Non-SLC Programs: Requirements, Policies and Guidelines

As you plan your year/semester abroad, please keep in mind the following requirements, policies and guidelines:

Transfer Credit

Your program/courses of study should be approved in advance by the International Programs and Exchange office. You should also email Prema Samuel, should it change while you are off-campus. Please remember that, in general, only courses in disciplines offered at SLC are accepted in transfer. Courses in the arts—dance, music, filmmaking, theatre, studio arts—must be approved by SLC arts faculty. Please e-mail the appropriate faculty listed below:

Though other schools may define full-time as less than 15 credits for a semester, you will receive credit for a full semester only if you complete at least 15 semester hours. A maximum of 15 semester hours may be earned for one semester of study off-campus; a maximum of 30 semester hours may be earned for the year. Only courses graded “C” (not “C-”) or better will transfer. Grades of “P” or “Pass” are not acceptable unless defined by the sponsoring institution as equivalent to “C” or better. You should verify with your off-campus school that credits and grades will be recorded on an official transcript, and you must arrange to have official transcripts sent directly from the sponsoring college or university to the registrar at Sarah Lawrence upon conclusion of your program. If you are studying through a non-college organization such as CIEE, IES, Interstudy, etc., you must arrange to be registered through a U.S. school of record that will provide an official transcript of your work.

Residency Requirement

Please remember that students must complete two consecutive years of study at Sarah Lawrence and either the junior or senior year must be spent on the Sarah Lawrence Campus in Bronxville. Studying on one of the exchange programs does not satisfy the residency requirement.

Lecture Requirement

Students are required to successfully complete four lecture courses over four semesters at Sarah Lawrence (20 credits). Successfully completing a full semester abroad (15 credits), will result in 5 lecture credits. A successful year abroad (30 credits) will result in 10 lecture credits.

Language Requirement

Students who have taken a semester of beginning language elsewhere will have those credits evaluated as regular transfer credit. Students who have taken a semester of a beginning language elsewhere and want to continue the language second semester at SLC will be allowed to do so by the teacher, based on the student’s ability to do the course work at that point and on availability of space in the class. The languages taught at SLC are French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish.

Distribution Requirements

Of the minimum 120 credits required for the B.A. degree, the following limits apply:

  • Maximum of 60 credits in the Creative Arts
  • Maximum of 80 credits in the Humanities
  • Maximum of 80 credits in the Social Sciences
  • Maximum of 80 credits in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • Maximum of 50 credits in one discipline
  • Minimum of at least two semester courses (10 credits) in at least three of the four areas listed on the spreadsheet: Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Humanities; Social Sciences and History; Creative Arts.