University Studies Credit: Students may earn SINQ, Junior Cluster, and Capstone credit abroad. These are great options for students in majors that are not flexible or majors that do not require many elective courses.
Overseas Credit: All PSU Education Abroad-approved programs have been vetted and reviewed by the Internationalization Council to meet NWCCU academic standards. Students take most courses for a letter grade, and are in-residence, PSU (not transfer) credit. Students are only allowed to apply 45 credits toward their degree requirements.
Internships: Many students choose to complete internships abroad, these range from a few hours per week to full-time placements abroad. Students receive credit for these programs, most placements are unpaid.
Making the Most of Financial Aid: Students eligible for financial aid may be able to apply their financial aid toward their program fee. Meeting with their financial aid advisor early will help students develop a funding strategy to help them access any available aid.
Pell Grant Students: Students may be able to use their Pell Grants toward their program fee, receiving this funding also gets them access to the Gilman Scholarship, which is worth up to $5,000.
Veteran's Benefits: Students may use their VA benefits on their study abroad programs, it depends on the program and it depends on the specific benefits package the student is using. They should talk with their Education Abroad Advisor for details.
Scholarships: PSU Education Abroad has modest scholarships (ranging from $500 - $1000) toward programs. Our partners also offer a variety of scholarships and we work with students one-on-one to determine the best avenue for funding. Ed Abroad hosts workshops throughout the year to help students find as much funding for their programs as possible. Just direct students to our events page.
Affordable Programs: Some programs are equal to or less than the cost of attendance at PSU, so studying abroad does not have to break the bank! We specifically source partners abroad who can offer competitively priced programs for our students.
Tuition-Free Degree: At this time, unfortunately, students may not apply Tuition-Free Degree toward their program fee, however, participating on a study abroad program does not impact their eligibility for the program.
The following section focuses especially, but not exclusively, on education abroad programs. Credits for faculty-led programs use simplified processes to award credits.
How does the course equivalency and transcription process work for education abroad programs?
- Students discuss course selection options with their academic advisor, ideally, prior to departure.
- Students choose/register for courses abroad on their education abroad program.
- PSU Education Abroad registers students in OSEA placeholder credits at PSU.
- Students collect relevant course information for all courses they are taking and submit info to PSU Education Abroad advisors. They are asked to submit syllabi while they are still abroad, however not all students complete this requirement prior to their return.
- PSU Education Abroad receives official overseas transcripts or grade reports.
- PSU Education Abroad works with academic departments to determine each course's PSU equivalency. PSU will send a copy of the syllabus along with this course equivalency to document the approval from each academic department.
- PSU Education Abroad reports credits and grades to the Registrar's Office.
- Credits appear in DARS, and academic advisors apply credits to degree requirements.
Why are so many credits coded with OSEA prefixes?
Study abroad students often register for "placeholder credits" using the OSEA (Overseas Study Abroad) course designator for the term(s) they are abroad. These placeholder credits allow students to maintain their PSU student status while participating in an international experience. Once a student’s overseas transcript or grade report is processed, OSEA credits are replaced by the approved course equivalency for the course taken abroad.
It is common for there to be no course at PSU that is exactly equivalent to the one a student takes abroad. In these cases, departments will assign a -99 or a -10 suffix to the course as a special studies course. This allows flexibility to award credit for courses taken in a given academic area but that isn’t offered as part of the PSU curriculum - or to award credit for a course that doesn’t have exactly the same content as one at PSU.
If a course taken abroad is an exact equivalent to the course at PSU, it may be articulated with the same course designator as that course.
Why is Jen Hamlow or Ron Witzcak listed as the instructor of record for courses in my department?
The Director of Education Abroad is listed as the instructor of record for all OSEA placeholder courses, as well as for courses taken overseas that have been articulated by PSU academic departments. This is simply a function of creating the placeholders and assigning PSU final credit. Neither Mr. Witczak (former Director) nor Ms. Hamlow (current Director) are instructing the courses, nor are they signing off on the department credit articulation review.
A student has returned from study abroad and wants courses to be applied to their degree requirements, but they didn’t review these courses with an advisor prior to going abroad. Now what?
We encourage students to proactively discuss their academic plan with you in advance of going abroad, and while they are abroad if there is a change. If they failed to do this, or if the courses they took were not in line with what had been agreed to, the department has the discretion to handle it as they see fit. In order to make a determination of how to assign credits, some departments will request to see detailed course information (syllabus, course materials, notes, tests, textbooks, etc.) or otherwise ask the student to demonstrate how they have met the learning outcomes for the academic requirement to which they are trying to apply their academic credits.
In reviewing the course syllabus, it’s not entirely clear what the qualifications of the faculty are. How can I be sure that the overseas faculty are qualified to teach this course?
As part of the program vetting and assessment process, PSU Education Abroad and the Internationalization Council review required qualifications for teaching on the program, and ensure that all instructors are meeting the same minimum required qualifications for applying to the adjunct instruction pool at PSU. “Master’s Degree in field of instruction (or closely related field); and Previous teaching experience.” This expectation is also included in the contract between PSU and the overseas educational partner. If at any time a department wishes to review the CV of the overseas instructor prior to articulating a PSU course equivalency, a request should be made directly to PSU Education Abroad to collect the documentation from the overseas partner.
How long will it take for credits to transfer back and be available in DARS?
Our goal is to have overseas transcripts processed 1-2 terms after the student returns from their study abroad program. Occasionally, processing can take longer. PSU Education Abroad must receive the student’s official transcript from the international institution before processing can begin and in some cases, transcripts do not arrive until a student is already back on campus.
We prioritize processing for students who have an urgent need, such as impending graduation or scholarship/financial aid requirements. Please keep in mind that credits will often not be reflected in DARS in time to inform course selection for the term immediately following a student’s return. If a student is two terms from their anticipated graduation date and credits haven’t yet appeared, please contact edabroad@pdx.edu to request expedited processing.
If you have received an email from PSU Education Abroad with questions pertaining to course articulation, thank you for responding as soon as possible. Your prompt feedback helps keep the process moving efficiently.
PSU Education Abroad is requesting that I approve a course equivalency but the syllabus is insufficient. Where can I get more information about the course content and learning outcomes?
We advise students to bring home their course materials and save them in case their department requests to see them when evaluating the course or applying the credits toward degree requirements. Examples of materials that students have shared in the past include the course’s reading list, course packet, their lecture notes, tests, homework, textbooks, essays, a description of their assignments, etc. Please note that some institutions base grades largely on mid-semester and/or final exams, which may not always be returned to students.