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Academic Planning

Korea University

Courses and Grades

Partner Programs

All Partner Program courses are awarded UC credit. Your courses will appear on your UCSC transcript, grades will be calculated into your UCSC GPA, and the credits will be converted into quarter units and added to your total credits toward graduation.

Placeholder Course

All students will be enrolled in a 15-credit placeholder course at UCSC for each term they are abroad/away on a Partner Program. The placeholder course will be replaced with your host university’s courses, credits, and grades after your partner program transcript has been received by UCSC.

Looking up Courses

Follow the instructions on your Partner Program program page and use current course listings to determine if the university has the appropriate offerings in any particular subject area. At the time of nomination, course offerings for the following year may not be available, in which case you need to rely upon current or previous courses.

Global Learning Approval Form

As part of your Partner Program Nomination Form in the Global Learning Portal, you must get academic approval from your Major/Minor and College Advisors through the Global Learning Approval (GLA) Form.

Make a Copy of the Global Learning Approval Form.

Note: you will need to be logged in to your @ucsc.edu Google account in order to access this form.

The GLA Form will assist you in planning out your academics before, during, and after study abroad/away. It provides an opportunity to discuss with your Major/Minor and College Advisors your overall academic plan at UCSC and on your program.

Once you open the form, go to “Share” at the top right-hand corner of the GLAF google sheet and go to General Access > “Anyone with the link” and change the "Viewer" access to "Editor" access to ensure that your advisors can edit it. After the GLA Form is e-signed by all of your advisors, share the link in the Academic Planning and Approval section of your Nomination Form in the Global Learning Portal.

If your proposed plan changes at any time after submitting the GLA Form, please consult your Major/Minor and College Advisors.

Important Considerations

Repeating a Course through Partner Programs

You cannot replace a grade earned abroad through Partner Programs by taking a similar class upon your return to UCSC. Similarly, it is not possible to get credit for a course through Partner Programs that you have already taken at UCSC. Grades earned through Partner Programs are final.

Pass/No Pass

Students in good academic standing may request to take specific courses on a Pass/No Pass basis. Students receive a P (Pass) for work that is performed at C level or better. Work performed at below a C level receives a notation of NP on the student’s transcript, and no academic credit is awarded for the course. Requests for Pass/No Pass grading must be submitted and confirmed by the Grade Option deadline printed in the Academic and Administrative Calendar (by the fall quarter deadline for fall semester programs and winter quarter deadline for spring semester programs). If you request P/NP grading in a course and you are later placed on academic probation, your P/NP grading request will be canceled.

No more than 25 percent of the UCSC credits applied toward graduation may be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. Students must be careful about the use of the Pass/No Pass option. Some courses may only be taken Pass/No Pass, and therefore count against the 25 percent Pass/No Pass limit. Several majors require all or most major requirements to be taken for a letter grade; read the major requirements section carefully before using the Pass/No Pass option for any course in a major you are considering.

Undeclared Students

Students who have not declared their major at the time of their study abroad/away nomination must be able to declare before departure.

Seniors Abroad/Away

All senior standing students abroad/away must meet the UCSC Senior Residency requirement. Partner Program students may satisfy the requirement in either of two ways:

  1. Complete 35 of final 45 credits at UCSC before participating on study abroad/away
    --OR--
  2. Complete 35 of final 90 credits at UCSC with a minimum of 10 credits completed at UCSC after study abroad/away participation.

Discuss senior residency with your College advisor.

Graduating on a Partner Program

It may be possible to have your final quarter as a UCSC student be spent abroad, assuming you have met all of your degree requirements and fulfilled the senior residency requirement. You should consult with your college and department advisers to see if you would be eligible to graduate after your abroad program. Remember, however, that grades can take up to 4 months after the end of your Partner Program to be posted to your UC transcript. While you can declare candidacy during your final quarter, your degree will not be conferred until your courses, grades, and units from abroad have been added to your UCSC transcript. 

Study abroad/away through Partner Programs During 5th Year

Students who find it challenging to participate in study abroad/away during their regular four years at UCSC may consider spending part of or their entire 5th year abroad/away. This is generally acceptable provided you do not return to take courses at UCSC. You should consult with both your college advisor to confirm this is an option for you and Financial Aid to see if aid may be available for a 5th year as Financial Aid can be limited during a 5th year. 

How to Obtain Major or Minor Credit

See the page above for steps on how to obtain major or minor credit.

How to Obtain General Education (GE) Credit

See the page above for steps on how to obtain General Education (GE) credit.