Study abroad is an academic semester and students are expected to be full-time students abroad and to transfer back the equivalent Hamilton credits to maintain full-time student status.
Financial aid and residency status are affected if a student is not full-time.
Depending on the credit awarded at the host institution, students may need to take more than the Hamilton semester standard of four courses or may be able to take fewer courses. For example, students studying in Ireland usually take six courses to earn the equivalent of 4 Hamilton credit. At the University of St. Andrews, students usually take three courses.
Remember that Hamilton students are required to enroll in one course each semester in the language of any non-English speaking country in which they study (one course in Danish, Czech, Swahili, etc.).
Consider courses you must take (for example to fulfill a requirement for your concentration or minor), country-specific courses you want to take (for example a national history or literature course), and courses that complement Hamilton course offerings (for example, courses in subfields of your discipline that may not be offered at Hamilton).
Choose courses that are similar to Hamilton courses in terms of content and rigor. They may match a Hamilton course closely enough to be counted as its equivalent or they may be rigorous, liberal arts courses not offered at Hamilton but in a discipline taught at the College.
Be aware that Hamilton DOES NOT award transfer credit for non-liberal arts courses. For example, courses in business, advertising, design, fashion, marketing, management, accounting, entrepreneurship, leadership, law, or journalism or for "practice" courses such as television production would not receive transfer credit.
