Start on our main webpage, and then click on “Get Started” to see the process one step at a time. 

Like many aspects of off-campus study, the answer to this question depends on the student. Please take a look at the Choosing a Term page for important information about how to determine which term is best for you. 

You should start the Off-Campus Study process at least 2 semesters in advance of the intended term off-campus. Refer to our timeline information as often as you need to as a reminder of when you should be working on certain tasks. 

Unless a program is an Academic Year term only (London School of Economics, Oxford, University College London, etc.), students should expect to be off-campus for a maximum of one semester term.

Students may, however, enroll in a semester program and one or more summer programs.

Please follow the instructions you see in Step 3 on the Get Started page. 

The pre-approved list is meant to be comprehensive but not exhaustive. If a program that meets your academic goals is not represented on the list, your OCS Advisor will guide you through the Individual Program Approval Request process, which can be found on the OCS Programs page.

Please make sure you have gone through the first 3 steps listed on the Get Started page, including meeting with an OCS Advisor, before you submit an individual program approval request. 

Please follow each step outlined on the Get Started & Application Process page to understand how and when to open a program application (Step 5).

If you have a question about something in your F&M Off-Campus portal, you should contact your F&M OCS Advisor with your question. If you have a question about the application for the program that you are applying to, you should contact your program advisor within that organization.

Transcripts can be requested from the Academics tab of InsideF&M. You can send either a hard-copy transcript or an official digital transcript.  For detailed instructions, please visit the Transcript Request page. 

Your transcript from the program should be sent directly to the F&M Registrar’s Office. The contact is:

Sarah Esh, Associate Registrar
Registrar’s Office, Franklin & Marshall College
P.O. Box 3003
Lancaster, PA 17604-3003

You may also wish to have an additional transcript sent to your home or campus address for your own record.

The F&M Off-Campus Study deadlines are posted on the timeline page. These deadlines supersede the individual program deadlines UNLESS the program deadline is before the F&M deadline. In that circumstance, your OCS Advisor will work with you to ensure you complete all items before the earlier program deadline.

Your program wants to make sure that our office knows about your application and that we approve you to apply to that program. Information about how that process is handled by our office is available in the "NEXT STEPS" document in the OCS APPROVAL materials in your  F&M Off-Campus portal.)

Yes! Remember to look at your Degree Works! You may be able to earn credit toward your major, minor, and/or distribution requirements (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Non-Western, Language Studies) while off campus. You will work with your Academic Advisor, a faculty member in the relevant department, and your OCS Advisor to see about getting courses pre-approved. There will also be a more formal course approval process that you will go through later in the application process. 

Please visit the Academic Policy page for additional resources.

For any courses that you take that do NOT apply to your distribution, major or minor credits, you will most likely just receive general elective credit so that you accrue credits needed to graduate. There ARE certain categories of courses that cannot transfer back to F&M for any kind of credit, even general elective credit: Courses in vocational/pre-professional/career, physical education, engineering, drafting, military science, criminal justice, communications/journalism, tourism/hospitality, most education courses, music lessons, and wine/gastronomy courses may not be transferred back to Franklin & Marshall for credit.

If you have a question about whether or not a course can be taken for credit, ask your F&M OCS Advisor. 

Please visit the Academic Policy page for additional resources.

The general rule is: 4 U.S. semester credit hours = 1 F&M credit.

When you are looking at your program, calculate the number of U.S. semester credit hours and then divide by 4 to determine the F&M credit equivalent. For a semester, you must enroll in what is considered a full-time schedule abroad, which is determined to be 15-16 U.S. semester credit hours, or 4 F&M credits.

For students taking courses directly at a university abroad, you may have to do two calculations. For example, at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, 15 points = 4 U.S. semester credit hours = 1 F&M credit.

Please visit the Academic Policy page for additional resources.

• Remember that you will not need ALL courses from off-campus to count toward your major/minor. You can enroll in courses that you are interested in that might transfer as one of your Gen Ed distribution credits or will just come back as general elective credit.
• If you have an intended major/minor, remember to us the “What If” feature in your Degree Works to see what requirements you would have for that major/minor.
• Have conversations with faculty in your intended major/minor department(s).
• You can still have courses evaluated by faculty in our formal course pre-approval process that we’ll give you access to about 3 months prior to departure. Even if you haven’t declared, we will still contact the department through this process to see if the course(s) could count toward your intended major/minor.
• If you still have not declared your major/minor when your transcript from off-campus arrives in the F&M Registrar’s Office, the credit will simply be applied as general elective credit initially (except for the categories of courses listed in the “What other courses can I take” question above). Then once you have officially declared, the credit can be applied according to how it was pre-approved.

Please visit the Academic Policy page for additional resources.

It is very common for your courses to change once you arrive on your program. There could be course cancellations, scheduling conflicts, or a number of other reasons that your course enrollment is not exactly how you planned it. Please don’t panic!

For courses you just want general elective credit for, there is nothing you need to do about the changes other than keep in mind the categories of courses not appropriate for any type of credit at F&M (see “What other courses can I take?” above). If you want to make sure the course is appropriate for general elective credit, email your OCS Advisor.

For courses that you would like to fulfill major, minor, or distribution credit, there is a formal process in your portal that you’ll access. On the start date of your program, your offcampus.fandm.edu portal will provide a new document titled “Additional Course Approval Process”, which will walk you through your next steps. 

Please visit the Academic Policy page for additional resources.

Except for campus employment packages, all other financial aid applies as normal to semester and academic year programs, including any aid you would normally receive for your F&M room and board. Students who have financial aid should contact the Financial Aid Office for specifics about how your financial aid would apply to your chosen program.

Please visit the Financial Policy page for additional resources.

Yes! You can find information about scholarships offered by F&M, your chosen program, the U.S. government, and other organizations on the Scholarships page. 

You are responsible for all deposits, housing fees, and any other non-tuition fees. All program deposits are to be paid directly to your program by you (this deposit will be credited back to you in some way, either on your program housing bill or on your F&M student account).

For U.S. citizens, you can find more information on how to apply for or a renew a passport online at www.travel.state.gov/passport. If you are not a U.S. citizen, please confirm passport requirements with your home country. Please remember:  Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your return date in order to obtain permission to enter your host country. If your passport will expire early, you should renew your passport. 

Your Off-Campus Study program should provide you with specific information regarding any visa requirements and the process to obtain a visa. It is important to note that not all countries require student visas, and that visa requirements are different for non-U.S. citizens.

If you are required to obtain a visa, it is important that you begin your application as soon as you are allowed to, and you should carefully read all required visa materials provided by your Off-Campus Study program. Students who have questions about their specific visa process should first contact the advisor for the program they're applying to, but you can also contact your F&M Off-Campus Study Advisor for support.

Lori Foust is F&M's Residential Coordinator. She will contact you while off campus to arrange the housing lottery and roommate matching for when you return to campus. If you have any specific requests or concerns, you should contact her directly. Otherwise you should continually check your F&M email while abroad, and make sure to read and respond to emails from Ms. Foust.

Midway through your off-campus semester, the F&M Registrar's Office will email you with instructions for F&M class registration for the following semester. Please be sure to regularly check your F&M email for any emails from Laura Medvic or the Registrar's office. If you have any specific questions or concerns, you should contact the F&M Registrar's office directly. 

Please reference this checklist for specific tips and reminders for the week and month before you go.