Guidelines

Students who wish to study away for a semester or year and maintain active status must participate in a program that has been approved for "visiting away" status. Students leaving the University on any program that does not carry "visiting away” status must withdraw from the university and apply to the appropriate dean for readmission. Withdrawal will affect financial aid and other university services.

"Visiting Away Programs" will be considered for approval on the following criteria:

  • The reputation of the program and the accreditation (if applicable) of the sponsoring institution
  • The degree to which the program complements and/or supplements Richmond’s offerings (positive) (Note: in addition, once a program is approved, approval for individual students must still be based on how it fits into an individual student's program, i.e. the student must have a strong academic reason to be approved in addition to the program being approved.)
  • The degree to which the program duplicates and/or replaces Richmond’s offerings (negative)

Programs must be proposed for approval by an academic department/unit of the University. Once supported by such a department, programs will be submitted for approval through the following channels:

  • UR Programs Abroad (UR programs include Exchange Programs and other approved programs) – submitted to the Dean of International Education
  • Programs (domestic) in the arts and sciences – submitted through the Arts and Sciences Associate Dean to the Arts and Sciences Academic Council
  • Programs (domestic) in business – submitted through the Associate Dean of Business to the Business Academic Council
  • Programs (domestic) in leadership studies – submitted through the Associate Dean of Leadership to the Leadership faculty

Once approved, the program will be included in the List of Approved Visiting Away Programs maintained by the Office of the University Registrar. This list is subject to change and will be reviewed on a periodic basis.

Note: Program approval is different from student approval. A program that is approved for one student may not necessarily be approved for another student since the decision is based not only on the academic reputation of the program, but also on the relevancy of the program to the student's individual academic program.

For programs with a study abroad component, students should consult the Office of International Education for current procedures.

Notes on Student Approval

Students wishing to participate in an approved visiting away program must submit a copy of their letter of acceptance to the program, a completed Transfer Work Approval Form for credit towards specific major/minor/general education requirements, and a completed Visiting Away Approval Application Form, to include signatures of appropriate academic advisor(s) and dean(s) to the Registrar's Office. (See form for required signatures.) Upon receipt of these and approval, the student will be enrolled in an off-campus (OF) enrollment status.

Enrollment in the off-campus status entitles the student to remain as an active student, which entitles them to benefits of priority registration, housing, certain types of financial aid, (e.g. loans and Pell grants), library access, mailboxes, and email accounts. Students with "OF" status will not be billed tuition as UR students during the semester(s) away.

Credits from visiting away programs will be treated as transfer credits: requiring transfer work approval for credit towards specific major/minor/general education requirements, affecting hours toward graduation only, not calculated in the GPA, and requiring a grade of "C" or better to transfer back. Credits are applied to the student's record only when course conditions are met and upon receipt of an official transcript from the sponsoring institution.