If you are participating in the ISEP-Direct or Affiliate Programs, make sure to read ALL of the information below.

Taking Courses Abroad

You should select courses overseas that will compliment your program of study at FMU.  Take a look at the program's course offerings. Sometimes courses are offered separately for international students, in which case you may be in class with other students from around the world.  Other universities allow international students to take courses with the host country students.

Remember, many countries offer courses in English!  Try looking at programs in non-English speaking countries.  You may also be able to take course to learn the host language while enrolled in other subject areas.

Be flexible regarding final course selection. Many programs may not publish their course listings online until shortly before the semester begins, if at all. Circumstances change--just like here, courses may be canceled or moved.  Make sure to get more courses approved than you will take, so you have some back-up options.  You must be enrolled as a full-time student for the entire time abroad!

Course Transfer

You will receive credit toward graduation for all of the courses that you pass while on an FMU study abroad program. With the approval of your faculty advisor, courses taken abroad may fulfill major, minor, and general education requirements.  It is very important that you get your courses approved before your study abroad program.  Here are the steps to get courses approved:

1. Select your courses for your study abroad program.  You may not be sure of the exact courses, so pick more courses than you think you need.  Obtain the course descriptions and syllabi, if available.

2. Present the course descriptions and syllabi to your faculty advisor, along with the Transient Permit Form. He or she will need to approve the courses to be counted as major, minor, and general education requirements. If the course is not approved to count toward the above requirements, it will count as a general elective course toward the total number of credits needed to obtain your degree.

3. Submit the signed Transient Permit Form to the Global Citizenship Portal.  The form MUST be on file before you are given final permission to study abroad.

4. If your courses change while abroad, make sure to email the Global Citizenship Portal AND your advisor promptly to gain approval.  Keep all assignments and course materials until the course has been approved.

Transcript and Credits

Your study abroad program will send your transcript directly to the Global Citizenship Portal after your program ends. Some programs will issue a transcript within a few weeks of the program completion, while other programs make take longer to send the transcript.  Please plan accordingly, as your grades may not be posted to your FMU transcript for several months after your return.

As soon as the Global Education Portal receives your transcript, the courses and credits are posted to your FMU transcript.  The number of credit hours is established according to international standards.  Please email the Global Citizenship Portal to determine the credit hours for a specific university.

Courses taken overseas will be considered as letter grades.  Grades will appear on your FMU transcript and will be factored into your overall GPA.