Eligibility for Study Away

To be eligible for semester-long Macalester study away approval, you must:

• Complete Macalester mandatory pre-departure requirements, including attending the orientation program.
• Be enrolled at Macalester the semester preceding your semester of study away.
• Be current in your Macalester Student Account (no outstanding payments).
• Be at least a second-semester sophomore by the time you study away.
• Have appropriate academic standing and conduct status with the college (see full policy below).

Macalester eligibility must be met at the time of application and maintained until departure.

Note: Macalester eligibility does not determine eligibility for specific study away programs. Universities and programs may have different eligibility requirements than Macalester. Factors such as GPA, previous coursework, probationary status, co-curricular activities and more may be considered as part of program admission. You may receive conditional approval from Macalester to participate in your program if you do not initially meet these criteria. CSA staff will continue to monitor your progress until it is time to directly apply to your program or complete post-acceptance requirements, should applying directly not be applicable. Should you not meet eligibility at that time, you will be given instructions to select a different program, defer study away to a future semester, or, if necessary, cancel participation.

First-year students, first-semester sophomores, and junior transfer students

First-year students, first-semester sophomores, and transfer students who enter as juniors may not participate in study away programs (except January, summer, and special Macalester-organized programs).

Leave of absence

You may not take a leave of absence the semester prior to studying away.

If you take a leave of absence from Macalester to study away independently, you cannot receive Macalester credit or financial aid for the experience.

International Students

All international students are eligible to apply for study away. If you are an international student interested in studying away, please be sure to consult the International Student section under Costs and Financial Aid to understand the rules about how financial aid will work for you.

Strict academic or strict disciplinary probation

You may not be on strict academic or strict disciplinary probation during the semester immediately preceding the semester you plan to study away. You may, however, submit an application for study away while on strict probation, but any approval would be subject to the condition of getting off strict probation during the semester preceding study away. A student who is approved for study away who falls into strict probation between the time of approval and the program start date will have approval revoked, consistent with the above guidelines.

If you are on academic probation, you may submit an application for study away. However, your academic standing will be considered by SARC. Approval may be conditional and require you to improve your academic standing prior to beginning your study away program. Final decisions regarding your eligibility will be made by the Academic Standing Committee.

Please note also that in extraordinary cases of poor academic performance or violation of college rules that occur or come to light after you have been approved for study away, the Academic Programs Office and the Student Affairs Office, in conjunction with the Center for Study Away, have the authority to prohibit an otherwise approved participation. Due to the academic calendar, this could happen at the last minute if you are studying away in the spring. You will be responsible for any financial consequences that result from cancellation of your study away program.