must obtain special permission from their major department or program; such approval is strongly advised for juniors as well. A senior may, with the permission of the chair of the major department/program and the Registrar, replace one of the required residence terms by a term of off-campus study in the principal field of the major, provided such will be of great benefit to the student’s program and will in no way interfere with proper completion of the major or other requirements.
No Dartmouth student may participate in more than three terms of Dartmouth-sponsored off-campus programs (i.e., L.S.A. and/or F.S.P., etc.) for academic credit, except by special permission by the COCA based on a written petition presenting valid academic reasons and strongly supported by the student’s major department or program.
2. Transfer Credit from Dartmouth Exchange Programs: A student may participate in one of Dartmouth’s established Exchange Programs by applying online via the Guarini Institute website by the appropriate deadline. Grades received in courses transferred from other institutions are not recorded on the Dartmouth transcript or included in the Dartmouth cumulative average. Credits earned on Exchange Programs are included in the maximum of four transfer credits allowed toward the degree. Information regarding procedures for pre-approval of transfer credit from exchange programs is available from the Guarini Institute and the Registrar’s Office.
It is the student’s responsibility to seek and obtain department or program pre-approval for the transferability of each course, for distributive and world culture attributes, and for possible major and/or minor credit, if appropriate.
3. Transfer Credit from other Institutions: Students desiring transfer of course credit from any other institution not part of a formal exchange program with Dartmouth submit a Transfer Credit Application and Transfer Credit Approval Form to the Office of the Registrar by the appropriate deadline date listed on the Registrar's website. A non-refundable, non-petitionable application fee of $2,200 is assessed for the winter, spring, and summer terms. No fee is assessed for fall term. To initiate the process, students should review the policies and procedures on the Registrar’s web site regarding transfer credit, research transfer term possibilities by talking with professors and reviewing online resources, and prepare a statement describing how they plan to incorporate the transfer term into their Dartmouth academic program. Students obtain the required transfer credit application forms on the Registrar website. Following are the policies surrounding transfer credit:
a. Prior Dartmouth approval is required for the specific program as well as individual courses. It requires review and approval by a sub-committee of the Committee on Instruction, the Registrar, and the Departments/Programs accepting transfer of the courses. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate the process and to seek and obtain department or program approval for the transferability of each course. This would include distributive and world culture attributes, as well as possible major and/or minor credit, if appropriate.
b. Potentially acceptable programs and undergraduate courses. Courses offered by accredited degree-granting institutions are potentially acceptable for transfer credit provided the courses are an integral part of an officially defined undergraduate Arts and Sciences curriculum; online courses, those given by extension programs, or internship programs are not transferable. Students should be aware that some departments and programs have restrictive policies toward transfer credit.
c. Length of term. For each potential transfer course, students must be enrolled for a minimum of three weeks and thirty contact hours per Dartmouth course credit.
d. Credits, grading, and general education attributes. A minimum of three semester hours or four quarter hours are required to earn one Dartmouth course credit. A minimum grade of C quality or better must be earned. Grades received in courses transferred from other institutions are not recorded on the Dartmouth transcript or included in the Dartmouth cumulative grade point average. A pass/fail course is not accepted in the absence of proof that the grade is a minimum C quality. Courses elected under such a grading option do not carry distributive or world culture attributes.
e. Deadlines. Deadlines for each term and the Transfer Term Application and Transfer Credit Approval forms are available on the Registrar's website and from the Office of the Registrar.
f. Approvals. A sub-committee of the Committee on Instruction (COI) reviews each Transfer Term Application and will inform the student whether or not their transfer term has been approved. Approval of a course(s) by department/programs is required but not sufficient for transferability. Normally no more than 5 students may participate in the same program in the same term.
g. Course changes. A student with approved plans for an exchange or transfer term at another institution, who finds after enrollment that an approved course is not available, may apply for approval of a substitute course. After the transfer term starts, it may be possible to substitute a course for one that was approved previously, but such approval is not guaranteed. Additional non-related courses are not approved. Students must contact the Registrar’s Office to initiate such changes.
h. Transcripts. Upon completion of the transfer term the student must personally request that an official transcript from the host institution be sent directly to the Dartmouth College Registrar’s Office. All transcripts must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the end of the term immediately following the transfer term. No credit is entered on the Dartmouth record until an official transcript has been received from the transfer institution.
i. Limits of transfer credit. Students admitted as first-year students may transfer a maximum of four course credits toward the thirty-five required for the Dartmouth degree, whether such credits have been earned prior to matriculation or subsequently. Students with special academic plans may petition the Registrar for transfer study up to a total of one academic year (i.e., nine credits). Normally one additional credit may be approved, and the Committee on Instruction may review petitions for further credits when unusual circumstances arise.