Study Abroad Policies

Eligibility

To be eligible to study abroad on any type of program, all RIT students must:

  • Be matriculated at RIT. A student cannot audit a study abroad course
  • Be cleared by RIT’s Conduct and Conflict Resolution office
  • Not have a financial hold on their eServices account
  • Be in good academic standing and have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the time of application (students with lower GPAs may appeal and will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
  • Meet any program-specific eligibility requirements such as pre-requisites, class level, etc.
  • Attend a mandatory Pre-Departure program

Program-specific Cancellation/Withdraw/Refund Policies

Students are subject to their affiliate provider’s withdrawal/cancellation/refund policies. RIT has the right to deny student participation at any time, which may result in the student incurring financial penalties with the affiliate. Reasons may include but are not limited to: 

  • Failing to attend/participate in all required meetings, classes, and events, such as Pre-Departure.
  • Failing to remain in good academic standing or going on academic probation.
  • Failing to resolve any RIT holds (such as Student Financial Services hold, etc.) that prevent RIT Global from billing or registering.
  • Incurring a severe conduct violation which results in RIT administrators disqualifying the student for participation.

Students who cancel or withdraw from an affiliate program prior to the first day of classes will receive a full refund of the RIT Administrative Program Fee. Students who withdraw on or after the first day of classes will not receive a refund for the RIT Administrative Program Fee.

RIT will not reimburse students for out-of-pocket expenses spent on any program, such as flights, etc.

Failure to successfully complete the entire program could result in students failing their course(s) or receiving a W for withdrawal. Students are also responsible for understanding how these decisions affect their financial aid.

RIT reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

Once a student confirms their participation in an RIT-organized program, they are billed a non-refundable deposit which is a portion of the total program fee. The following additional refund policies apply:

  • Global Campus Programs
    • If a student withdraws 30 days or more from the first day of classes, the student shall be entitled to a refund of any program fees paid, except for the non-refundable deposit.
    • If a student withdraws fewer than 30 days before the first day of classes, in addition to the non-refundable deposit, the student is responsible for paying the remainder of the program fee but will not be responsible for paying RIT tuition for the program.
    • No refunds for the program fee, deposit, or tuition will be granted on or after the first day of classes.
       
  • Faculty-Led Programs
    • Travel enhancement faculty-led programs (travel usually takes place in terms different than the course, for example, Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter Break, including Spring/Spring Break programs):
      • If a student withdraws 60 days or more before the published arrival date, the student shall be entitled to a refund of any program fees paid, except for the non-refundable deposit. If the student withdraws fewer than 60 days before the published arrival date, in addition to the non-refundable deposit, the student is responsible for paying the remainder of the program fee. For these programs, tuition is part of the semester load, so no tuition refund will be granted because no tuition was charged. No refunds will be granted on or after the published arrival date.
    • Summer faculty-led (Course and travel take place in summer term): If a student withdraws 30 days or more before the published arrival date, the student shall be entitled to a refund of any program fees paid, except for the non-refundable deposit. If a student withdraws from the program fewer than 30 days before the published arrival date, in addition to the non-refundable deposit, the student will also be responsible for paying the remainder of the program fee but will not be responsible for paying RIT tuition for the program. No refunds for the program fee, deposit, or tuition will be granted on or after the published arrival date.

All arrival dates will be published in the Compass.

  • RIT Exchange Programs
    • Students are subject to the exchange provider’s withdrawal/cancellation/refund policies for any fees paid directly to the provider. Students may withdraw from the program up until the first day of classes and receive a refund for RIT tuition for the program. There is no refund for tuition upon and after the first day of classes.
    • RIT does not reimburse students for any out-of-pocket expenses spent on any program, such as flights, etc.

Study Away Programs

If a student withdraws 60 days or more before the first day of classes, the student shall be entitled to a refund of any program fees paid, except for the non-refundable deposit. If the student withdraws fewer than 60 days before the first day of classes, in addition to the non-refundable deposit, the student is responsible for paying the remainder of the program fee. Tuition refunds follow the regular RIT tuition refund policy outlined here.

RIT does not reimburse students for any out-of-pocket expenses spent on any program, such as flights, etc.

Cancellation/Refund Policies for All Programs

If a student fails to comply with the requirements of the program within the timelines stated above and, therefore cannot participate in the overseas trip, they are responsible for paying the total program fee. These requirements could include but are not limited to:

  • Failing to secure a passport or renew a passport if necessary.
  • Failing to secure a visa if necessary.
  • Failing to attend/participate in all required meetings, classes, and events, such as Pre-Departure.
  • Failing to adhere to curricular requirements as outlined by the faculty director in the syllabus or otherwise.
  • Failing to remain in good academic standing or going on academic probation.
  • Failing to resolve any RIT holds (such as Student Financial Services hold, etc.) which prevent RIT Global from billing or registering.
  • Incurring a severe conduct violation which results in RIT administrators disqualifying the student for participation.

Failure to successfully complete the entire program (including any Rochester/online course work and the international travel portion) could result in the student failing course(s) or receiving a W for withdrawal. RIT has the right to deny student participation at any time. Students are also responsible for understanding how these decisions may affect their financial aid.

If RIT cancels an RIT-organized program before the published arrival date, students will receive a full refund of tuition, program fee, and deposit. RIT reserves the right to modify a program (including changes to location or course modality, etc.) before departure or during a program to accommodate emergencies. If RIT is forced to cancel a program after the published arrival date, RIT will make every effort to refund any recoverable expenses. RIT does not reimburse students for out-of-pocket funds spent on the program, such as flights, etc., which may have been impacted by RIT’s program modification.

If a student has to withdraw at any time due to an emergency or extenuating circumstance (such as a death in their immediate family, severe illness leading to hospitalization, etc.) RIT Education Abroad will evaluate refund requests on a case-by-case basis. If a refund is recommended, it may not be granted until after the program ends.

RIT reserves the right to modify this policy at any time

Registration and Grades

While you are overseas on a faculty-led program, you will be enrolled in your RIT class(es) as normal by a study abroad advisor or college administrator (you will not be able to enroll yourself in the course(s)). You will receive letter grades for these classes and all grades will be calculated into your GPA. If you earn credit in one term and travel in another, you may earn an “I” (incomplete) for the course until the travel is complete. If you have any questions about this process, please address them with the study abroad advisor.

While you are overseas on a global campus direct enroll program, you will be enrolled in your RIT class(es) as normal by a study abroad advisor or college administrator (you will not be able to enroll yourself in the course(s)). You will receive letter grades for these classes and all grades will be calculated into your GPA. If you have any questions about this process, please address them with the study abroad advisor.

While you are overseas on an affiliate program, you will be registered for study abroad classes at RIT (Study Abroad Country for ## credits) by a study abroad advisor or college administrator. Your RIT registration will match what is approved on your course pre-approval form. For example, if you are studying abroad in France for one semester and you received approval for the classes abroad to count for five RIT classes worth three credits each, you would be registered for five different courses titled "Study Abroad - France" for three credits each. You will work with your study abroad provider and host institution to register for your actual overseas courses before you depart or as soon as you arrive. Approximately three months following the completion of your program, the RIT Education Abroad office will be sent an official transcript from your affiliate provider detailing the courses you took abroad and the American letter grades that you earned for each course. These grades will be converted to pass/fail. For each grade of a C or above, you will receive a passing grade. For a C minus, D or F, you will receive a failing grade. Passing grades are not calculated into your GPA but failing grades are. If you have any questions about this process, please address them with the study abroad advisor.

Administrative Fee Policy for Affiliate Programs

Students participating in Affiliate Study Abroad programs will be charged an RIT Administrative Fee to support the advising and administration necessary to process students’ affiliate applications, registration, billing, and transcripts.

In general, students participating in short-term affiliate programs (like summer) will pay $750, and students participating in semester programs will pay $1,400 for each program. If students are participating in multiple programs back-to-back, the Administrative fees will apply as follows:

  • If students participate in multiple short-term programs within a summer with different affiliates (or different locations with the same affiliate), they will pay the $750 admin fee for each separate program.
  • If a student participates in an academic year program or a fall semester/spring semester back-to-back program (with the same affiliate or different affiliates), they will be billed $1,400 per semester.