Alternative program requests require a meeting with an OCS director by November 22. Petitions to study off-campus for two semesters on one or two programs must be submitted by November 22.

The IGE faculty committee may deny an application that does not meet acceptable standards related to one or more of the following criteria:

- academic performance
- rationale essays for studying off-campus
- program selection
- conduct record
- faculty recommendation(s)

Appeals of any denial must be made within ten days of the original notification to the OCS Director, who will forward it to the IGE faculty committee for review.

Conditional approvals vary but may be related to:

- requests for revisions of a specified part of the application, such as the essays
- academic progress and GPA requirements
- program eligibility requirements that need to be fulfilled before the program start date
- final approvals from the Committee on Academic Standing to study off-campus in the final term

OCS Directors will communicate the decision to the student for discussion as to how best satisfy the condition(s). Any specific deadlines to meet the condition will be indicated in the approval notification email.

OCS consults with Student Affairs to determine whether applicants have committed any conduct or housing violations and to ascertain the circumstances surrounding any such violations. In some cases, students will be asked to submit a personal statement and meet with the OCS Director to discuss the incident(s) and implications for study away. This information will be used in determining suitability for study away and may also be shared with the program provider.

Students who will be on disciplinary probation during the term(s) they intend to study off campus are not eligible unless their program permits participation, the student appeals, and the appeal is successful. The appeal entails submitting a personal statement to the OCS Director and meeting with a panel consisting of staff and faculty.

Students who commit conduct or housing violations after their applications have been approved but before they study off campus may not be permitted to study away. If approval is revoked, the student would be fully responsible for all non-recoverable costs.

Students should be enrolled during the semester before the Grinnell Application to Study Off Campus is due. After receiving Grinnell College approval to study off campus, students must be enrolled during the semester preceding the Off-Campus Study experience. 

Students who take a leave of absence must successfully complete a semester at Grinnell before being eligible to study off campus.

Our advising process is designed to help you apply for the program and term that will be the best fit for you and changes are discouraged. If you have a compelling reason or reasons for seeking to apply to a different program or term from the one for which you received approval, contact your OCS adviser. An academic rationale as well as approval from your academic adviser(s) will be required to change programs and/or terms.

The preliminary courses listed in your application are considered to be an academic contract between you and Grinnell. Your academic adviser and OCS staff must approve any changes to your course plan after you receive your approval to study off campus. If you have any questions or concerns about a course not being considered a transferable liberal arts course based on Grinnell's curriculum, please email the syllabus to the OCS Director to be reviewed by the Office of the Registrar. Not obtaining approval for course changes could result in credit not being transferred.

You are expected to take a full course load as defined by your program or Grinnell College, which is generally 15 to 18 credits. A course load of 12 to 18 transferable credits per OCS semester is necessary to be a full time enrolled student.

Students who take a load of 15 to 18 credits generally integrate better into the program and can take full advantage of what Grinnell hopes a student will get out of the program when the student is approved for it by the College.

Language Commitment: As a condition of a student’s eligibility and approval for an Off-Campus Study program, students are required to either study the language of the host country or take courses taught in the language of the host country, if offered by the program and not the student’s native language. This standard applies whether or not language study is required by the program. Students are also expected to take advantage of at least one course that helps them learn more about the host culture and country.

Credits are evaluated according to the grading and credit systems of your Off-Campus Study program.

Course credit listed in program information is usually equivalent to the Grinnell credit. However, credits from programs on the unit system (1 credit per course) will be converted into 4 semester-credits on the Grinnell College transcript.  Many programs operating on the same semester-credit system as Grinnell offer only 3 credits per course or 15 credits for the semester for 5 courses.

Transferring over 18 credits will be assessed an overload charge.

An official transcript issued by an accredited institution or a program partner with a School of Record is required for credit to transfer.

Note: Off-Campus Study credits do not count towards the 24 credit maximum for transfer credits. Courses count as general credit towards graduation unless approved to fulfill major or concentration requirements by the relevant department.

• Credit will be awarded for liberal arts coursework consistent with Grinnell offerings as long as the student earns a C or above. Non-liberal arts courses such as marketing, journalism, tourism, fashion or design, basic photography, and food tasting will not transfer back to Grinnell. 

• Individual academic departments and concentrations determine their own policies for accepting off-campus program credits.  Approval is on a course-by-course basis. It may be granted in advance on the basis of the course description and syllabus or determined after your return to campus based on course materials that you bring back and your own academic work.  Some departments do not approve off-campus credit to count towards the major or limit it to certain kinds of courses. If you have obtained the signature of a faculty member or department chair on your OCS Proposed Courses form that it will count towards your major or concentration, the Registrar's Office will process it automatically. The Registrar's Office will also accept an email from a faculty adviser authorizing major or concentration credit.

Grades and credits for courses in which you earn a "C" or above will appear on your transcript.
Grades for courses below "C" will also appear but no credit will be transferred.
Grades are not calculated into your cumulative GPA.
OCS courses taken pass/fail will not transfer back to Grinnell, regardless of individual program policy.

Incompletes may not be taken off campus, regardless of the policy of the OCS program. All OCS coursework and final assessments must be completed by the end of the OCS program, even if the program and/or institution permits late work. Courses not completed by the end of the OCS program will not be recorded on the Grinnell transcript, even if finished at a later date.

Grinnell-in-London and Grinnell-in-Washington, DC:

Grades and credits for courses taught by Grinnell faculty will appear on your transcript and are calculated into your GPA. Students have the option to take the Grinnell-taught courses S/D/F.

Courses taught by local faculty are eligible to transfer back as described under partner programs above. Local courses will not transfer back to Grinnell if taken S/D/F.

If you decide to withdraw, immediately inform OCS staff by sending an email to: ocs@grinnell.edu. If you have already applied to your program, inform the program that you will not be participating. Please note that program deposits are normally non-refundable. There may also be substantial additional charges, depending on how close to the start of the program you decide to withdraw. Students must notify OCS in order to pre-register for on-campus courses and be eligible for College housing.

Students are bound by Grinnell's travel policy, which is currently being adapted to align with U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories. Students are eligible to appeal this policy for study in certain countries and should contact the OCS Director for more information.