Courses Abroad and Credit Transfer

Course and Credit Load While Abroad

Semester study abroad students must register for a regular full-time course load abroad which is the equivalent of 15-18 credits per semester.  Most semester study abroad students take 4 to 6 courses while abroad.

Students participating in Summer programs usually register for 1 to 2 courses. Summer students must register for no more courses than allowed by their respective college (Fordham College allows up to 2 courses, Gabelli School allows up to 3 courses).

We encourage students to use the Study Abroad Academic Planning Worksheet when planning ahead for their term abroad and beyond!

Fordham-Taught Courses Abroad

Fordham-taught courses abroad (courses at the London Centre, Fordham-taught courses in Granada, Fordham-run summer programs) follow the same credit hour, grading, and GPA conventions as Fordham courses taught in New York.

Fordham-taught courses abroad are not transfer credits and therefore do not require additional approval in order for students to earn credit.

Transfer Credits

Abroad courses that are taught by non-Fordham institutions (partner and exchange universities, London partner universities, Universidad de Granada, non-Fordham summer programs) are transfer credits, and students must secure necessary approval to take these courses through the electronic Study Abroad Course Approval form in their Study Abroad Portal application.

Students cannot earn study abroad transfer credits that exceed the number of total transfer credits allowed to receive a Fordham degree (generally 60).  Students who have already met their 60 credit transfer maximum should consider Fordham in London, Fordham-run summer programs (London, Rome, Tokyo) or Fordham Global Immersion Seminars.

To transfer to Fordham, a study abroad transfer course must...

  • Be approved via the study abroad course approval form.
  • Have the equivalent of at least 3 Fordham credits.
  • Be awarded a C grade or better.  Pass/Fail basis will not transfer.
  • Not be a duplicate of a course the student already took.
  • Not exceed the total number of transfer credits allowed to receive a Fordham degree.

Grades earned abroad from transfer credits are recorded on a student’s transcript but are not calculated in the student’s GPA.

For more information about credit and course transfer, please refer to the academic guidelines section of your Pre-Departure Handbook.

  • Students taking non-Fordham classes while abroad must seek approval their classes through the electronic Study Abroad Course Approval form in their Study Abroad Portal application.  When researching programs, students should be familiar with their own Degree Works page and Fordham's course descriptions and attributes so they can find select programs that fit their academic requirements.

    Fordham course descriptions can be found here.
    Fordham course attributes can be found here.

  • In general, major and minor electives can be taken abroad, but other distributive requirements must be taken in New York. You should consult with your academic adviser and your academic department to confirm what types of major/minor classes can be taken abroad.

    Academic departments set a maximum number of classes that can be taken while studying abroad towards their majors and minors. A list of departments and their course maximums for majors and minors can be found below.  Please note that these maximums may be met by all courses taken outside of Fordham including transfer, AP and study abroad courses.

    Course Maximum for Majors 
    Course Maximum for Minors

  • The below CORE courses and requirements may be fulfilled through study abroad transfer credits.  These courses must be approved through the electronic course approval form in order to count toward your core requirements.  CORE courses not listed below must be taken at Fordham.

    Fordham College (LC and RH)

      • Mathematical/Computational Reasoning (MCR Attribute)
      • Physical Science (PSCI Attribute)
      • Life Science (LSCI Attribute)
      • Fine Arts (FACC Attribute)
      • Understanding Historical Change (UHC Attribute)
      • Social Science (SSCI Attribute)
      • Advanced Literature (ALC Attribute)
      • Advanced Social Science (ASSC Attribute)
      • Advanced History (AHC Attribute) 

    Gabelli School (LC and RH)

      • Understanding Historical Change (UHC Attribute)
      • Fine Arts (FACC Attribute)
      • Legal Frameworks of Business (BLBU 2234)
      • Operations and Supply Chain Management (OPBU 3428)
      • Ethics in Business (BLBU 3443)
      • Liberal Arts Elective

  • Many universities outside of the United States use a different credit numbering system for their courses.  Please find a list of sample credit equivalencies below.

    Fordham students can only receive credit for courses that are at least 3 Fordham credits.  Semester study abroad students must register for a total of 15-18 US credits.  Summer study abroad students generally take between 3 and 8 US credits while abroad during the summer.  The information below will help you in selecting the appropriate number of credits and courses to take abroad at your host school. 

    If your program is not listed below, it likely follows the same grading and credit systems as Fordham.  Please contact the office if you have questions.

    NOTE: This list is for informational purposes only and does not guarantee the number of credits transferred. Official course approval and credit transfer policies from the University's Study Abroad Guidelines apply.

    Program Minimum Credits Per-Class to Transfer Fordham Credit Equivalent
    Argentina: Universidad del Salvador 3 credits 3 credits
    Australia: University of Sydney  6 credit points 4 credits
    Austria: Vienna University of Business & Economics 5-6 ECTS 3 credits
    Brazil: PUC Rio 4 credits 3 credits
    France: Sciences Po Lille 5-6 ECTS 3 credits
    France: Sciences Po Reims 5 ECTS 3 credits
    Germany: Freie Universiteit (FUBEST) 6 ECTS 3 credits
    Hungary: Budapest Semesters in Mathematics 1 unit 4 credits
    Ireland: Maynooth University/ University of Galway 5 ECTS 3 credits
    Ireland: University College Dublin 5 ECTS 3 credits
    Italy: Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore 6 ECTS 3 credits
    Mexico: Universidad Iberoamericana 8 credits 4 credits
    New Zealand: University of Auckland/ University of Canterbury 15 credits 4 credits
    The Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University 3 credits 3 credits
    Peru: Universidad del Pacifico 4 credits 4 credits
    Singapore: Singapore Management University 1 Unit 4 credits
    South Korea: Sogang University 3 credits 3 credits
    Spain: Granada, Deusto 45 hours/6 ECTS 3 credits
    Turkey: Koc University 3 credits 3 credits
    United Kingdom: Oxford University (OSAP - Associate) 5 credits 5 credits
    United Kingdom: Queen's University of Belfast 20 credits 5 credits
    United Kingdom: University of Edinburgh 10 credits 3 credits
    United Kingdom: City St. George's University of London 15 credits 4 credits
    United Kingdom: Queen Mary, University of London 15 credits 4 credits
    United Kingdom: Westminster University 15 credits 4 credits

     

  • Foreign universities often follow different assessment and grading systems than Fordham.  To account for these differences, Fordham evaluates the foreign transcript and awards an equivalent US grade.

    Student must earn the equivalent of a C grade or better in order to earn credit for their transfer course.  Please find below a list of sample grade equivalencies for our partner universities.  Programs not listed below likely follow Fordham's grading conventions.

    Foreign universities often have strict attendance policies, and unexcused absences can result in course failure.  Fordham students are expected to attend all required class meetings and follow the host program's attendance policy.

    Please contact the study abroad office is you have further questions.

    Foreign Grade Equivalencies Argentina Australia Austria Brazil France Germany Ireland Italy Mexico New Zealand Peru Philippines Spain South Korea Turkey United Kingdom
    Fordham Universidad del Salvador University of Sydney Vienna U of Business & Economics PUC Rio Sciences Po: Lille Sciences Po: Reims Freie Universiteit (FUBEST) Maynooth University University of Galway University College Dublin Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City University of Auckland University of Canterbury Universidad del Pacifico Ateneo de Manila University University of Granada Universidad de Deusto Sogang University Koc University Oxford Study Abroad Programme London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) London Contemporary Dance School (The Place) Queen's University of Belfast University of Edinburgh City St. George's University of London Queen Mary, University of London University of Westminster
    A 10 85-100 1,0 9,5-10 A 15-20 1,3 or 1,0 70-100 70-100 A+, A, A- 29-30 10 A, A+ A, A+ 18-20 A 9.0-10 9.0-10 A0, A+ A, A+ αβ, α---, α--, α-, α 70-100 70-100 66-100 70-100 75-100 75-100 66-100
    A- 9 80-84 1,3 9,0-9,4 A 14-14.9 1,7 65-69 65-69   28   A- A- 16-17 A 8.5-8.99 8.5-8.99 A- A- β+, β++, β+++, βα 65-69 65-69 63-65 65-69 70-74 70-74 64-65
    B+ 8 75-79 1,7 8,5-8,9 B 13-13.9 2,0 60-64 60-64 B+, B, B- 27 9 B+ B+ 15 B+ 8.0-8.49 8.0-8.49 B+ B+ β-, β 60-64 60-64 60-62 60-64 65-69 66-69 60-63
    B 7 70-74 2,0 8,0-8,4 B 12-12.9 2,3 55-59 55-59 C+, C, C- 26   B B 14 B 7.5-7.99 7.5-7.99 B0 B βγ, β---, β-- 55-59 55-59 57-59 55-59 60-64 60-65 54-59
    B- 6 65-69 2,3 7,5-7,9 B 11-11.9 2,7 50-54 50-54   25 8 B- B- 13 B 7.0-7.49 7.0-7.49 B- B- γ+++, γβ 50-54 50-54 53-56 50-54 55-59 55-59 50-53
    C+ 5 60-64 2,7 7,0-7,4 C 10.5-10.9 3,0 45-49 45-49 D+ 24   C+ C+ 12 C+ 6.5-6.99 6.5-6.99 C+ C+ γ+, γ++ 46-49 47-49 50-52   50-54 50-54 46-49
    C 4 50-59 3,0 6,5-6,9 C 10-10.4 3,3 40-44 40-44 D, D- 23 7 C C 11 C 5.5-6.49 5.5-6.49 C0 C γ-, γ 43-45 43-46 45-49 40-49 46-49 46-49 44-45
    DOES NOT TRANSFER 3 or below 49 or lower 3,3 or higher 6,4 or lower D or lower 9.9 or lower 3,7 or higher 39 or lower 39 or lower   22 or below 6 or below C- or lower C- or lower   D or lower 5.4 or lower 5.4 or lower C- or lower C- or lower δ, γ---, γ-- 42 or lower 42 or lower 44 or lower 39 or lower 45 or lower 45 or lower 43 or lower

  • Please review the below list of previously approved courses, which may inform the courses you choose to seek approval for.  Please contact our office if you need help sourcing syllabi.

    View Courses Previously Approved by Program Name
    View Courses Previously Approved by Academic Department