Obtain General Education (GE) Credit for Courses

Substitution of GE Requirements Request

You can request approval for courses to count as GE credit by completing a Student Petition: Substitution of GE Requirements through the Committee on Courses of Instruction (CCI). CCI has final approval over which, if any, courses may be used to satisfy GE requirements. Allow up to 4-6 weeks for your request to be reviewed – start early! If your academic plan relies on satisfying specific GEs while abroad, you should seek pre-approval rather than assume your courses abroad will count toward your GEs. If you have any questions about the petition process, please contact the CCI Analyst at cci@ucsc.edu.

Please note that CCI approval is not guaranteed.

The DC requirement must be taken at UCSC.

*You can request GE substitution approval at anytime (before, during, or after your program), but it is recommended you request approval before departure if you need to satisfy GE credit while abroad. In addition to course information, including the syllabus, you should be prepared to provide:

• Student’s Response GE Questions for Substitution of GE Requirements (Student's Response GE Questions can be found by clicking the pertinent GE category and scrolling to the bottom of the page.)
• Confirmation of instructor support of Student's Response to GE Questions.  An email exchange or a letter signed by your instructor, confirming the accuracy of your statements, and explaining the reason this substitution is valid,  is sufficient for this requirement. A pdf of your instructor’s confirmation can be attached to your petition. Please provide documentation that you attempted to obtain instructor support. If you are unable to secure instructor support, you should submit documentation showing your attempt to contact the instructor. 

Make sure you save all of your course-related materials from abroad in case they are needed for review, including:

• Course syllabus (translated if necessary)
• Course textbook name or reading list (translated if necessary)
• Written assignments for the class (translated if necessary)
• Tests and quizzes (translated if necessary)

Are you requesting GE approval for a study abroad course that is not yet listed on your UCSC transcript?

Courses and grades from abroad can take up to four months to transfer back and appear on your UCSC transcript. Whether you have not yet started your program abroad or are waiting for your study abroad courses to be added to your UCSC transcript, you can request GE approval via the CCI Student Petition: Substitution of GE Requirements petition process above (see guidance above). 

AFTER your study abroad course, grade, and units have been added to your UCSC transcript, email the Office of the Registrar’s Academic Advisement Team (advsys@ucsc.edu) to request that your approved GE be applied to your study abroad course. Please be specific regarding the course taken; include the CCI approval email if possible.

Are you requesting GE approval for a study abroad course that is already listed on your UCSC transcript?

If your study abroad courses, grades, and units are already listed on your UCSC transcript, complete the request for GE approval via the CCI Student Petition: Substitution of GE Requirements petition process (see guidance above). If your study abroad course is approved for GE substitution, the Office of the Registrar will apply the GE designation to the approved course on your UCSC academic record within three weeks.