Learning Abroad Center

Academic Planning

Fulfilling Academic Requirements

As you form your academic and career goals, incorporate planning for a learning abroad experience into your advising and career counseling appointments, as well as visits with faculty. That way your learning abroad experience will be fundamentally linked to your career interests and degree program.

Academic Planning Form

Use the Academic Planning Form to structure your academic planning.

Academic Planning Form Instructions

Resident Credit

Resident credit is offered for most programs on the Learning Abroad Center website. Upon credit posting, individual coursework completed abroad appears on your UofM transcript along with letter grades and credit totals for each class. Grades received in these classes are calculated into your UofM GPA.

Course Approvals

Liberal Education Requirements

Search the U Credit Abroad Search to select from more than 2,000 study abroad courses that have already been pre-approved for liberal education requirements. You may also submit any course not yet evaluated for approval online.

Major/Minor Requirements

Meet with your departmental advisor to get courses abroad approved for major or minor degree requirements. Some departments have also started using the U Credit Abroad Search to store major/minor requirements. If your department is one of them, you may search for equivalencies approved for your requirements.

The University of Minnesota has made a tremendous effort to help you incorporate international content into your major. Visit Major Advising Pages (MAPS) for more information and suggested programs.

Language Learning

Language Requirements

You can complete second language requirements while abroad. Intensive language programs are designed to provide more credit and/or accelerated language learning at the beginning and intermediate levels. Advanced language students can refine and perfect their language skills. More information about Second Language Requirements can be found on the Academic Planning Form Instructions.

CourseShare

Begin learning a new language. Enroll online for a 2-4 credit course to learn languages not taught on our campus such as Danish, Thai, Wolof and more through the CourseShare program. Access it through the CLA Language Center. This online learning opportunity will increase your confidence and make the following programs even more appealing.

Explore additional languages such as Aramaic, Catalan, Greek, Maya, Persian, Tibetan, Vietnamese, and Yiddish.

After Your Program

For most programs, your transcript will automatically be sent to the Learning Abroad Center. For some university study and exchange programs, you will need to request a transcript yourself. Students on those programs will be notified and provided with instructions for requesting a transcript.

Once the Learning Abroad Center has received your grades, it can take 4-6 weeks or longer for them to be processed and posted to your UofM transcript for resident-credit programs. Times vary with programs. Let the Learning Abroad Center know well in advance if impending graduation or other special circumstances lend particular urgency to posting your grades.

If your program awards transfer credit, your program transcript will be forwarded from the Learning Abroad Center to the Office of Admissions for the posting of the transfer credit to your UofM transcript.

Once your study abroad coursework is posted to your UofM transcript, work with your major, minor and/or collegiate advisers to have your APAS report updated to reflect courses approved to fulfill specific requirements. Courses pre-approved for Liberal Education requirements will be automatically updated in your APAS report.

Learning Abroad Center Academic Policies

Outlined in these policies, you'll find academic details, including credit load, academic standing, grading, the University of Minnesota's acceptance of coursework, and more.