Applying & Going

Form Submission: 

1. Before filling out the form:
   1. Review the courses that are being offered.  These can be found on the program brochure page or the Course Search.
   2. Make sure you have your Academic Advisors name and email.  In some case you may only have a group mailbox of your academic advising team.
2. Click the link to the eCSF form - this can be found on the program brochure page.
3. Login using USF Single sign-on.
4. Enter your U-Number (UID) and current Major.
5. Select the EAO Program and Term from the drop-down lists.
6. IMPORTANT: Carefully read the instructions in the greyed-out box.  Failure to follow the instructions will result in the form being voided and having to re-submit.
7. Select the courses you would like to take, being sure to follow the instructions outlined above.
8. Fill in your academic advisor’s name or group name and email (CAS students can find their advising groups here).
9. If you have any comments for your academic advisor regarding your selections, please enter them in the "Notes to the Advisor" box.
10. Carefully review everything you have entered so far.
11. Review the Acknowledgment and enter your full name in the "Digital Signature" box.
12. Click Submit.  The submitted form will be sent to your academic advisor (or group) for review.  You will also get a confirmation email. 
     

After Form Submission:

1. After the form has been reviewed by academic advising you will get an email with a link to view, open the link.
2. If the form says "Your request has been approved...": 
   1. Copy the URL from your course selection decision page.
   2. In a new browser window open your Study Abroad Application and click on the questionnaire "Electronic Course Selection Form".
   3. Paste the URL from the course selection decision link into the questionnaire and click "Submit".
3. If the form says "Your academic adviso could not compete the review...":
   1. Review the notes the academic advisor placed on the review form.  Follow the directions that the advisor wrote.
   2. If the advisor recommends selecting a different course, you will need to submit a new form (step 1 above) based on their recommendations.
   3. They may request that you make an appointment with them to review.
   4. If you have questions regarding the notes, please reach out to your academic advisor. 

The CAF is a paper form and is used for exchange, affiliate and non-affiliate programs.  In some instances, the Affiliate program CAF may be pre-filled.  For both Exchange and Affiliate programs, many of the courses offered by the host institution may already have USF equivalencies that have been approved by academic departments, and can be found in our Course Search.

Here are the steps to complete the Course Approval Form (CAF):

1. Meet with your academic advisor to discuss your intent to go abroad. You should determine the kinds of classes you are looking for abroad (General elective? Within major elective? Etc.) and what kinds of courses will be degree applicable.
2. Use the Education Abroad Course Search to see what classes have been approved in recent years. If any of the classes available on this database work for you, then your education abroad advisor can normally sign for the USF course equivalent on the course approval form for those courses. Education Abroad Course Search.
3. Collect all syllabi/course outlines for your desired overseas courses and submit them along with the Course Approval Form (CAF) to your education abroad program advisor. The education abroad advisor will contact the corresponding departments at USF with the overseas course syllabi to request a USF course number. This process may take a good deal of time, so you are advised to begin the process several months before departure. Your major academic advisor may assist with classes within your home department (EXCEPT for students in the College of Arts and Sciences, who should send the courses to their education abroad office program advisor first to be evaluated through a centralized process).
4. Once the USF course equivalencies are signed on the Course Approval Form (CAF), you must meet with your major academic advisor to discuss how the courses will impact degree progression. Only your major academic advisor can determine if a course counts towards degree requirements.
5. Your major academic advisor will indicate on the Course Approval Form (CAF) if the courses meet a graduation requirement by checking the Grad Req.?* Yes or No boxes. Then your major academic advisor will include any advising notes and finally sign the bottom of the form. There have been cases where we have petitioned Undergrad Studies to approve a course taken abroad as satisfying an Enhanced General Education requirement. Study Abroad is also a HIP. Therefore, we encourage Advisors to add us much detail in the notes in the event that there are other ways host-location courses can aid degree progression.
6. You must submit the completed Course Approval Form (CAF) in your USF Education Abroad application requirements and via email to your education abroad program advisor. Please keep a copy for your records. If you are anticipating financial aid, you will need the Course Approval Form (CAF) to complete the SAE Form -- study abroad financial aid contract. 

Please keep in mind that courses abroad may fill up or become unavailable—therefore it is advisable to have many courses approved on the form.

Q: What does “Direct Credit Program” mean?
A: This means that the credit offered on this program is through USF (led by our faculty, reviewed by our departments, etc.). You will be registered for the credit by our office prior to starting the program and will see that registration Student Self-Service (formerly OASIS) / Canvas—just as if you were taking the class on campus.

Q: What if I want to change my classes?
A: If you change classes you must notify your Education Abroad Advisor and your Academic Advisor. Please note, you are subject to the same withdrawal and late registration policies as you are on campus so changes to courses after the program date may result in late registration fees or W grades.

Q: How does this impact my GPA at USF?
A: Students have three GPAs at USF: 1. Institutional (courses taken at USF), 2. Transfer (courses that are from outside USF), and 3. Overall (average of institutional and transfer). Grades earned on this program impact your institutional and overall GPA.

Q: Can I take these courses pass (S) / fail (U)?
A: S/U grades are possible as per regular campus policy. This is a contract between you and your faculty member and should be agreed to prior to beginning the course.

Q: Will this count for my degree at USF?
A: Please see your academic advisor. This course counts towards USF residency.

Q: Will this count for financial aid?
A: Every student’s financial aid situation is different. Different awards have their own requirements. You will need to speak to a USF financial aid advisor for your specific situation. Be sure to tell them you are on a “direct credit program.” Aid will likely not disburse until after the beginning of classes abroad. Please speak to USF University Scholarship and Financial Aid Services.

 

Q: What does “Exchange Credit Program” mean?
A: The nature of exchange agreements allow for USF to add their partner’s courses to a student’s transcript using the “ISE 0001” holding course. This means that the credit offered on this program comes back to USF after the host school sends USF a transcript, but the credit counts towards USF residency. So students will appear to be in 0 hours of the ISE 0001 holding course until after the program is over.

Q: What if I want to change my classes?
A: If you change classes you must notify your Education Abroad Advisor and your Academic Advisor. This will likely mean you will need to submit new course approvals. Students are subject to the add/drop policies of their host institutions and should speak to the international advisor abroad for clarification on the host school.

Q: How does this impact my GPA at USF?
A: Students have three GPAs at USF: 1. Institutional (courses taken at USF), 2. Transfer (courses that are from outside USF), and 3. Overall (average of institutional and transfer). Grades earned on this program impact your institutional and overall GPA.

Q: How will classes look on my transcript?
A: Once a transcript is received from our partner abroad, we will build the courses into your transcript using the ISE 0001 holding course. The USF course number will appear in the title. So if a class titled “Japanese History” is approved as HIS 4930 Selected Topics by the USF History Department for 3 USF credit hours, it will appear is:
Course Number House Title
ISE 0001 3 HIS 4930 Japanese History

Q: Who do I go to for approvals?
A: Every department is responsible for its own course numbers. So even though a student is majoring in business, they must seek out the Department of World Language Education if they wish to take French overseas. Once they have the course number for the French class, they seek out their academic advisor’s approval for taking that particular course. It is recommended that students initiate the process by e-mail with the approving department’s advisor. The Education Abroad Office can help students determine the right person to contact first.

Q: May I take these courses pass (S) / fail (U)?
A: USF must report grades as they appear on a transfer record. If the host has an S/U equivalent, you must request it from them.

Q: May I audit a course?
A: USF must report grades as they appear on a transfer record. If a course is on the transcript we must bring it back.

Q: Will this count for my degree at USF?
A: Please see your academic advisor. This course counts towards USF residency.

Q: Will this count for financial aid?
A: Every student’s financial aid situation is different. Different awards have their own requirements. You will need to speak to a USF financial aid advisor for your specific situation. Be sure to tell them you are on an “exchange credit program.” However, if your aid does apply to your program you will need to submit a Study Abroad Financial Aid Contract (SAE form) before you go and a Verification of Enrollment letter (VoE) once your program starts. Aid will likely not disburse until after the beginning of classes abroad, once the needed documents are submitted. Please speak to USF University Scholarship and Financial Aid Services for details.

Q: What does “Transfer Credit Program” mean?
A: This means that our partner overseas is granting the credit for the program. They will issue a transcript once your coursework is done to the USF Education Abroad Office. Our registrar will add the credit to your transfer record.

Q: What if I want to change my classes?
A: If you change classes you must notify your Education Abroad Advisor and your Academic Advisor. This may mean getting new paperwork if the new course wasn’t approved previously.

Q: How does this impact my GPA at USF?
A: Students have three GPAs at USF:

1. Institutional (courses taken at USF),
2. Transfer (courses that are from outside USF), and
3. Overall (average of institutional and transfer). Grades earned on this program impact your transfer and overall GPA.

Q: Who do I go to for approvals?
A: Every department is responsible for its own course numbers. So even though a student is majoring in business, they must seek out the Department of World Language Education if they wish to take French overseas. Once they have the course number for the French class, they seek out their academic advisor’s approval for taking that particular course. It is recommended that students initiate the process by e-mail with the approving department’s advisor. The Education Abroad Office can help students determine the right person to contact first.

Q: Can I take these courses pass (S) / fail (U)?
A: USF must report grades as they appear on a transfer record. If the host has an S/U equivalent, you must request it from them.

Q: Will this count for my degree at USF?
A: Please see your academic advisor. While 30 of your last 60 hours must be considered USF credit, some departments have additional residency requirements.

Q: Will this count for financial aid?
A: Every student’s financial aid situation is different. Different awards have their own requirements. You will need to speak to a USF financial aid advisor for your specific situation. Be sure to tell them you are on a “transfer credit program.” However, if your aid does apply to your program you will need to submit a Study Abroad Financial Aid Contract (SAE form) before you go and a Verification of Enrollment letter (VoE) once your program starts. Aid will likely not disburse until after the beginning of classes abroad, once the needed documents are submitted. Please speak to USF University Scholarship and Financial Aid Services for details.