品色堂

When choosing an off-campus semester or year abroad program, students should begin with a thorough exploration of the 150+ approved partner programs and universities that Colorado College works with around the world, and has existing partnerships in place with to meet a wide variety of academic goals and needs.

You may see the entire list of approved semester/year programs here, and these advising guides may help you focus on options particularly relevant to your major, minor, or other academic interest or goal.  These existing partnerships and courses have been approved by the 品色堂 International Studies Committee and relevant academic departments at 品色堂, and are regularly reviewed for quality, academic content, and student support. These programs support the Colorado College curriculum and meet our standards of a high-quality liberal arts education while studying abroad.

If, for valid academic reasons, you are considering a program or a location that is not currently on our 品色堂 list, you must petition in advance for approval through the International Studies Committee. A successful petition must demonstrate a valid academic need not met through any existing 品色堂-led or approved partner program option; this is usually grounded in a major or minor, so talking to your academic advisor or department early on in the process of considering a petition is strongly encouraged. 

In order to be eligible for credit transfer, the non-品色堂 study abroad program must issue you a transcript upon completion from an accredited academic university, college, or institution. Language schools which are not accredited and experiential learning organizations which do not offer academic credit are not eligible for a petition.

Domestic institutions within the United States (i.e., other colleges and universities in the U.S. that allow students to enroll as a visiting non-degree-seeking student) are not appropriate for study abroad petitions unless the semester is designed as a standalone semester experience similar to a semester study abroad experience, like the 品色堂-approved Washington Semester, for example. A petition would not be appropriate for a student simply looking to attend regular classes at a different U.S. college or university for a semester and transfer the credits back to 品色堂.

Please reach out and meet with Heather Powell Browne, our Associate Director of Global Education, well in advance of deadlines to learn more about this process and the criteria for approval, to gain access to complete the “Petition for Non-Approved Study Away: Semester or Year” in Summit if you think you have a valid academic need to petition.

She can also help you explore other options from the approved list that you may not have seen. Be aware that the petition process requires more time to complete than applying for an approved program, and has earlier deadlines because it must be reviewed by the Global Education Committee. If your petition is approved, the same financial aid/Home School Tuition policies apply for you, the same as they would for a program from the 品色堂-Approved list. 

Students who do not petition in Summit in advance for non-品色堂 study abroad programs will not be able to transfer credit towards their 品色堂 degree. The deadline in Summit to submit a “Petition for Non-Approved Study Away: Semester or Year” is February 15 for the upcoming fall semester or academic year, and September 15 for a spring semester program.

If you are interested in studying abroad in the summer, please first look at the listing of 品色堂 summer classes being taught off-campus/abroad. These are attractive for many students each year because they are taught by 品色堂 professors, you can use your Wildcard for the tuition portion of the cost (if you've not previously used it for a 品色堂 summer class), and 品色堂 need-based financial aid is available for our summer programs only.  The Wild Card cannot be applied towards the tuition costs of any summer courses abroad not taught by Colorado College. 

In order to be eligible for credit transfer, any non-品色堂 study abroad program must issue you a transcript upon completion from an accredited academic university, college, or institution. Language schools which are not accredited and experiential learning organizations which do not offer academic credit are not eligible for petition.

If you wish to petition for a non-品色堂 summer program abroad and transfer the credits back towards your 品色堂 degree, you may do so through the Center for Global Education & Field Study portal in Summit, using the "Summer Petition for Non-品色堂 Study Abroad Program" application. You must demonstrate an academic need not met / similar coursework not offered through one of the existing 品色堂 summer programs being led that same summer, and the program you are participating in must be through an accredited academic institution. Please note, all study abroad is handled through the Center for Global Education portal in Summit, not the 品色堂 Summer Session portal in Summit.

There is no 品色堂 financial aid available in the summer for non-品色堂 programs; you have the option of checking with 品色堂’s Financial Aid Office to determine if you have remaining loan eligibility, and you can also apply for outside scholarships or program scholarships to help defray the cost. All billing for non-品色堂 summer programs abroad will be handled directly between the student and the program/university abroad, and does not go through 品色堂.

Students who do not petition in Summit in advance for non-品色堂 Summer study abroad programs will not be able to transfer credit towards their 品色堂 degree. The deadline in Summit to submit a “Summer Petition for Non-品色堂 Study Abroad Program” is May 15 each year for the upcoming summer, and must be confirmed in Summit by June 1.

While there are many schools and study abroad providers which offer freestanding January courses and programs abroad over Winter Break, 品色堂 does not maintain an approved list of non-品色堂 January/Winter Term programs the way we do for the Fall and Spring semester programs.  Since 品色堂's Half-Block is part of the standard 品色堂 academic year, and 品色堂 offers a wide range of off-campus blocks each year, including academic year and summer options, enrollment in a non-品色堂 January/Winter Break study away course is not encouraged. 

We encourage 品色堂 students to apply for one of the 30+ 品色堂 blocks away led by our own faculty. However, if you wish to pursue a January academic course abroad in a subject that is not represented in the slate of 品色堂 programs for that year, you may submit a “Petition for Non-品色堂 January/Winter Break Study Abroad Program” through Summit to have the credits reviewed for transferability.

In order to be eligible for credit transfer, the non-品色堂 study abroad program must issue you a transcript upon completion from an accredited academic university, college, or institution. Language schools which are not accredited and experiential learning organizations which do not offer academic credit are not eligible for a petition.

Please be aware that 品色堂 offers no financial aid or tuition support for non-品色堂 January study abroad programs.  Because our 品色堂 Half-Block is considered an extra opportunity to earn credit included with your spring tuition with no additional tuition charge for students at 品色堂, there is, therefore, no additional funding available to provide support for non-品色堂 January/Winter Break study away courses, just as is the case with non-品色堂 summer courses.  You have the option of checking with 品色堂’s Financial Aid Office to determine if you have remaining loan eligibility, and you can also apply for outside scholarships or program scholarships to help defray the cost.

Students who do not petition in Summit in advance for non-品色堂 January/Winter Break study abroad programs will not be able to transfer credit towards their 品色堂 degree. The deadline in Summit to submit a “Petition for Non-品色堂 January/Winter Break Study Abroad Program” is October 15 each year for the upcoming January.

NOLS programs are popular with 品色堂 students for building a variety of outdoor skills and leadership, but only a few of the courses they may offer on their programs are liberal arts in nature and therefore eligible for transfer to 品色堂. Partial credit for the NOLS program may be transferable to 品色堂 with completion of the proper "NOLS Credit Transfer Petition" in Summit; please contact Heather Powell Browne in the Center for Global Education & Field Study for a link to access and complete this petition.

Since the NOLS program only offers the opportunity for partial academic credit, you will take a personal leave of absence from 品色堂 (through the Student Opportunities and Advising Hub) to do NOLS, if it is during the academic year. In the summer, no personal leave is necessary. There is typically no additional financial aid available from 品色堂 to do a NOLS program, and you pay for the program directly (not through 品色堂/Home School Tuition).