Every candidate for a baccalaureate degree, except those enrolled in the Resumed Education Program, must be enrolled for at least four semesters as a full-time student and must complete satisfactorily a minimum of fifteen courses at Brown. (Note: Terms from Brown study abroad programs do not apply to the residence requirement.) Students in the Resumed Education Program must complete satisfactorily a minimum of fifteen courses at Brown and be in residence not less than four semesters. Resumed Education students may study either on a part-time or full-time basis. Every student must spend sufficient time in concentration studies to permit faculty evaluation of his or her concentration. In addition, students in the Brown-RISD dual degree candidates must earn 15 Brown credits exclusive of their RISD courses recorded on their record and any Brown summer credits or credits earned while on study abroad.

Students who wish to study at other U.S. institutions for transfer credit toward their Brown degree either in the Summer months (cannot exceed 4 credits inclusive of any Brown summer credit) or during the fall/spring semester may do so with prior approval of the appropriate departments and the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS). The CAS delegates to a specific dean of the College the authority to approve petitions for such programs.

Students planning study elsewhere in the U.S. should consult the Dean of the College website. The student should then work out a program and present it to his or her concentration advisor and other appropriate faculty members for approval. 

Transfer Credit

Students returning from study elsewhere in the U.S. may receive up to eight course credits for work undertaken during one academic year, but normally no more than four concentration credits may be awarded. Credit cannot be granted until the student has successfully completed the work and has had an official transcript sent to the Office of the Registrar. Students who take a semester or year for study elsewhere must meet with one of the deans of the College to request a leave of absence. Students must notify the Office of the Dean of the College by the dates specified in the Academic Calendar. 

In a semester system, one Brown course is considered the equivalent of four semester hours. In a quarter system, one Brown course is considered the equivalent of six quarter hours. For that reason, the number of course transfer credits received for study away from Brown may not be equal to the number of courses taken. For example, a student taking four three-semester-hour courses (12 semester credit hours), all properly approved for Brown transfer credit, will receive the equivalent of three Brown course credits, while a student taking three four-quarter-hour courses (12 quarter credit hours), all properly approved for Brown transfer credit, will receive the equivalent of two Brown course credits.

In order to be considered for transfer credit, courses must be completed with a grade of C or better, and an official transcript must be received by Brown University from the host institution, which must be a regionally accredited, degree-granting, two or four-year institution.  Official transcripts should be sent to the Office of the Registrar. This transcript will be retained by the University. All transfer credit must receive Faculty and Committee on Academic Standing approval. Students should keep all materials from their work away, including, e.g., course syllabi, exams, papers, notes, projects, and portfolios, in the event that post-approval is required from an academic department at Brown. It is the student's responsibility to clarify in advance any concerns regarding the amount of transfer credit which may be awarded.

Brown Transcript

The Brown transcript will indicate the transfer credits received and the name of the host institution, as well as the approved course equivalencies and/or unassigned credits at Brown. Students applying to graduate and professional schools are often asked to provide official transcripts from all institutions at which they have been enrolled. In such cases, the student will need to request a copy of his or her transcript from the study-away institution to be sent to the graduate or professional school, as Brown will not furnish copies of another institution's official record.

To receive credit for foreign study, students must spend at least one semester enrolled in a foreign institution of higher learning, subject to the same rules and regulations as the host institution's regular students. There are two exceptions: where the language of study is one in which sufficient proficiency is unlikely to be achieved by the average Brown undergraduate, but the student should study the language while in the country; and where the usual assessment procedures may not be appropriate, in which case special arrangements may have to be made. Students may not study on itinerant programs (i.e., those which travel through many sites rather than are based in one primary site). Nor may they study at institutions created for overseas study for Americans, with special exceptions: for study of a specific area and/or field research unavailable at Brown or better pursued at a foreign site or in sites where "the average Brown student" cannot study alongside local students because of the language.

Foreign Study and the Brown Curriculum

Foreign study should be used to complement the applicant's program of study at Brown. This should be ascertained by the Study Abroad Advising staff in consultation with the College Curriculum Council (CCC) subcommittee on foreign study, the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS), and regional advisory committees. Students must be in good academic standing to study abroad.

Study Abroad Advising coordinates all foreign study undertaken by Brown students either on Brown sponsored programs or on Brown approved programs. 

Students planning to study abroad should visit the Study Abroad Staff as far in advance as possible of any intended study and meet with an advisor and a concentration advisor. Students may receive up to eight course credits for work undertaken during one academic year. Normally no more than four concentration credits will be allowed. For concentration credit, the student will have to obtain approval from the appropriate departmental concentration advisor. This credit is usually granted after the student presents documentation, including evidence of work completed in the course(s) to the departmental concentration advisor.

Students must fulfill any language prerequisites required by Brown and by their program. All applications for study abroad must be approved by faculty committees as well as by The College.

Official transcripts for non-Brown programs should be sent to the Office of the Registrar. For Brown sponsored programs, transcripts are sent to Study Abroad office. When other forms of evaluation or other documentation are to be used, these should be brought by the student to the Study Abroad office. Students not on Brown sponsored programs may be asked to take such materials to faculty advisors for review and final approval.

Courses are entered on the Brown Official Transcript based on the titles ascertained by Study Abroad with a grade of S, not T as is case with traditional transfer credit.

Time spent on study abroad does not apply to the four semester residency requirement for the degree. All students studying abroad should be registered on approved study abroad leaves of absence through the Study Abroad office which indicate the date of return to Brown. 

Credit may be awarded for summer study abroad, particularly for language study. Students considering this option should consult with the Study Abroad Advising staff.