Students may fulfill up to two of their AU Core requirements abroad. There are two methods by which students may receive Core credit for courses taken abroad:

1. Core Abroad Courses: Select up to two appropriately designated courses from the table below.
2. Request Course Evaluations: Request up to two courses taken abroad to fulfill Core requirements.

Please note: students cannot receive Core credit for courses taken pass/fail.

Students may apply up to two appropriately designated courses on an approved AU Abroad program towards Habits of Mind, Quantitative Literacy II (Q2), Written Communication and Information Literacy II (W2), Diversity and Equity (DIV), or Capstone requirements. These courses have been reviewed and approved by the AU Core Committee and will automatically be counted as Core credit.

The current list of approved courses includes:

Notes

• ARTH-255, with the section title "Spanish & European Art History" (now ARTH-257) counts for Core as Creative-Aesthetic Inquiry Habit of Mind in Spring 2021.
• ARTH-255, with the section title "Mediterranean Art History" (now ARTH-256) counts for Core as Creative-Aesthetic Inquiry Habit of Mind from Spring 2020 through Spring 2021.
• As of Spring 2024, the IFSA-Butler: Universidad Nacional program is no longer available through AU Abroad
• As of Summer 2024, the Yale NUS program is no longer available through AU Abroad

If the course(s) a student will take are not already approved to count as Core credit, students may request that these be evaluated.

To be eligible for the Core Abroad course evaluation process, you must: 

• Have met with your academic advisor and concluded that completing up to two Habit of Mind, W2, Q2, DIV, or Capstone courses abroad fits with your academic plan 
• Have confirmed that the course you're considering is not on the list of approved Core Abroad Courses above or on the list of ineligible courses
• Have met with an AU Abroad advisor to confirm you meet the requirements of the program and that the course will be offered in the semester you are studying abroad

How does the process work?  
First, fill out this form to provide us with some initial information about the course. Note: you may submit multiple courses for consideration, but you may use no more than two courses to fulfill AU Core requirements abroad.   

There are three possible outcomes to your request: 

• Conditional Approval, 

• Final Denial, or 

• Denial (Eligible for Appeal) 

Conditional Approval: 
If your abroad course is “conditionally approved,” it means we have determined that the course generally aligns with the relevant AU Core learning outcomes. A course about the history of Italian food, for example, would likely not be approved for Natural-Scientific Inquiry credit, but might be approved for Socio-Historical Inquiry credit. 

Once your course is conditionally approved, you will receive an email with a personalized Google Drive folder, where you’ll deposit course materials at the end of the semester. That means that while taking the course, you should keep copies of the syllabus, your completed work (including essays, presentations, homework, discussion posts, etc.), and any materials like assignment instructions, handouts, lecture slides, or exams, when possible.   

You will also be expected to write a brief 1,000-word reflection on the ways the course did or did not accomplish the relevant AU Core learning outcomes (To learn more about the AU Core learning outcomes, see the relevant pages listed under "Curriculum" on this site's navigation.) We encourage you to be honest in your assessment of the course, as you will still earn Core credit even if you conclude that it did not accomplish the AU Core learning outcomes.  

If you submit the required materials and pass the course with a C or better, you will be able to satisfy a Core requirement with that course! Our team will be in touch throughout the process with reminders and deadlines, and will contact your academic advisor to approve the credit at the conclusion of the process. Then, the materials you shared will be used by the AU Core Committee to review the course and determine whether it should be added to the list of approved courses for future students. Please note: students cannot receive Core credit for courses taken pass/fail. 

Final Denial: 
If your request is given a final denial, it means that the course falls short of our expectations for what you would learn from an equivalent, appropriately designated AU Core course on campus. These courses are not eligible for appeal, but you may submit other courses for consideration.
Please note that the Abroad Course Equivalency process does not account for the AU Core learning outcomes; as such, request approval is not guaranteed even if the equivalent AU course number listed in the database has a Core designation.   

Denial (Eligible for Appeal): 
If your request is denied with appeal eligibility, it means that the materials included in the initial request did not provide enough evidence to determine that the learning outcomes will be sufficiently met through the course’s instruction and assignments. These courses are eligible for appeal. 

Appeals are initiated by submitting this form and must include the following: 

• Course materials, such as assignment prompts, in-class activities, or readings, 

• Your completed assignments, 

• An updated syllabus (if the one included in the initial request was a sample syllabus), and 

• A written statement addressing how you engaged with each of the appropriate AU Core learning outcomes in the course. 

If the appeal is denied, it is considered a final denial. If the appeal is approved, you will be able to satisfy a Core requirement with that course provided you pass with a C or better. Our team will contact your advisor to approve the credit. Please note: students cannot receive Core credit for courses taken pass/fail. 

Questions? Email us at core@american.edu.