Course Load Requirements

Students are required to register for a minimum of 15 but no more than 19 semester credit hours during each semester of attendance. Students must register for at least 15 credits before the end of the IES or university Drop/Add period, whichever is later.

• The intensive Spanish classes are worth 7 credits.
• The other Spanish classes are worth 4 credits.
• The Area Studies courses are worth 3 credits.
• Outside courses are worth 2 to 4 credits (see outside courses information).

All students must take a language course.
Only students who place at the 400-level can opt out, if they wish.

Drop/Add Period

Courses which are dropped within the Drop/Add period do not appear on the IES transcript. Students must, however, maintain the appropriate minimum course load. Drop/Add deadline for IES courses is September 20th for Fall 2007.

Withdrawals

The deadline for withdrawals is one month before the beginning of final examinations. There may be separate withdrawal deadlines for IES and university courses. Please consult the Outside Courses Coordinator.

Withdrawal deadline for IES courses for Fall 2007 is November 15th.

When a student withdraws from a course after the Drop/Add deadline, but before the withdrawal deadline, the title of the course appears on the transcript with the appropriate number of credits and the grade of W.

When a student withdraws from a course after the Withdrawal deadline, the title of the course appears on the transcript with the appropriate number of credits and the grade of F.

When a student withdraws from a program after the program has started, a transcript will still be issued with grades of W or F according to the deadlines outlined above.

The withdrawal process is not complete until the student has signed a drop form with the IES Barcelona registrar.

The provision under Withdrawals is to cover extreme extenuating circumstances, it does not provide permission to drop below the minimum credit load of 15 (see Course Load Requirements above).

Pass/Fail Grading

With written permission from the home school, presented at the time of final registration, students may register for no more than one course and no more than four credits per semester on a Pass/Fail basis. Letter grades of A through C are equivalent to a "Pass"; C- through F are equivalent to a "Fail". Students should be advised that IES policy may be at variance with their home school policy regarding Pass/Fail options.

The Pass/Fail option does not apply to language courses, courses which are mandatory for a specific program, courses in the student's major and summer program courses.

The deadline for applying to take a course Pass/Fail is September 20th.

IES Course Cancellation

In the event that IES cancels a course - due to insufficient enrollment - which a student needs in order to meet graduation requirements (written documentation required), IES will offer at no additional cost to the student independent study to such students in lieu of the course. Such independent studies will be listed on the transcript with the title of the originally scheduled course, and will receive the same number or credits.

Incomplete Grades

Students must complete all course and program requirements before leaving the program site, unless they have petitioned for and have been granted an official "Incomplete" through the IES Center Office.

Only those students who have completed at least 75% of the total number of weeks of instruction for a given term and have a documented medical or family emergency that necessitates their departure from the program site and/or prevents them from completing work by the end of the term are eligible to request and be granted Incompletes for their courses.

Students may petition for Incompletes only for IES courses, not for outside courses.

All work submitted in fulfilling "Incomplete" requirements, must be submitted by registered mail through the IES Center office. In order to receive an "Incomplete", a petition for an Incomplete Grade, available on request from IES centers or the Chicago office, must be submitted with the required signatures and approved by the director no later than one week before the end of the semester.

Students must secure from each IES professor precise instructions on what work still needs to be done to finish ALL course requirements, and the dates by which all coursework is to be completed. The time limit for completing the course shall in no case extend beyond six months of the final examination of the course. There after, the grade becomes F.

Transcripts

As stated in the IES Catalogue, students do not receive their final grades while they are at the program. The transcripts are sent out approximately 6-8 weeks after the end of the program (possibly sooner if you have only taken IES classes).

There will be three transcripts sent:

• one official copy is sent to your school's registrar's office
• one unofficial copy is sent to your Study Abroad Office
• one unofficial copy is sent to your home address

Transcripts will not be released if there are any outstanding debts.

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