Your academic experience abroad is going to be very different from home. Working under the policies and processes of the local institution, you may find a lot less structure, or a lot more.

Courses and Credit Approval

• To find information on specific courses, follow Sciences Po's information for incoming exchange students:
• https://www.sciencespo.fr/college/en/academics/exchange/paris.html
• Students take all of their courses at Sciences Po, registering for at least one "Cours Magistral" or lecture course with an accompanying section.  Non-native speakers will continue to take French and may take a French civilization course among other seminar electives.  Students should register for the equivalent of 30 European credits (ECTS).
• Final course selection is made electronically in advance of arriving in Paris. There is no add-drop once you arrive in Paris.
• Returned students advise that courses on France and Europe will be strong but will attract a large number of visiting international students. 
•  For assistance in selecting courses, see your faculty or college advisor. (Note: You may earn elective, distributional, minor, or major credit depending on your major and college.)
• To discuss program fit, such as program type, expectations, level of structure/independence, or to compare options, get advice from Global Learning advisors and returned students.
• Complete the Study Abroad Participation and Course Approval form that is part of the Global Learning application for a record of how your courses will count for credit at Cornell.

Academic Policies

• Study the language of the host country (or take a course in that language) when studying in a non-English speaking country for a semester or year
• Take the equivalent of 15 Cornell credits for a full semester, even if it is possible to take fewer and still graduate on time
• Complete all the academic work and stay until the end of the program, defined as the last officially sanctioned exam for any course you take abroad

Registration and Grades

• You will be registered at Cornell and will earn credit for approved coursework for your semester/year study abroad
• Decisions on the final allocation of credit are made upon successful completion of the course (the equivalent of a “C” or higher—all courses for a letter grade)
• Grades will appear on the Cornell transcript in the same format as they are recorded on the original transcript generated by the study abroad program or university. Grades are not factored into the Cornell GPA