Application Instructions and Documents

1) Reed Study Abroad Approved Programs: Every Reed student who wishes to study abroad must complete these components as a supplement to the Program-Specific Application:

*Students must complete this form after completing the Program-Specific Form and receiving the acceptance letter.

Choosing Your Study Abroad Courses

Explore your host institution's website to identify courses you can take abroad. All the course catalogs of Reed-approved programs can be found here.
Discuss with the appropriate Department Chairs only those off-campus courses you wish to use for group, major, minor, or division requirements.
Complete the IPO Off-Campus Program Course Approval form. Select “Course Type/For Requirement” for those courses previously discussed with the appropriate Department Chairs. Inform the appropriate Department Chair of any change in your “For Requirement” course selection before submitting the form.
Select “Course Type/Elective (college credit only)” for courses you want to complete solely for unit credit. You do not need to discuss elective courses with the Department Chairs/academic adviser.
Submit your form.

Credits: There is no guarantee that courses other than those approved by the Registrar's Office and appropriate departmental chairs will transfer to Reed. Students must inform the International Programs Office immediately if they wish to change their course selections once on-site.

Important: Removal from good academic or disciplinary standing, even after acceptance, may prohibit the student from participating in off-campus study.

2) Reed College Non-Approved Programs: Since transfer credit is not guaranteed for courses that students take while separated from the College (e.g., leave of absence, withdrawal, etc.) to study abroad in a Reed non-approved program, a special petition process is available to students who can document a strong academic rationale for wanting to study abroad in a non-approved program.

The petitioning process includes the following:

A first meeting with the International Programs Office director to discuss the process of requesting a special petition.
An application and a personal statement explaining a compelling academic rationale and demonstrating that the learning objectives cannot be met by any program offered abroad by Reed and a selection of the courses that the student wants to take in the non-approved program.
The Registrar's Office reviews the host institution/provider accreditation and the selection of courses to determine transferability to Reed. The International Programs Office reviews the proposed study abroad program and provider.
The student adviser and appropriate departmental chairs review the syllabi for courses the student plans to take abroad. Department chairs determine which courses, if any, may apply toward degree or major/minor requirements.
Final approval by the Off-Campus Study Programs Committee (OCSC) chair.

If the petition is approved
Students would receive Reed credit, pay Reed tuition, and receive Reed financial aid (if eligible and with a signed academic consortium in place). Students will need to complete the IPO online application and the program application.

If the petition is not approved
Students will need to take a leave of absence.
Credits: The Registrar’s Office WILL NOT consider credits earned in a non-approved study abroad program for transfer to Reed.

You may also want to call the HCC front desk at (503) 777-7281 or use the self-scheduling tool in the Student Health Portal to set up a one-hour physical appointment with a Nurse Practitioner. If you have any health-related documents from your study abroad program, please take that to the appointment with you.