Academic Issues

The Off-Campus Study Office is responsible for making sure that Colby's programs abroad, as well as other programs approved by the college, conform to Colby’s principles and standards. The college has a vested interest in the quality of all off-campus study programs for which it grants Colby credit. This interest centers on the academic part of the program, but extends as well to the extra-curricular and cultural part of the program, inasmuch as the knowledge of a culture other than one's own is achieved both in and out of the classroom. All Colby-approved study programs abroad must, therefore, meet the following standards:

• They must provide an educational experience which is consistent in quality with the educational experience at Colby, and which can reinforce, complement, and broaden a student's educational program at Colby.
• They must contain a substantial academic component of high quality.
• Study abroad programs must provide a cultural experience and, when appropriate, a linguistic experience that are consistent with the goals stated above. To promote cultural integration, at least a full semester must normally be spent in a single host country.

Approval for off-campus study plans is subject to certain policies and procedures which are detailed in the Off-Campus Study handbook. 

Students studying on Colby and non-Colby administered programs abroad will be studying, in most cases, with local university faculty. The first-year programs combine instruction with Colby and local faculty. Please refer to the individual program handbook for details on the academic program and credit.