Undergraduate Study Abroad

Types of Programs

There are two types of study abroad programs:

Columbia-affiliated programs are run directly by Columbia. Courses taken in these programs will appear on your college transcript along with the letter grades you earn, which will be factored into your GPA.

Columbia-approved programs are run by other universities or organizations, and are assessed individually by each undergraduate school at Columbia; this means that a single program may be approved for students at one school, but not approved for students at another. Unlike the credit earned at affiliated programs, the credit received for coursework at approved programs counts as transfer credit, which means that it counts towards general credit requirements, but does not appear on your Columbia transcript’s itemized listing of courses and grades.

There are also non-approved programs, but these require special permission from the study abroad dean of your respective college; it is strongly suggested you contact them before considering a program that is not approved.