Vancouver Exchange Programs

FDU offers a wide selection of opportunities for students to study at other institutions.  Students have the opportunity to participate in a structured Exchange program, or apply on their own to take courses at another institution.  In both cases formal approval is required in advance.  Students who do not obtain the appropriate approval will not receive credit for any coursework taken.

In an exchange program, FDU has established a formal agreement with the partner university.  Students will register and pay their tuition at their home campus and then complete their study at the other campus.  Students can maintain their full time student status, and the grades which they achieve at the visiting campus will be factored into the students’ overall grade point average.   Students would qualify for any financial aid that they would normally receive.

For a study abroad experience at another educational institution, students can apply to take a leave of absence for the semester (not required for the summer term as it is a regular scheduled break), and may apply to have the credit for the courses transferred back on an individual basis.  Students studying at other institutions which are not a part of a formal exchange program will not be considered registered at FDU during the time they are away.

Credits Taken at Other Academic Institutions

To obtain approval to take courses at another academic institution, students must submit an Official Off-Campus Authorization form (obtainable from Enrollment Services). Forms must be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services at your appropriate campus. Please note Department Chair and/or Dean’s signature may be required.

Prior to submitting the Off-Campus Authorization form, students should meet with an academic advisor to determine FDU course equivalencies, if any, and how the credits will apply to the student’s degree requirements.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University degree should represent course work done under the academic standards of this University. Any authorization for courses at another regionally accredited academic institution should be held to a minimum and, once a student is matriculated at the University, only 16 such credits may be counted toward graduation. The maximum of 16 credits is reduced by 3 credits for every 16 credits earned at another institution and transferred at the time of matriculation. This limit shall not apply to formally approved programs of study in association with other institutions of higher learning. Students cannot repeat an FDU course at another institution.

Authorization to take courses offered by another institution must be obtained prior to the semester or term in which the course will be taken and includes completion of the appropriate form. The student must have a minimum cumulative grade point ratio of 2.00 to be eligible. This authorization may be granted for elective courses and makeup credits for courses not available at the  university in time to meet graduation requirements, but normally not for core or required major courses. In any case, the course so authorized must be demonstrably equivalent in content and level to the course it is intended to replace and must be found appropriate to the student’s curriculum.

For a course outside the student’s major at an institution with which the University maintains an articulation agreement, the authorization requires the signature of the dean of the student’s College or his or her designee. For a course at an institution with which the University does not maintain an articulation agreement, the authorization requires the signature of the dean or his or her designee in consultation with the chairperson or director of the student’s major department or school. For a course in the student’s major, the authorization requires the signature of the chairperson or director of the student’s major department or school in addition to that of the dean or his or her designee.

A course substituting for a lower-level course at Fairleigh Dickinson University may be taken at either an accredited two year or four-year institution; but a course substituting for an upper-level course at Fairleigh Dickinson University must be taken at an accredited four-year institution.

Students enrolled for course work at Fairleigh Dickinson University in any one semester and/or summer session may not enroll simultaneously for course work at another institution. Exceptions to the above policy would include only approved programs, such as the Honors Program, with established guidelines.

A minimum grade of C (not P/F) must be earned in any course taken in this manner in order to be counted toward graduation at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Only students matriculated at Fairleigh Dickinson University and granted permission to take a course(s) at another academic institution will have the earned weighted grade(s) recorded and computed in the grade point ratio as if the course(s) were taken at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Students may obtain additional information regarding the approval process from the dean’s office of their College.