Getting Academic Credit

Students who study abroad / away who would like to use the courses they take at their host institution to fulfill requirements at Chico State for their major, minor, and/or general education, must obtain approval from their academic advisors for course substitutions prior to their departure.  Students who do not submit course substitution approvals will receive elective credit for the courses taken abroad or away. 

Who can approve my courses for substitutions? For...

• Major courses = Major Advisors
• Minor course = Minor Advisors
• Lower-Division GE courses =  Graduation Advisors
• Upper-Division GE Pathway courses = Pathway Coordinators(opens in new window)
• GE Minor courses = Pathway Coordinators(opens in new window) specific to the GE Minor
  
  • Note: AIFS, CSUIP & USAC have  General Education (GE) Pathway approved courses, which do not require a Pathway Coordinator's signature as they have been pre-approved for GE, but they do need a Pathway Coordinator to agree for them to count for a GE Minor.

How are course approvals submitted for substitution?

1. Fill out the Course Substitution Form (PDF) with the selected courses that meet Major, Minor and/or General Education requirements.
2. Work with your Major/Minor Advisor, Graduation Advisor and/or Pathway Coordinator for approval on selected courses (signature required on form).
3. Scan the signed form and upload to your Study Abroad & Exchange TREK account.

Tip: Select 2-3 extra courses for approval in case you need to make some changes while abroad/away.

How do I get courses approved while I am abroad or away?

Making changes to your schedule while overseas or out-of-state can be frustrating and very challenging. Every effort should be made to get as many courses authorized as possible BEFORE YOU GO, enabling you to easily make changes to your schedule while abroad.

If you are forced to make unexpected changes to your schedule while abroad, the only way to get the new courses authorized is to contact your corresponding advisor via e-mail.

Chico State’s academic advisors are extremely busy the first two weeks of school and are not always able to quickly respond to your e-mails. You will need to be as patient as possible, and make sure to keep your e-mail short, sweet, to the point, and at all times respectful.

Working with your advisor from abroad:

1. Find your advisor’s (major, minor, upper-division pathway) and Graduation Advisor's (general education) e-mail addresses. You will have recorded this in your Pre-Departure Orientation Binder, which you should have with you abroad.  If you don't have your binder, please consult the Chico State website, campus directory, or contact the Study Abroad & Exchange team.
2. Compose an e-mail to your advisor:
   • Explain what program you are on, where you are and who you are.  Be sure to include your student ID number.
   • Include a course description of the course you are planning to take and as much information on the course as possible (a syllabus is best).
   • Ask your advisor to respond to your e-mail with the following information:
     • "I approve the course ___________________ taken while studying abroad, to transfer back to Chico in the place of ___________." 
     • NOTE: They can either have it replace another course that is similar to a Chico State course or confirm which GE area it satisfies (e.g. Area B3).
3. Be sure to request that your advisor copies (cc) the Study Abroad & Exchange team ( studyabroad@csuchico.edu) with their response to you, which will ensure it gets to the Office of the Registrar.