With the approval of Yale Study Abroad and the department of the student's major, a student in any major may study abroad and earn transfer credit toward the 36-course-credit requirement for graduation. Students are expected to have a 3.0 grade point average or higher; students with a GPA below a 3.0 are asked to submit an additional essay addressing their academic performance and outlining specific strategies for maintaining academic good standing abroad. Students are eligible to study abroad for one or two of the following terms: second semester of the sophomore year, first semester of the junior year, second semester of the junior year. Upon successful completion of the program abroad, Yale Study Abroad grants 4.5 credits for a term or 9 credits for two terms toward the Yale College degree. 

Program options, which provide students the opportunity to approach academic study through different cultural perspectives and/or in a foreign language, can be found on the Yale Study Abroad website. Details on the Year or Term Abroad are given in the Academic Regulations in the YCPS. See also For Deans and DUSs on the Yale Study Abroad website.

The primary areas of concern for the DUS are:

1. Giving academic advice for major requirements during the Year or Term Abroad and approving the plans of prospective and declared majors. Applicants for a Year or Term Abroad will consult the DUS of their intended major(s) about the feasibility of their plans. As DUS, you are asked to discuss the student’s plans, review the student's transcript, and determine whether the proposed course of study will interfere with completing the major. If the student hopes to use coursework completed abroad toward meeting major requirements, explain any limits to the number of outside courses that may be applied to the major and your expectations for each course (e.g., number of class hours, length of papers). The student should contact you if deviating significantly from the proposed course of study.
2. Endorsing the student's study abroad plans within the Year or Term Abroad application. Yale Study Abroad has prepared an online form for the DUS to complete and submit as part of the student’s application (see Accessing the DUS Study Abroad Approval Form below). Students are advised to send the form to the DUS at least two weeks before the Year or Term Abroad application deadline. The DUS is asked to complete the form within one week of the deadline. 
3. Approving coursework completed abroad toward fulfillment of major requirements for students who are taking part in the Year or Term Abroad program. Yale Study Abroad will copy the DUS on the student's course schedule verification message. Yale Study Abroad usually will grant transfer credit on the strength of the student’s transcript. In some cases, the relevant DUS will be consulted. However, a student who wishes to use coursework toward meeting major requirements should supply a copy of the program transcript and any written work you require, as discussed above. See Fulfilling Requirements with Outside Credit on the Yale Study Abroad website. 
4. Giving advice, as needed, for the Year or Term Abroad to students who intend to major in other departments but who wish to take courses in your discipline abroad. 
5. Approving the award of credit for students in any major who have completed international study while on a Leave of Absence from Yale. If a student chooses to take courses outside of the U.S. while on a leave of absence from Yale, the student is not enrolled in the Year or Term Abroad program. The student must seek approval from each relevant DUS, both for fulfillment of major requirements and for credit transfer toward the 36-course-credit requirement. See Request to add Coursework Completed Outside Yale under The Committee on Honors and Academic Standing in this handbook.

Questions about the Year or Term Abroad may be addressed to Kelly McLaughlin, Director of Study Abroad, Office of International and Summer Programs; Assistant Dean, Yale College.

Accessing the DUS Study Abroad Approval Form

When students apply for Year or Term Abroad, they are instructed to meet with their DUS at least 2-3 weeks in advance of the application deadline to discuss their plans for study abroad. Students request the DUS approval form electronically from the application system. The DUS then receives an email with specific instructions about how to access the form, which is to be completed and submitted online. In addition to receiving email requests, the DUS can log into the application system anytime and view a list of all DUS study abroad approval requests. 

To access pending requests:

1. Visit: https://oisp.yale.edu/mycipe-login 
2. Click on the Log In button below “Yale Faculty and Staff” to log in with a Yale NetID.