Academic Information
Academic policy
Applying coursework to degree requirements
It normally takes 60-90 days for your courses and grades from abroad to appear on your UC Merced academic record. Coursework from abroad will not be officially applied to your degree requirements until your study abroad grades appear. The 60- to 90-day window also has implications for graduation.
While all UCEAP coursework is UC coursework and, therefore, automatically “transferred” to your UC Merced transcript, UCEAP coursework is not automatically applied to your degree requirements, except for unit totals.
The Academic Planning Form (APF) you complete as part of the study abroad process does not solidify the course approvals you need to meet graduation requirements. Each of the schools at UC Merced have different course approval processes and their own course approval form (Engineering, Natural Sciences, SSHA, and GE).
It is important that you collect as much course information as possible to send to the school(s) reviewing your coursework. Be sure to submit course approvals as soon as possible and include the syllabus for each course in the appropriate online form. In most cases, syllabi will suffice. Until your course substitutions are either approved or denied, the Office of International Affairs recommends that you retain as much course information and as many course assignments as possible to demonstrate your learning.
In most situations, courses must be taken for a letter grade to satisfy major or minor requirements. Although you will be able to take some courses on a P/NP basis abroad, that does not mean your school will accept those courses to meet degree requirements. Consult your academic advisor or the UC Merced Catalog for program specific information.
Credit for Degree Requirements
UCEAP Study List
For most UCEAP host institutions there is a dual process for enrollment to ensure that your UCEAP courses make it onto your academic record. Students need to follow the designated process for enrolling at the host institution (e.g. online, via email, in person, etc.) in addition to registering their courses in the UCEAP Portal. The UCEAP Study Center or UCEAP Systemwide Office will provide instructions on registration as well as dropping courses. Failure to update both your registration with the host institution and your registration in the UCEAP Study List—either adding or dropping a course—may result in any combination of the following:
- Delayed reporting of your grades by an additional six (6) months,
- Receiving an F for a course you failed to drop in the UCEAP Study List,
- Not receiving credit for a course you failed to add in the UCEAP Study List,
- Not receiving credit for a course you failed to add with the host institution,
- Lapse in your student status,
- Loss of financial aid or receiving a bill for rescinded financial aid, or
- Dismissal from UCEAP.
Residency
By residency here, we refer to academic residency at UC Merced. This will contrast with California residency, which is used for tuition purposes.
UCEAP students traditionally receive an automatic exemption to the senior residency requirement. Other study abroad students should look into this requirement.
All students with minors in SSHA and Natural Sciences must complete at least three courses toward each minor here at UC Merced (see UC Merced Catalog, Schools and Majors; see examples for American Studies, Anthropology, Applied Mathematics, Natural Sciences Education). No study abroad students are exempt from this requirement.
Graduating seniors
As mentioned above, it normally takes 60-90 days for UCEAP grades to appear on your UC Merced academic record and there is no way to rush this for seniors. This means that the soonest that seniors should anticipate being able to graduate after studying abroad with UCEAP is the regular semester after their program. Seniors should also be very prompt in submitting syllabi or any other course documentation requested in order to avoid delays in graduation.
Many students confuse commencement and graduation. Commencement is the graduation ceremony, as opposed to graduation, which is the completion of all your degree requirements. Students may have two significant concerns regarding commencement and participation in UCEAP as a senior:
- Spring semester abroad will often overlap with commencement at UC Merced. In most cases, it is not possible to take exams early in order to return for commencement. Alternatives include:
- Participating in commencement in a different year; or
- Flying home for the weekend of commencement and returning to complete the semester, a cost not covered by financial aid.
- If students wish to walk in commencement with their class but do not qualify under commencement policy, they may be able to submit a commencement appeal online with study abroad as the rationale for not walking during the commencement ceremony connected to their graduation term.
UCEAP academic policies & related academic policies
It is generally not possible to retake courses abroad. Some host university systems may have mechanisms for students to take exams again during a second exam window; this is not generally the rule. Students should not expect to be able to retake courses. In the rare instances that UC Merced considers a course abroad to be the equivalent to a specific course at UC Merced, a failed course abroad can be repeated when a student returns to campus (or vice versa).
Intensive Language Program (ILP) courses, if required, typically require that you take the course for a letter grade rather than pass/no pass credit.
Students may take no more than 1/3 of all units on UCEAP for pass/no pass credit. More details, including potential exceptions to this policy are included in the “Academic Information” section of the UCEAP Guide to Study Abroad which can be found in the UCEAP Predeparture Requirements checklist.
UC Merced Holds
If you currently have holds with UC Merced, it is your responsibility to resolve them before you depart for your program. In some cases, it may be challenging or even impossible to resolve while abroad. An unresolved hold can prevent you from registering for courses in the future and may prevent access to transcript and graduation services.
Academic expectations & differences
Class attendance
Classroom attendance policy will vary depending on the host country and the program administration. Programs such as UC Center programs and host universities with small class sizes will tend to have stricter attendance policies, grade more heavily based on participation (including attendance), or a combination of the two. In some cases more than two (2) or three (3) unexcused absences could drop your grade 10% per occurrence or cause you to fail the course automatically.
Other host universities may have more flexible attendance because the academic system values independence and setting your own pace through your studies. UCEAP encourages students to continue to attend all classes as American undergraduates are not accustomed to the pace and independent reading without guidance.
It is important to realize that, no matter what the attendance policy of your program, your program is academic in nature. Failing to attend courses can lead to academic or financial aid consequences including dismissal from the program, dismissal from the University, failed grades, academic probation, loss of financial aid eligibility, or similar results.
Please refer to the UCEAP program guide and the country-specific pre-departure orientation for more information about class attendance prior to arrival.
Classroom etiquette
Classroom etiquette abroad will vary. In the US, classroom etiquette is very informal and relaxed. Be prepared for potential differences such as:
- Whether you can eat, drink, or chew gum without offending classmates or the instructor
- Whether dress customs suggest you need to wear a uniform, collared shirts and blouses, or pants and dresses
- Whether it is appropriate to ask questions or challenge an instructor during a lesson
Please refer to the UCEAP program guide and the in person country-specific pre-departure orientation for more information about classroom etiquette and attendance prior to arrival.
