Bates College
Off-Campus Study Program
Bates Students Abroad

We trust that your study abroad experience is meeting all your expectations. Please find below information regarding Bates academic credit policy, how to stay in touch with us, the Barlow Thesis and Enrichment Grants, important Bates contacts, emergency assistance while abroad, and the on-line version of the Study Abroad Handbook.

A. Academic Credit Policy: The JSA semester and JYA year assures you of four or eight course credits, respectively, provided that certain conditions are satisfied. The Bates College Off-Campus Study Committee, which is responsible for the awarding of credit, may award partial credit if these conditions are not fully satisfied. The Committee does not award more than four courses per semester.

      • The course load must be the normal full year or semester requirement for home-based students at your foreign university or as defined in the program’s guidelines.   If the normal full load is 3 courses, students take 3.  If it is 7 courses, take 7.  For the full course load on your program and for minimum grade requirements, please click here.
      • Students must earn the equivalent of a 3.00 GPA to receive full credit. The grades are not included in your Bates GPA.
      • If you studied abroad prior to Fall 2008, click here for course load and minimum grade requirements.
      • All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
      • The courses must be appropriate to the liberal arts and sciences as defined by the Bates faculty and may not duplicate other courses applied toward the Bates degree. Business courses, for example, are not approved as they are not taught at Bates.
      • Students must take their examinations at their regularly scheduled times and location. 
      • At English-language universities at least half the course work must be above the first-year level. 
      • Credit is awarded for an internship only when pre-approved by the Off-Campus Study Office and undertaken in a setting where the language is a major at Bates (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish) or on the Washington Semester Program.
      • Students who study in non-English speaking settings must take at least one full-time course in that country's language, modern or ancient.  If the language is taught as a major at Bates, a majority of the course work must be taught in that language unless an exception is granted because of the academic focus of the program.
      • Students must live with a family or students from the host country when these housing options are available.

B. Transcripts

      • Be sure to arrange for an official transcript to be sent to the Off-Campus Study Office at Bates. It is wise to obtain detailed descriptions of courses that you want to apply toward any Bates general education or major requirements. Course catalog descriptions, syllabi, texts, papers, and exams are all helpful methods of describing a course.

C. Foreign Addresses

      • If you haven't done so already, please inform us immediately of your mail and e-mail addresses so you can receive newspapers and information regarding registration, housing, etc.

D. Barlow Enrichment and Thesis Research Grants:

      • You can apply from abroad for Barlow Enrichment and Thesis Research Grants. General information and an application are available on the Grants page of the Off-Campus Study Website.

E. Key Bates Contacts

F. Emergency Assistance

Many programs automatically enroll their students in an Emergency Assistance insurance policy. You should establish whether or not you are covered by such a policy and, if you are, put the key contact information into your cell phone. If your program does not provide emergency assistance, you should use one of the policies below. Put the telephone and policy numbers in your cell phone or wallet.

  • If you are a US citizen and are enrolled in the Bates College Insurance Policy, this assistance is provided by Scholastic Emergency Services. Call 877-488-9833 if in the United States and +609-452-8570 from abroad.
  • For international students enrolled in the Bates College Health Insurance Policy, this assistance is provided by Medex Access.   If calling from the United States, the Medex number is: 1-800-527-0218.  From abroad, the number is: +410-453-6330.
  • For Bates students not enrolled in the Bates College Health Insurance Policy, Europ Assistance USA provides this asssitance. The Europ Assistance emergency center is open 24/7.  If calling from the United States, the number is: 1-877-238-1234.  If calling from abroad, call collect if needed:  +202-659-7777.   The Bates policy number is:  PHF 054-840. The Bates plan number is: 01-SP-585.