Earning Academic Credit for Teenagers Abroad Programs
We know the main reasons for joining one of our programs often include having a cultural, social and mind opening experience in another country. However, it may be possible to also earn academic credit for participating in one of our programs and there are a few issues and ideas that you might want to look into before you consider this as an option.

Earn Three College Level Credits on our Barcelona, Montreal, Rabat, Shanghai or Nice programs!

High school students who are enrolling in our Barcelona, Spain, Nice France, Shanghai China, Montreal Canada or Rabat, Morocco programs are now eligible to apply for College Credits through Brookhaven College in Texas! You must study for a minimum of 3 weeks (Standard or Intensive Program) and have reached your 16th birthday by your proposed program start date to qualify.

Independent study and performance testing
If your home school will not accept credit transfer from a foreign school or program, they may structure an accredited independent study, reading course or internship which you may take abroad, and then you will have to deliver a report upon your return. The school also may grant credit based upon performance testing in the language when you return. Ask about these options at your school, if an advance approval is not possible.

Earning a credit in another country can be challenging!
Many schools around the world grant credit but that credit will be of limited value to you unless your home institution accepts the credit(s) that you may have earned in another country.

If earning academic credit is the primary reason for participating in a Teenagers Abroad program, it is important that you check with your high school guidance department or language department head before you apply for the Teenagers Abroad program.

Ask if your school will accept work, grades, transcripts etc. transferred from a school in another country. You must get pre-approval from a qualified official at your school in writing before you go if you are going to be successful in having the credit applied to your high school transcript. Then remember that you you also must attend at least 90% of the classes, do all the written work and you may be expected to write a follow-up paper or prepare a presentation on your experience, upon your return in order to qualify for that credit.

Understanding "class" and "credit" hours
Normally, one year of language study at the high school level is considered equivalent to one semester of language study at the university level. Then, this period of study is likely to be considered as equivalent to one month of language immersion abroad. While it is generally accepted that each student learns a language at their own pace, it means it is possible that a motivated student can learn as much language in an excellent 4 to 8 week immersion program abroad as they can learn in a semester or year of high school study.

Please note that most American universities require 15 class hours for 1 semester credit (10 class hours for 1 credit using the quarter system) and usually no more than 25 class hours/week are transferable. Often, they will not offer more than 1 credit per week of study.

Qualifying for Credit Retroactively
It is common for high school students to take a foreign language proficiency exam when they take their ACT or SAT exams. Students who have studied a language abroad statistically score higher on these exams than students who have not studied abroad.

Depending on the score you get on these exams, you may be able to earn a 'retroactive credit' or 'retro credit' for language study in the form of foreign language credits at the college or university you attend.

Volunteer and internship options
Volunteerism and community work is becoming a graduation requirement at many North American high schools. A few of our programs have a volunteer component which may be eligible to fulfil this requirement for the community service hours. Check with your school if this is possible before you go, so you take the appropriate paperwork and documents along with you.

Make sure the official document required for proof of volunteer hours is completed and signed by a qualified individual on-site before you return because this is very hard to organize from home!

TEENAGER SUMMER PROGRAMS :

E-mail: info@teenagersabroad.com
Tel: NORTH AMERICA: 1 800 219 9924 or WORLDWIDE: +1 416 925 2112