This form is a part of part 2 of the application process. The first step in part 2 of your application portal is to download this form. On this form you and your advisor will list all of the courses you plan on taking abroad and how they will transfer back to USC. The EAO is not responsible for any course equivalencies. 

Completing the EAAF:

1.      Find out what courses are available at your host institution for the semester you are going abroad. If the courses have not yet been released, you can use the previous year’s courses offered during the same semester as a guide.  

2.      Consult the Course Equivalency Table which will show you how courses other USC students completed have transferred back. 

3.      If a course is not listed on the table, you can submit an evaluation request to the Registrar’s Office through the Undergraduate Course Evaluation Request Form. 

4.      Consult the International Credit Conversion Guide. Be sure you will be transferring back 12 hours, which is the minimum for full-time enrollment or 15 hours if required by your scholarships. 

5.      List a couple of additional courses to make sure you are prepared for any schedule changes that may occur. 

6.      Upload your completed form to the application portal after it is signed by you, your academic advisor and dean of your department. 

7.      If any changes are made to your courses after you submit the form, make sure the new courses are on the Course Equivalency Table and get your academic advisor's approval. You can send the updated form to our office at [email protected].

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INTL Placeholder Course  

During the term of your study abroad program, the EAO will register you in a placeholder course depending on your program type. 

• INTL 501 – Exchange program
• INTL 502 – Direct or partner program enrollment receiving a foreign transcript 
• INTL 503 - Partner program enrollment receiving a US transcript

This placeholder course is not a real class, it is used to keep you active and full-time at USC while you are abroad. This course also notifies the university that you have been approved to study abroad and will be earning your credit for that semester while abroad. 

The number of hours you’re enrolled in is standardized and not necessarily the amount of credit you will receive. The amount of credit is dependent upon what comes back on your transcript. For the semester, you will be enrolled for 15 hours, and for summer either 3 or 6 hours. 

INTL Registration Issues

The EAO cannot register you for the INTL placeholder course if you: 

• Have holds on your USC student account (e.g. advising holds, financial holds, etc.) 
• Are registered for courses at USC the semester you intend to be abroad  
• Have an incomplete application with the EAO office

Please be sure to make sure your USC bill is paid (including all USC fees, mandatory overseas insurance, etc.) by the Bursar’s payment deadlines. If not, you will be dropped from the INTL course. 

INTL Registration Timeline 

The EAO will register you in the study abroad INTL placeholder course according to the following timeline:  

Fall-Early/Mid-July

Spring-Late November/Early December

Summer-Mid-April

Please be sure to check your enrollment when you receive confirmation, to ensure you’re enrolled in the correct section based on your program and transcript type. 

You are required to be the equivalent of a full-time student at USC while abroad if you are participating in a semester or year-long program or if you are receiving financial aid for the term you are abroad.  

For an undergraduate student, full-time means 12+ hours for a fall or spring term and 6+ hours for a summer term.  Please note that some scholarships require 15 credit hours per semester to be transferred back. Be sure to check your scholarship requirements to be sure you meet their specific guidelines.

If you do not enroll in full time credit, you risk the following: 

• No tuition or program fee adjustments. You will still be expected to pay for full-time credit.  
• Repayment of financial aid 
• Repayment of scholarship funds (if required by your scholarship)  

Once the EAO receives your transcript from your time abroad (which can take from several weeks up to several months, depending on your host institution) you can expect it to take an additional 3-4 weeks before you will see the coursework appear on your USC transcript. The courses will appear at the top of your transcript with any additional transfer credit courses. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that our office receives your transcript. Please have your host institution or provider send transcripts directly to the EAO office address or office email.  Each institution has their own methods for requesting transcripts. It is important that you follow the instructions given by your host institution or provider to ensure our office receives your transcript.  

We cannot accept transcripts that come directly from students. Our office email account is [email protected].

The EAO office address is:

Education Abroad Office

University of South Carolina 

1705 College Street

Close-Hipp Building, Suite 453

Columbia, SC 29208 

Once the EAO has your transcript we will review it and scan it to the Registrar’s Office for processing. Then, you will be given a grade of “S” for the INTL placeholder. This does not impact anything. Your transfer credit will be posted to the top of your transcript with any credits that are passing or grade information if you receive a US based transcript. 

If you have any holds or balances on your account, we will be unable to process your transcript until they are settled. If courses have not been evaluated by the registrar and are not on the course equivalency table, they will need to be sent for evaluation before the registrar, delaying the processing of your transcript.

Make sure you have an understanding of how grades will be calculated at your host institution. How your grades transfer back to USC depends on the type of transcript you will receive at the end of your program. 

• US Based Transcript- If you receive a US transcript for your program then your final grades will show on your transcript. However, the grades you earn will not be factored into your GPA. If you have a scholarship GPA, these grades will be counted towards that.
• Foreign Transcript- If you receive a transcript from an institution abroad your final grades will post on your transcript as pass/fail.