Getting Started - General Concerns

Selecting an Appropriate Off-Campus Program

It is strongly recommended that students interested in off-campus study make an appointment with the director of international and off-campus study early in their Denison career. This allows ample time to formulate appropriate learning outcomes for an off-campus study experience, to explore a range of options among the Denison-accepted programs, and to consider carefully issues such as timing of participation and integration with major, minor, and/or general education program requirements.

Denison maintains a list of accepted off-campus programs that address the curricular and pedagogical concerns, as well as the academic standards, associated with a Denison liberal arts education. Since the list of accepted programs is subject to ongoing evaluation and adjustment, it is not printed in this catalog. The Off-Campus Study has considered the academic experience of each program and has created a list of recommended programs according to major. In rare cases students may propose study on a non-accepted program offering specialized curricular opportunities, associated with the student' s major(s), that are not afforded by any of the programs on the accepted list. Approval for such proposals is made on an individual basis and does not in any way indicate that future proposals for study on that given program would also be approved. Students who withdraw to attend a program without Denison' s approval are not eligible to receive transfer credit.

Campus visits in the fall and spring semesters by representatives of the accepted programs, as well as individual discussions with returned students and faculty members with relevant expertise, also provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about specific program opportunities.

Seeking Approval for Off-Campus Study

Second semester sophomores with a well-articulated academic trajectory, juniors, and first semester seniors are eligible to participate in off-campus study. (First semester seniors must petition to have the residency requirements waived in order to receive final approval.) Students may normally seek approval for one semester of aid-eligible off-campus study during their Denison career. It is possible to seek approval for an academic year of aid-eligible study, but such approval is granted only in cases where students have demonstrated compelling academic reasons, based on the criteria listed below, for pursuing an extended period off-campus. International students are limited to the one semester of aid eligible study.

In order to pursue off-campus study for academic credit (up to a maximum of sixteen credits per semester and thirty-two credits for the academic year), students must first obtain Denison approval to study and then apply for acceptance by the program provider. Approval is granted through the off-campus study proposal process, which starts with an individual advising appointment with the director of off-campus study prior and culminates with the completion of an off-campus study proposal packet. The student is also responsible for completing, often on-line, an abridged provider application. If the student receives Denison approval, the off-campus study office will then forward her/his proposal materials to the program provider in order to complete the application file and allow for a final admission decision.

Proposals for summer study are required only for those programs offered by the accepted program providers. Students pursuing these programs receive the same advising and administrative support from the off-campus study office as students pursuing semester or academic year study. Students wishing to pursue summer study outside of the list of accepted providers must work directly with the program provider, seeking only pre-approval of the program coursework by the Registrar. Please note that summer study is usually not aid-eligible.

Denison approval for off-campus study is granted on a rolling basis. The final deadline for consideration of OCS proposals is in February (check OCS main page for specific date) for summer, fall, spring and academic year programs. Late proposals are not considered except in cases of documented personal, family or medical emergencies.

Denison approval is granted only if the student is adequately prepared both personally and academically for the proposed off-campus program. The Denison evaluation criteria are as follows:

1. The proposed off-campus study program represents a well-defined continuation of the curricular and pedagogical goals of a Denison liberal arts education and the individual student's academic program.
2. The student's record demonstrates, as evaluated by Denison, clear evidence of college-level preparation and academic achievement appropriate to the proposed off-campus study program and the specific course of study on that program.
3. The student meets the Denison minimum eligibility requirements for off-campus study:
   • A student must have completed a minimum of forty-eight credits prior to participation on the off-campus program. Transfer students must have completed a minimum of one year of study at Denison prior to participation on the off-campus program.
   • A student must be in good academic standing both at the time of proposal and at the time of participation on the program. It is important to note, though, that a significant and problematic shift in a student's academic standing that occurs after the approval process but prior to the start of a program may result in the withdrawal of Denison approval even if a student is technically in good standing.
   • A student whose disciplinary probation ends during the first two weeks of class at Denison for the semester during which she/he will be studying off-campus is eligible to propose off-campus study. A student whose disciplinary probation extends beyond that date is not eligible to pursue off-campus study until the following semester. It is important to note, though, that Denison reserves the right to withhold approval for any student who has a documented history of behavioral issues deemed inappropriate for off-campus study.
   • A student whose proposal is evaluated and approved while she/he is on disciplinary probation must meet special conditions. In such cases, the student is required to provide an essay to the program provider that explains the infraction and addresses how it should bear on the provider's admission deliberations. In support of this process, the provider is also allowed access, as seems necessary and appropriate, to the information contained in the student' s Denison judicial records. (This access is based on the judicial records release in the off-campus study proposal.) If an additional disciplinary offense is adjudicated prior to participation on the off-campus study program, Denison approval will be withdrawn.

Denison strives to accommodate the off-campus study proposals of all appropriately qualified students. There are, though, two related points. First, in order to facilitate the effective use of campus housing resources, the director of off-campus study must seek to split participation as evenly as possible between the fall and spring semesters. Second, given the significant institutional costs associated with off-campus study, Denison reserves the right to limit participation in any given year where the number of proposals considerably exceeds budget forecasts. In such situations, the best-qualified students based on the first two evaluation criteria will be given priority in the approval process.

Financing Off-Campus Study

Luke Kazmier

To determine whether a given program is affordable, students should make certain they consider out-of-pocket expenses as well as the program fees. A comprehensive cost estimate for any given program on the Denison accepted list is available from the program provider.

In an effort to promote off-campus study, Denison does not require students to pay its tuition or room/board fees for their off-campus term (except for the Justus Liebig Universitat Exchange and the Oak Ridge Science Semester Programs). Denison at present charges only a nominal off-campus study administrative fee of $200 for a summer program, $560 for a semester program, and $660 for an academic year program.

The Denison financial aid package for the off-campus term is based on a comprehensive cost estimate provided by the program provider. Denison allows students to apply their federal, state and institutional need-based financial aid, as well as most merit aid from external sources, to approved off-campus programs. Denison merit based aid may not be applied to off-campus study except in the case of a Denison-sponsored program (Oak Ridge Science Semester and the Justus Liebig Universit Exchange), but students whose demonstrated need increases as a result of this policy may receive additional Denison need-based aid.

In order to be eligible to apply Denison grant aid to the cost of an off-campus program, a student must enroll at Denison for the semester directly following the term of off-campus study. If a student does not enroll at Denison for the semester directly following the term of off-campus study, she/he will be required to repay any Denison grant aid that was sent to the off-campus program provider.

Special Academic Regulations for Off-Campus Study

Denison strongly recommends that all students participating on an international off-campus program carry international medical and evacuation insurance coverage in addition to their domestic health insurance coverage. Denison also recommends that at least one parent/guardian obtain a passport prior to their daughter or son studying internationally so that travel will not be unduly delayed in the case of a medical or personal emergency.

Health Advisories, Travel Advisories, and Travel Warnings

Denison strongly recommends that all students avail themselves of the travel information available at the U.S. State Department, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and World Health Organization (WHO) web sites. In particular, students should carefully consider the information included in State Department travel advisories for the country in which they are pursuing off-campus study and/or for any other country to which they are planning to travel during their time abroad.

Denison reserves the right to cancel a Denison-sponsored program or withdraw its approval for study on an accepted program if a State Department travel warning or a CDC or WHO travel advisory is in place for the host country at the start of the program. Withdrawal of approval for an accepted program bars a student from receiving Denison credit for the program and from applying financial aid to the program costs. In order to make certain that a student may make an informed decision regarding participation on a program, the issue of potential loss of Denison approval for an accepted program will be brought to the student's attention as far in advance of the program start date as is feasible.

In the case of a State Department travel warning or a CDC or WHO travel advisory arising after a program has started, Denison will work closely with the program sponsor and other informed parties to determine an appropriate course of action. In the case of requiring that a student return home, Denison will pursue reasonable steps with the program sponsor to mitigate the financial and academic impact of such an action.