If you take courses at a host university abroad/away, you must sit at the regularly scheduled times for all examinations that are required of you, including those given at the end of individual academic terms and, if you are on an academic year program, any comprehensive exams that are given at the end of the academic year. 
 
Cal Poly cannot provide exam proctoring for students who leave their programs before the scheduled exam date.  Students may independently arrange exam proctoring with their Cal Poly faculty but do so at their own risk.
 
Failure to complete exams at the scheduled time may result in a failing grade.
 

Credits earned on an abroad or away program can, with proper approval, be used to fulfill GE, major, or minor requirements; otherwise, they will be elective credits toward the total number of units you need to graduate.  Be sure to seek academic advising in your major early in your planning process. You can discuss which classes can count toward specific major requirements and initiate a Major Substitution Form (see Academic Planning for more information).
 
The teaching institution determines both the amount of credit awarded for a course and whether any given course is upper- or lower-division work.  As you consider how your study abroad/study away course work will fit into your Cal Poly degree, you may need to convert the credits into quarter units. What follows are some common credit systems and how they convert to quarter units, but there are many other systems used across the globe: if you are unsure, consult with the International Center or the Registrar’s Office.

• Cal Poly Global Program courses carry quarter credits.
• Most partner programs including CSUIP programs, use semester credits. Multiply these by 1.5 to get the quarter credit equivalent (3 semester credits = 4.5 quarter credits).
• Courses at most European universities are measured using the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Multiply these using 0.75 to get quarter units (6 ECTS = 4.5 quarter credits).
• Note: Some universities abroad, particularly in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, use different credit systems. Please consult with your program or the International Center for advice on how to convert them to quarter credits. 

Your off-campus study program must report all credit earned abroad.  Failure to register for the required number of credits may affect your financial aid and may place you in violation of your student visa.
 

Credit earned on a study abroad/study away program may be applied towards GE, Major, or Minor requirements, but may also just be elective credits toward the total number of units needed to graduate.
 
You can find a list of pre-approved courses on the Cal Poly brochure page for your program. Go to abroad.calpoly.edu and use the "Program Search" to find your program, then click the “Academics” tab to find the Course Pre-Approvals link. These lists indicate which courses have been pre-approved either by the GE governing board (for GE) or academic departments (for major/minor) to fulfill specific requirements. 
 
You may take a course even if it is not on the pre-approved list, but if you want to use it to fulfill a course requirement, you will need to complete the appropriate Course Substitution Form.  See the Academic Planning page of this website for detailed instructions and links to the GE and Major Substitution Forms
 
GE Substitution Forms are first reviewed by the International Office to verify the accuracy of the course information you provide.  The form is then forwarded to Evaluations for review and possible approval. Only Evaluations can approve courses on a GE Substitution Form.  Once reviewed, you will receive an email from evaluations@calpoly.edu with the determinations. You can request the review of more courses than you plan to take and may also submit multiple forms.
 
This process can take 6-8 weeks, so we encourage you to submit your GE Substitution Form(s) as soon as possible. 
 
Major Substitution Forms are completed within your major department(s). Each department/program at Cal Poly determines whether to apply credit from off-campus study toward its requirements, and some may choose to evaluate certain courses after you return, so it is always a good idea to return to Cal Poly with copies of all course syllabi, reading lists, papers, and exams from off-campus study.
 
Students seeking credit within a minor should consult with the minor department advisor, who will work with you to complete the Minor Substitution Form.
 
Instructions on Course Substitution Forms and a link to the AdobeSign GE Substitution Form can be found on the Academic Planning page
 

Study Abroad/Study Away Transcripts
Once you have completed your program, please ensure that your study abroad/study away transcript is sent to Transcript Processing at Cal Poly.*

Transcripts must be sent by the host organization: Cal Poly will not accept copies that have been issued to the student or anyone other than Cal Poly

Cal Poly will accept electronic transcripts via the following services:

• Parchment
• Docufide
• Naviance
• National Student Clearing House
• eScript-Safe
• Military Services

If your host organization provides certified electronic transcripts through another service, have those transcripts sent directly from the organization to cptrans1@calpoly.edu. Or you can have hard copies of your transcript mailed to:

Cal Poly
Transcript Processing
MC 1001
1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
cptrans1@calpoly.edu

Do not have transcripts sent to the International Center.

 
Transcript Processing Time
Once the Office of the Registrar receives your transcript, the Records Unit completes the transcript entry and then Evaluations will add the appropriate credit to your Degree Progress Report. You will eventually be able to view transfer credit on your Poly Profile under the “View Higher Education Credits Detail” link.

As a reminder, it can take up to two quarters from when your transcript arrives on campus (not from when your program ends) for your courses to be evaluated and applied to degree progress.

Transcript Evaluation

• Coursework, including all grades, from your program will be entered into your record. 
• Credit on Global Programs and CSUIP programs will count as resident credit and grades will count towards your Cal Poly GPA. Credit from a partner program, NSE, or an International Exchange will count as transfer credit and grades will count towards your higher ed GPA, but not your Cal Poly GPA.
• Please note that all courses and grades from an approved Cal Poly study abroad/away program will be evaluated by Cal Poly exactly as they appear on your study abroad/away transcript.  All coursework will be entered into your Cal Poly academic record, regardless of whether the course is required to graduate.
• Cal Poly will not change any letter grades received on your transcript to CR/NC, and any CR/NC grades listed on your study abroad/away transcript will follow the university's policies on CR/NC grading.