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Credit Transfer & Transcripts

Students from over 400 colleges in the U.S. and other nations have received academic credit for IPSL programs. IPSL is what's referred to in the field as a third-party provider. Almost every university awards credit for third-party programs in one form or another, but we recommend following these steps to determine the specific policies of your university.

Steps for determining whether you can get credit for IPSL programs

1 Call or email IPSL to see whether your college/university has sent students on our programs during the past year.  If it has, then credit transfer should be fairly straightforward, but you will still need to speak to your study abroad advisor (or the appropriate person on your campus) to make sure. In some instances, an institution will give credit for one IPSL program but not another. Be sure to check about the specific IPSL program you wish to go on.

2 If your college/university has not sent students on IPSL programs in the last year, contact your study abroad advisor (or the appropriate person on your campus) to ask if IPSL programs are pre-approved for credit.


3 If IPSL credits are not pre-approved, you may have to file a petition at your college/university. Many universities have a petition process for non pre-approved programs. In order to determine whether this process exists and how it works at your university:

  1. Check your study abroad office website to determine whether they have a petition form available for download.
  2. Print our Credit Approval Information form. This provides basic information about IPSL and includes common questions about program details. If your institution does not have its own petition form, complete the items on page two with information about the IPSL program you wish to participate in.
  3. Schedule a meeting with your study abroad advisor, faculty advisor, department head, or registrar (whoever on your campus decides if a student gets credit) to determine the appropriate procedures for credit approval. Make sure to bring our information form with you.

If you need support during the petition process, call the IPSL office at 503-954-1812 or email us. We'll be happy to help.

Transcripts

An official transcript with course titles, letter grades, and number of credits is issued by the host institution upon successful completion of the program. (*NOTE - For Siena, Italy, Program ONLY: For students whose home institution requires a U.S. transcript, academic credit will be awarded upon completion of the program on an official transcript issued by a fully accredited, affiliated college or university in the U.S. Please contact IPSL for details.)

Types of credit

Colleges and universities all have individual ways in which they grant credit for international programs. Here are the most common types of credit:

  • Transfer credit - the credits you earn on the program will be applied to the total number of credits you need to graduate; however, the grades will not be calculated into your GPA. In some instances, the grades may appear on your transcript.
  • PSU Transfer credit - in some cases your school may not be able to accept credits from the partner institution abroad. This may be for a variety of reasons including the semester/quarter calculations. In these cases, IPSL's academic partner, Portland State University (PSU), will grant the credit that can then be transfered to your home school.
  • In-residence credit - the credits you earn will be applied to the total number of credits you need to graduate, and the grades will appear on your transcript and be calculated into your GPA, just as if you had taken those courses at your home institution.

For more information on which type of credit you will receive please consult your academic advisor or study abroad office.

 

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