Eligibility

There are two factors that determine a student's eligibility to participate in off-campus study.  Students should consider the following guidelines concerning how academic and disciplinary statuses establish a student's candidacy.

Academic Status

Students  must have a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.3 at the time of application for off-campus study. Our staff will then review mid-term and final semester grades to ensure that the student meets the minimum threshold of the program provider before approving the application. Our staff may request supplemental materials for a student’s application, e.g. additional faculty recommendations, additional essays, etc. The final decision to approve a student for off-campus study will be made in close consultation between the program provider and the Center for Global Programs. Important note: The vast majority of approved off-campus study programs require a minimum of a 2.5 GPA to qualify for participation. Accordingly, we will accept applications from students with a 2.3 GPA, but if the program GPA is higher, we reserve the right to deny participation and/or recommend a program with a lower minimum GPA requirement. 

Note that students must complete a minimum of forty-eight credits prior to participation on an off-campus program. It is recommended that transfer students complete one semester of study at Denison prior to participation on an off-campus program. This requirement does not apply to summer study. 

Final approval is contingent upon maintaining your enrollment at Denison and your academic performance between now and your term of off-campus study. We can only work with students currently enrolled at Denison. We cannot approve plans for study away during a semester in which students are not enrolled.

Disciplinary Status

Recognizing the role of students as ambassadors of Denison, the special privilege of participating in off-campus programs, and the level of maturity required for students to be successful negotiating the challenges and potential risks associated with study away, the Office of Off-Campus Study routinely consults with the Office of Community Values and Conflict Resolution to assess students’ disciplinary history as part of the approval process for off-campus study. Frequency, severity, community impact of violations, and student’s disciplinary status (e.g., Disciplinary Probation) are the disciplinary variables that may impact eligibility. Students on disciplinary probation or suspension are not eligible to participate in off-campus study during the semester of probation or suspension. Students must be on campus and cleared of any disciplinary sanctions during the semester prior to study away.

Violations that occur after a student has been approved for study abroad, but before their departure for off-campus study may also influence a student’s eligibility to participate. Denison reserves the right to withhold or rescind approval for any student based on their disciplinary history or violations, regardless of the number of incidents on the student’s record. 

The program provider may request information from the student about their disciplinary record as part of the admission process.  In these cases, the student will be asked to sign a waiver allowing Denison to provide this information to the program. If you have concerns about how your disciplinary history may affect your eligibility for study away, please convey these to your study away Advisor in our office during the advising process.