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 CC International Studies Committee and relevant academic departments at CC, 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 that is not currently on our CC 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 approved 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-CC 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 CC-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 CC.

Please reach out and meet with Heather Powell Browne, our Assistant 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 CC-Approved list. 

Students who do not petition in Summit in advance for non-CC study abroad programs will not be able to transfer credit towards their CC 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 CC summer classes being taught off-campus/abroad. These are attractive for many students each year because they are taught by CC professors, you can use your Wildcard for the tuition portion of the cost (if you've not previously used it for a CC summer class), and CC 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-CC 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-CC summer program abroad and transfer the credits back towards your CC degree, you may do so through the Center for Global Education & Field Study portal in Summit, using the "Summer Petition for Non-CC Program Abroad" application. You must demonstrate an academic need not met / similar coursework not offered through one of the existing CC summer programs being led that same summer. Please note, all study abroad is handled through the Center for Global Education portal in Summit, not the CC Summer Session portal in Summit.

There is no CC financial aid available in the summer for non-CC programs; you have the option of checking with CC’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-CC summer programs abroad will be handled directly between the student and the program/university abroad, and does not go through CC.

Students who do not petition in Summit in advance for non-CC Summer study abroad programs will not be able to transfer credit towards their CC degree. The deadline in Summit to submit a “Summer Petition for Non-CC Program Abroad” 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, CC does not maintain an approved list of non-CC January/Winter Term programs the way we do for the Fall and Spring semester programs.  Since J-Block is part of the standard CC academic year and CC offers a wide range of off-campus blocks each year, including academic year and summer options, enrollment in a non-CC January/Winter Break study away course is not encouraged. 

We encourage CC students to apply for one of the 30+ CC 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 CC programs for that year, you may submit a “Petition for Non-CC 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-CC 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 CC offers no financial aid or tuition support for non-CC January study abroad programs.  Because our J-Block is considered a “bonus” block included with your fall or spring tuition, with no additional tuition charge for students at CC, there is, therefore, no additional funding available to provide support for non-CC January/Winter Break study away courses, just as is the case with non-CC summer courses.  You have the option of checking with CC’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-CC January/Winter Break study abroad programs will not be able to transfer credit towards their CC degree. The deadline in Summit to submit a “Petition for Non-CC January/Winter Break Study Abroad Program” is October 15 each year for the upcoming January.

NOLS programs are popular with CC 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 CC. Partial credit for the NOLS program may be transferable to CC 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 CC (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 CC to do a NOLS program, and you pay for the program directly (not through CC/Home School Tuition).