Off-Campus Study

Off-Campus Study and the Curriculum

As an institution that values intellectual curiosity and fearless learning, New College of Florida encourages its students to expand their education beyond the classroom and beyond borders by studying and interning away, in the United States and abroad. Students have access to a wide variety of programs, from exchanging at other institutions within the United States, to studying around the world on faculty-led programs, exchange programs, and programs offered by select third-party providers.  

Resources for Off-Campus Study

The Off-Campus Study/Study Abroad Office acts as the primary resource on campus for students seeking these invaluable experiences. Located on the first floor of the Jane Bancroft Cook Library, the office supports the academic program and facilitates successful off-campus experiences by advising and assisting students who participate in study away programs through the entire process, from initial interest to reintegration on campus. Planning for an off-campus semester should begin with a visit to the Off-Campus Study/Study Abroad Office.

New College is a member of three domestic exchange consortia, National Student Exchange (NSE), EcoLeague, and Consortium for Innovative Environments in Learning (CIEL). These offer students the opportunity to study at another member institution in the United States and Canada while paying tuition to New College. Students can broaden their educational perspective, access additional courses in their field, and pursue internship opportunities and field study in different geographic and cultural settings.

For those interested in exploring options further afield, New College students can choose from many different education abroad programs offered by trusted partners around the world. Whether the goal is to develop proficiency in a foreign language, acquire in-depth knowledge of another culture, or grow expertise in a particular field of study, there are a variety of programs available. Students may also benefit from the process of applying for national scholarships for study abroad; the Office of Career Engagement and Opportunity (CEO) provides dedicated advising to support students wishing to pursue these opportunities. 

Off-Campus Study Eligibility

To qualify for off-campus study, students must have completed two successive satisfactory contracts at New College, and must declare their intent by April 1 for the following fall semester or November 1 for spring semester. However, when strongly justified by the educational benefits or time-sensitive nature of their project, students may be able to complete their first-year ISP abroad if their petition to the Provost is approved. Off-Campus study forms and documents are submitted online at abroad.ncf.edu, with the exception of the Declaration for Off-Campus Study and, when applicable, the Tuition Waiver Request, which need to be signed by the contract sponsor and turned in to the Office of the Registrar.

In addition, students who wish to study off campus should be aware of the following conditions and requirements:

1. Enrollment in a semester contract of study off-campus must be equivalent to a full-time contract at New College, with a minimum of 3 New College academic units (12 semester credits or 18 quarter credits of study at an approved host institution).
2. The student’s final contract must be completed on campus.
3. Students must complete four contracts (of their seven contracts) on campus in order to graduate.
4. While off campus, students remain responsible for all deadlines related to their subsequent return.
5. A Florida resident student who pursues off-campus study for two consecutive semesters will need to reestablish in-state residency upon return to New College.
6. Students with financial aid (including any scholarship or need-based aid, and student loans) should check their financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status for the off-campus semester. Please note that records from off-campus study typically arrive after the scheduled SAP review, which will affect SAP status and may cause aid to be terminated.

Registering for Off-Campus Study

Students should consult with the Office of the Registrar as planning for off-campus study progresses to be sure they understand their registration and tuition and fees obligations. All students registering for off-campus study should complete a contract in consultation with the contract sponsor. They should submit the contract to the Office of the Registrar in the semester prior to the term of off-campus study (before winter or summer breaks). They should also be aware of the following guidelines:

• When negotiating the certification requirements for Off-Campus contracts, the student and the contract sponsor should take into consideration such factors as the quality of the institution, the level of courses to be taken, and the integration of the work into the student’s academic program at New College.
• A student may have trouble committing to or confirming all the details of an off-campus contract before arriving at the host institution. Students should submit contract renegotiations, signed by their contract sponsors, to the Office of the Registrar when their schedules at the host institutions are finalized and subsequent contract renegotiations when and if their class schedules change.
• Students who are participating in exchange programs such as the National Student Exchange (NSE) register and pay tuition and fees at New College. Such students may decide, in consultation with their contract sponsor, to establish a mixed contract, consisting of both work at the off-campus institution and tutorials supervised by New College faculty.
• Because all New College students enroll full-time, students must enroll in (and remain enrolled in) a minimum of 3 academic units or the equivalent of at least 12 semester credits or 18 quarter credits.
• Students are responsible for arranging to have their official transcripts (and any additional credential translation and/or evaluation documents) sent to the New College Office of the Registrar immediately at the end of the semester.

Special Concerns for Students Paying the Host Institution

If students undertake an academic contract that consists of study at another accredited college or university, or at a recognized field study center, they typically pay tuition and fees only to the host institution, not to New College. Paying the host institution for off-campus study involves a slightly different set of procedures than paying New College of Florida.

• Students paying the host institution should complete a Tuition Waiver Form and submit it with the Declaration for Off-Campus Study form to the Office of the Registrar.
• Students must request a Tuition Waiver from New College for every semester they study off campus and pay tuition to the host.
• Once tuition at New College has been waived, the student’s contract may show only work to be done at the host institution. A student may not include independent work with a New College faculty member as part of the off-campus contract if tuition is paid to the host institution.
• Students paying the host institution during fall semester may be eligible to register for an ISP following the semester of off-campus study and must petition the Provost for approval.
• If students anticipate using any Florida Prepaid College Plan funds for their tuition at the host institution, they should check with the host institution and with the Florida Prepaid College Board to determine if their Florida Prepaid Plan benefits may be used at that institution.

Off-Campus Study and Financial Aid

Students who have any type of scholarship or need-based and/or federal financial aid should consult with the Financial Aid office well in advance of the off-campus semester. Some types of scholarship and aid can apply to off-campus study, but others are restricted. Financial Aid staff assists students in their efforts to secure funding for an off-campus semester.

As indicated above, for a contract, all off-campus study students must enroll in a minimum of 12 semester credits or 18 quarter credits at the host institution. It is important that the student have an official transcript and any other required documents sent to the New College Office of the Registrar as soon as possible following the off-campus study. Since renewal of aid depends on proof of enrollment and satisfactory academic progress, students who receive aid may have some or all of their aid canceled if their official transcripts and other required documents are not received in a timely manner. Students on financial aid warning or financial aid probation are at particular risk for losing their aid eligibility, because records from off-campus study frequently arrive after the scheduled check for financial aid satisfactory academic progress.

Students who study off campus must take extra care to

1. meet all their requirements for full-time study (including submission of all assignments and taking all final exams), and
2. have their official off-campus study transcript and any required translation/evaluation credentials provided to the New College Office of the Registrar as quickly as possible once their records are available.

If the financial aid SAP status is Warning for the off-campus semester, the student’s aid is at high risk for being terminated the following semester (for example, if the records arrive after the scheduled SAP check). If the SAP status is Good for the off-campus semester, they may have time to request a recheck during the following term if they meet the dates indicated below.

There are substantial financial consequences for falling below full-time study, and for failing to arrange for official transcripts and credentials to arrive on time. If these are not received and recorded by April 15th (fall OCS study) or October 15th (spring OCS study) or if the program coordinator notifies the College that the student has dropped below full-time study, the College will remove all of the OCS semester’s aid from the student’s account, and the student will be required to repay that amount to the College as requested. In addition, if the student’s off-campus study transcripts and credentials are not received and recorded in time for the next Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) review, the student will not be eligible for further aid. (The student's off-campus study transcripts and credentials must be on record with the Office of the Registrar as one condition of SAP for any future term.)

Off-Campus Study, the Provisional AOC Plan, and the Thesis Prospectus

If the proposed semester of off-campus study occurs during the fifth attempted contract, the student must submit the Provisional Area of Concentration Plan before beginning off-campus study.

If the proposed semester of off-campus study occurs during the sixth attempted contract, the student must submit the Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration Form before beginning off-campus study.

Forwarding Mail from New College

In order to continue receiving mail, a student should leave a forwarding address (preferably a permanent off-campus address) with the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of the Registrar, and the Campus Mail Center before departing campus. If a student receives any type of financial aid, they should include a valid U.S. address for mailing purposes on their financial aid off-campus study agreement. (Please note: financial aid checks cannot be mailed abroad. Students may arrange for aid to be delivered by direct deposit rather than to a mailing address.)

Receiving Credit for Off-Campus Study

Upon arriving at the host institution, a student should go to that institution's Registrar's Office and request that an official transcript be sent to the following address as soon as possible after the off-campus study is completed:

Office of the Registrar
New College of Florida
5800 Bay Shore Road
Sarasota, FL 34243

In order for the student to receive credit at the end of their off-campus endeavor, the Office of the Registrar must have received the official transcript so that it can be properly evaluated. New College will accept the transcripts of recognized foreign universities for off-campus study purposes. However, if the transcript does not have a clear indication of the number and type of U.S. credit hours earned for each course, and/or if the grades are not U.S. letter grades, the student will be responsible for arranging and paying for a course-by-course evaluation of the work into American semester credit hour and grade equivalents by a credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. If the transcript is not in English, the student is also responsible for arranging and paying for a professional translation. The Office of the Registrar will provide the student’s academic advisor with a copy of the transcript once it is received from the host institution. If off-campus study as an academic contract is not undertaken at another college, university, or field study center, New College faculty are responsible for evaluation of the student’s work on a tutorial basis. In such cases, the student pays tuition and fees to New College. 

Off-Campus Study Contract Certification

When a student completes a contract while enrolled at a host institution, the contract sponsor will base their certification on two documents:

1. the off-campus contract, and
2. the transcript from the host institution.

Off-campus contracts for study at another institution should list the titles, numbers, and credit hours for the courses that the student intends to take and provide certification criteria. The Office of the Registrar acknowledges that the transcript has been received from the host institution regardless of the details of the contract.