International Education

Academic Policies

Index:

Majors, Minors and LSM

Students must declare their major, minor, and LSM prior to studying abroad. This provides students clear information about their unique degree requirements that can guide them when choosing courses abroad. It also enables staff in the Office of International Education and the Academic Advising Center to more accurately advise students prior to and during study abroad.

Bentley Partner/Affiliate Programs Application Policy

Bentley students are not permitted to submit an application directly to any Bentley partner university or affiliate organization. To earn Bentley credit, students must apply for admission through the Office of International Education by the stated deadlines. 

Course Selection and Registration

The Office of International Education makes every effort to advise students on course selection and registration prior to the start of the program; however, courses and course availability abroad can change without notice and the Office of International Education cannot be responsible for such changes. Therefore, students should plan to have alternative courses identified before departure. Only the approved courses listed in the 'Previously Approved Courses' sections in BentleyAbroad have been pre-approved for credit. We strive to have as many courses as possible approved in advance by Bentley faculty, however in some cases the large volume of courses available at a particular university makes this impractical. If students wish to take a course that is not listed, they must contact their study abroad advisor to request course approval as early as possible during their add/drop period. Students are not authorized to take any other courses abroad unless they receive written permission from a study abroad advisor. If a course is taken that has not been approved, Bentley cannot guarantee that the student will receive credit for that course.

Upon arrival, students must follow the host university's registration process to register for courses. Registration practices vary widely across universities and countries. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they are officially registered and will receive an official transcript upon completion. Students must report their finalized course registrations in BentleyAbroad soon after arrival. 

Course Load Policy

For semester programs, students must enroll in a minimum of 12 Bentley credits and meet the minimum enrollment requirements of the host institution or program. Enrolling in at least 12 Bentley credits is required to maintain full-time student status for student visa and financial aid purposes.

Required Course Policy

If the study abroad program has a required course, whether it is a requirement of Bentley or the host institution/program, Bentley mandates that students enroll in that course and remain enrolled for the duration of the program. 

Course Withdrawal Policy

Students are subject to the host university's withdrawal policy which governs if, when, and how a student may withdraw from a course. Simply informing the professor does not constitute an official withdrawal. Withdrawals will be reported on the Bentley transcript only if the host university official transcript reports a withdrawal and only if the course is not a required course. 

Language Course Policy

When registering for a language course, students must take the highest level suitable for their ability as determined by the host school placement tests. Students with a language requirement in their Bentley degree plan should contact their study abroad advisor as soon as possible after the language placement test for guidance.

Exam Policy

Students must complete all required exams onsite. In extreme situations and only at the request of the host institution, International Education staff will proctor an exam at Bentley.

Alternative Assessment Policy

Occasionally, a student might need to make arrangements to take alternative final exams (assessments); typically, this happens when students take the first half of a course that runs for the full academic year, or if the host university's academic calendar conflicts with Bentley's. In this case, students are responsible to arrange alternative assessments with their professors before returning home. When arranging an alternative assessment, it is the student's responsibility to pay careful attention to what the professor requires in order to satisfy the alternative assessment. Students must have evidence in writing of what was agreed with the professor, especially if it differs from the syllabus.

Grading Policy

Students studying abroad at Bentley partner and affiliate programs earn Bentley credits and Bentley grades for all approved courses. If the program utilizes an A-F grade scale, Bentley will post those grades in the 4.0 system.  If the host institution utilizes a different grading system, grades will be translated to the 4.0 system according to Bentley’s equivalency scale. The Bentley transcript will show the term abroad with all approved course titles, Bentley credits, and Bentley grades in the 4.0 system. 

For grade translation details, please reference the Bentley Grade Equivalencies chart. Programs not listed on the chart use a grading scale similar to Bentley's system and do not require translation.

Study abroad grades will NOT be included in the Bentley GPA calculation. Exclusion of grades from Bentley GPA calculation does not apply to non-Bentley programs, domestic study away programs, or faculty-led international courses offered by Bentley faculty.

Courses may not be taken pass/fail and students cannot choose to omit any approved course from the Bentley transcript. All approved courses will appear on the transcript regardless of whether they are needed to meet degree requirements.

Grading systems vary significantly around the world.  Students who have any issues with grades earned abroad must address them with the faculty and program administrators abroad as early as possible, ideally before returning home. Bentley is obligated to honor the courses and grades as reported by the partner institution or study abroad program. Bentley cannot change or omit any courses or grades reported by the host institution or program. For more information about transcripts and equivalencies, please visit Transcripts and Grades from Abroad.

Academic Integrity Policy

As a Bentley student abroad, students continue to be responsible for following the policies in the Bentley Student Handbook, including the academic integrity policy. Upon return to Bentley students can be held responsible for violations of policy that occur during the education abroad program.

15-Credit Placeholder Policy

Processing transcripts from a semester or summer abroad is subject to the administrative processing timeline of partners and universities abroad. Therefore the Office of International Education may not receive transcripts until after the course registration process takes place at Bentley. Students who do not receive transcripts from abroad prior to course registration will receive 15 placeholder credits on their Degree Audit. These 15 credits are temporary and will be removed after students have successfully completed housing selection and/or course registration at Bentley.

Senior Spring Semester Study Abroad Policy

Students who study abroad in spring semester of senior year likely will not complete the semester abroad in time to participate in May Commencement. Students whose schedules allow attendance at May Commencement must request permission to "walk" from the Registrar's Office.  Transcripts from the semester abroad will not be received until summer, therefore the diploma will not be issued until the next degree conferral in October.