Before You Leave:
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Meet with your high school guidance counselor and ask whether they will grant you credit for your study abroad.
Every school’s policy is different regarding the transfer of school credit. AFS cannot guarantee that your high school will grant academic credit for the courses you completed while abroad.
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Create a study plan that outlines which credits must be taken here at home and which credits your high school will accept from abroad
Download this Academic Credit Form (pdf) and make sure that the study plan is agreed upon and signed by your guidance counselor. Make 2 copies – one for you and one for the school – and keep yours in a safe place.
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Download a Host School Info Sheet
Learn about a typical school day abroad, what grade level you will likely be enrolled in, what classes are available, and whether you can get an official transcript.
While You are Abroad:
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Take classes for which you might be given credit
These usually include math, science, art, history, and your foreign language. The classes that are harder to find abroad will be your U.S. history or government courses and English. (In non-English speaking countries, English is taught as a second language so you will most likely learn grammar, not literature, in an English course abroad). Keep in mind, however, that you may not be able to choose your courses while abroad.
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Keep detailed records of your school year abroad
Use the AFS Host School Form (pdf) to list all of the courses taken and write a detailed description, in English, of each class. Bring home the syllabus of each class along with samples of your work including any quizzes, tests, and homework. Get a profile sheet of your host school, if one exists. Make sure that all of this is collected and in your possession before your host school closes for vacation.
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Ask your host school teachers to write a letter
Have a favorite teacher write a signed letter about your performance in their class. They may choose to write it in their native language if they do not know English and you can translate the statement.
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Bring home an official transcript, if possible
It is your responsibility to ask for an official transcript from your host school. AFS cannot help you once you have returned home. Be advised that depending on your enrollment status your host school may not be able to provide this.
When You Come Home:
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Present documentation of your coursework abroad to your high school in the U.S.
Don’t forget to bring along a copy of the signed academic credit form that you filled out with your guidance counselor. Follow the link if your counselor needs information about the educational system or grade equivalencies in the host country.
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Earn college credit
To get college credit for your “new” language, take the CLEP (College Level Exemplary Placement) test soon after returning home. All colleges offer this test or know where it is given. For a summer abroad program, you could earn up to 8 credit hours and for the year or semester abroad program you could earn up to 15 credit hours. The amount of credit will vary from college to college.
Please remember that while AFS supports your efforts, you are entirely responsible for making arrangements to receive academic credit.
Click here for a printable checklist version. (pdf)
