- Semester Calendar
- Course Add / Drop
- Course Credit Requirements
- Course Withdrawal Information
- Pass/Fail Grading
- Incomplete Grade Option
- Academic Accommodations
- Attendance Policy
- Religious Observance Policy
- Responsibility for Written Work
- Academic Policy Guidelines
1. Semester Calendar
2. Course Add / Drop
Add/Drop deadline is September 23rd (by noon via email).
You may make final changes to your schedule by dropping and adding a class based on availability of the classes you are interested in.
Any changes should be made while maintaining the required minimum number of credits (15).
3. Course Credit Requirements
Minimum credits: 15
Maximum credits: 19
Course Underload
To be considered for a reduced course load (to a minimum of 12 credits per semester), a student must do the following during and no later than the add/drop period:
- Provide a valid academic reason for requesting a reduced course load;
- Get written approval of the student’s home-university;
- Get written approval of the Center Director or designated Centre Academic Advisor;
- Get written approval of the Program Dean or designated representative of the IES Abroad Academic Department.
Valid reasons for a reduced course load include alternative academic activities that are not transcripted, such as private music lessons for a music performance major or an independent research project that is evaluated by the home institution. Students may not reduce their course load to fewer than 12 transcripted credits per semester.
A student may not be excused from any course that is required by the IES Abroad Vienna program, such as a core course or a language course. The student’s intention not to transfer academic credit to the home institution does not qualify as a valid academic reason to carry reduced course credits.
Course Overload
To be considered for an increased course load, beyond the maximum credits for the program (19), a student must do the following during the add/drop period:
- Provide a valid academic reason for requesting a higher course load;
- Get written approval from a student’s home institution;
- Get written approval of the Center Director or designated Center Academic Advisor;
- Pay an IES Abroad fee for each additional credit.
A student’s home institution may charge an additional fee as well.
4. Course Withdrawal and Program Withdrawal
Course Withdrawal
Course Withdrawals are addressed on a case by case basis
Course withdrawal deadline is Thursday, November 10, 2022, at which point, a “W” will appear on a student’s transcript.
To be considered for a course withdrawal, a student must submit a Course Registration Change Form and provide the following:
- A valid academic reason for requesting a withdrawal;
- Written approval from the student’s home institution;
- Written approval from the IES Abroad Vienna Center Director or designated center academic advisor;
Withdrawals on your transcript:
After add/drop deadline, but before the Withdrawal deadline = W
After the Withdrawal deadline = F
Program Withdrawals
If a student withdraws from a program after the program has started but before the withdrawal deadline, a transcript is issued with letter grades of “W” and the date of withdrawal is recorded on the transcript.
If a student withdraws from the program after the withdrawal deadline, which is one month before the beginning of the final examination in the fall and spring terms, and two weeks before the final examination in the summer term, a transcript is issued with letter grades “F” and the date of withdrawal is recorded on the transcript.
Only students with documented family or medical emergency, as approved by the IES Abroad Dean of Student Office, will be considered eligible for receiving grades of “W” in their courses.
5. Pass/Fail Grades
A student may request Pass/Fail (P/F) grading before the Add/Drop deadline in the fall and spring terms only.
A student may request P/F grading in no more than one IES Abroad or host country institution course per term, and only under the following conditions:
The course is not mandatory for the program in which the student is enrolled, including a language course;
The course is not required for the student’s major;
The course is worth no more than four credits;
The student has written permission from the home institution to take the course on a pass/fail basis.
Requests to take an IES Abroad Vienna course on a pass/fail basis must be made before the add/drop deadline.
6. Incomplete Grades
A student must complete all courses and program requirements before leaving the program site unless a student has petitioned for and been granted an official incomplete grade through the IES Abroad center. To be considered for an Incomplete grade, a student must:
- Complete at least 75% of total class hours;
- Provide documentation of medical or family emergency;
- Submit Petition for an Incomplete Grade form
All coursework must be completed within 6 months after the end of the program date.
7. Academic Accommodations
IES Abroad makes every reasonable effort to accommodate students who have documented learning disabilities. To be considered for academic accommodations for a learning disability, a student must submit a request for accommodation to the IES Abroad Dean of Students Office no later than four weeks before the beginning of the term. The student must also provide documentation of the academic accommodations being provided at the student’s home institution. IES Abroad provides accommodations within reason, but may not be able to satisfy all requests depending on the specific requirements of the program. Note that IES Abroad cannot guarantee that host country institutions can provide academic accommodations.
8. Attendance Policy
9. Religious Observance Policy
IES Abroad makes every reasonable effort to allow members of the IES Abroad community to observe religious holidays without academic penalty. Students who must miss any part of an IES Abroad class as a result of a religious observance are offered alternatives for completing academic work that is missed.
Absence from class, an examination, a course-related trip, or another component of a course due to a religious observance does not relieve students from the responsibility of completing the academic work required for the course.
To be considered for an excused absence from, a part of a class for purposes of a religious observation, students must do the following:
- No less than one week before the date of the observance, provide written notice of the religious observance to the IES Abroad academic program manager at the Center and to the instructors of any affected courses;
- Before the date of the observance, get written directions from the instructors of any affected courses as to the work to be made up and the date(s) by which work is due.
10. Responsibility for Written Work
It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that written work is submitted and received when due. Students are expected to retain copies of all written work submitted. In cases where submission or receipt of written work cannot be documented, this is interpreted as work not completed.