Students who are interested in exploring full-time Study Away options can consult with one of several academic deans who advise for study away and degree completion, and request meetings by writing to studyaway@brown.edu. Prior to meeting with an academic dean, students are encouraged to review this page thoroughly, as well as the sections and subsections of the Transfer Credits section in ASK, starting with “Information” and “Institutions” sections. The “Information” section contains information on guidelines, policies and procedures. The “Institutions” section allows for filtering by institutions previously approved, international institutions, and institutions in the United States by state to enhance the institution search functionality. After identifying institutions of interest, students will need to make contact with their chosen study away institution and inquire about visiting student application procedures, identify courses they may wish to take, and gather syllabi and submit a “New Transfer Credits Document” in ASK to initiate the process for department review and approval of courses in ASK for transfer credit.  

A thorough review of the aforementioned information assists students in preparing for a productive advising conversation with a dean. After emailing to request an advising meeting via the addresses listed above, students will be sent a Full-Time Study Away Advising Intake Form to complete, which asks about the student’s interest in Study Away and their plan. Within 5-7 business days, the Undergraduate Study Away Committee will review their response to the form, and an academic dean will reach out to them with next steps that they must complete and/or any follow-up questions that they must answer before their Study Away plan and Study Away leave can be approved by the College. 

The College takes a student-centered approach in its review of student plans and considers multiple factors prior to recommending approval. This approach is used in order to increase the probability of a successful Study Away experience that results in the transfer credits and advanced standing that the student desires. The College therefore includes the following factors in its review:

1. Whether the student needs transfer credits and semester standing to satisfy Brown’s degree requirements and graduate by their expected date of completion;
2. Whether underlying, extenuating circumstances shape the request, necessitating study away from Brown, or the Study Away provides clear academic benefit or a course of study not available at Brown;
3. Whether the student has a solid, high-quality academic plan with the approval of their concentration advisor if intending to use credits for concentration requirements;
4. Whether the student has vetted the institution and specific courses through the ASK transfer credit approval process and identified a full-time load of courses that total a minimum of 12 semester credit hours or 18 quarter units, if not yet already approved; and finally
5. Whether the student (when studying at Brown on an F-1 visa) has consulted with OISSS regarding any implications for their student visa, CPT, OPT, etc.

Final steps in the planning and approval process for Study Away involve formalizing Study Away status through the College after the Committee approves the student’s plans and the student has been granted admission to the institution at which they will study. The student's study away advising dean or a Deputy Dean of the College can assist with this. Any Full-time Study Away approved by the College for which the Registrar does not receive enrollment verification will not be honored and will expire and convert to a personal leave. Therefore, students should review Brown's Leavetaking FAQ prior to making a final decision. Students should note the ways in which access to campus resources while not taking courses at Brown would change and be limited.

Students also should be aware that transfer credits and semester standing advancement take place after Brown’s Registrar’s Office has received the official transcript from their Study Away host institution and verified all required approvals were obtained in ASK for the courses they successfully completed away from Brown.

This webpage does not provide comprehensive information on the transfer credit guidelines. Students should thoroughly review the Transfer Credits Information section in ASK, as well as review their plans and the transfer credit guidelines with a study away and degree completion dean prior to taking any courses elsewhere with an expectation of transfer credit or advanced standing.  

Students should keep in mind that Brown does not award transfer credit for courses at institutions in the United States or the international equivalent. There are no institutions with which Brown has an established articulation agreement for transfer credit.

To receive transfer credit, the host institution and each course must be evaluated for transfer eligibility per Brown's transfer credit guidelines. Students are responsible for reviewing these guidelines thoroughly before studying away, and must obtain the appropriate approvals in ASK. Students who study away enroll directly at their host institutions. An official transcript from the accredited institution must be sent to the Brown Registrar. Without the aforementioned, courses taken elsewhere will not transfer.

With the exception of transfer students (including RUE and veterans), students may not receive more than one semester of transfer credits and advanced standing, whether from pre-Brown or post-matriculation study, without prior approval for an exception to advanced standing policy from the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS). The Writing Requirement can not be completed with a study away course, and under no circumstances can a student earn and apply in excess of 15 course credits via transfer credit towards undergraduate Brown degree requirements.        

For more information contact the study away advising deans at studyaway@brown.edu.

Office of the Registrar - Study Elsewhere

Students and concentration advisors may find instructions for incorporating non-Brown work into a student's concentration course plan in the Information Technology ASK knowledgebase.

Transfer credit is not required to grant concentration credit; your concentration advisor can recognize outside work that does not appear on your Brown transcript for concentration requirements.

Approval to use a non-Brown course to satisfy a concentration requirement is not the same as approval of that course for transfer credit. In order to use a study away or a study abroad course as a substitute for a concentration requirement, a student must obtain separate approval from their concentration advisor. This approval should be requested and recorded in the student's concentration declaration as part of their course plan.  Subject to a concentration advisor's approval, students may substitute non-Brown work for concentration requirements, whether that work appears on the student's internal academic record or not. 

In addition to courses taken elsewhere, examples might include a summer internship completed as part of a professional track, capstone, or an Engaged Scholars Program practicum.  However, some concentration advisors may make concentration credit approval conditional upon whether or not the work appears on your internal record and/or has been approved for transfer credit, so students are advised to consult with their concentration advisor for concentration-specific policies.