First-year students must complete at least one semester of full-time study at Baruch before applying to study abroad, and their Baruch transcript must show grades for that semester. If you started at Baruch in the Fall, in practice this means that you may apply in March to study abroad in the Summer before your sophomore year at the earliest. However, very few  students are approved to study abroad until at least the second semester of the sophomore year. First-year students who are approved to study abroad usually request to enroll in intensive foreign language learning programs, because they plan to use that language for a later semester study abroad program.

Academic systems and cultures vary greatly throughout the world, and even the most flexible student must learn about and adapt to foreign norms in the classroom. Since Baruch wishes to send students who we are confident will succeed academically abroad, we want to ensure that students have adjusted fully to college life at Baruch before sending them to study abroad.

Transfer students frequently have a more limited window of opportunity to study abroad. The eligibility requirements for transfer students who are in their first semester at Baruch, and who wish to study abroad as soon as possible after they arrive, reflect awareness of the this timeline while ensuring that transfer students are properly prepared academically for the challenges of studying abroad. 

Winter Intersession and Summer Study Abroad

Transfer students who have completed a minimum of 6 credits at Baruch College are eligible to apply to study abroad in the Winter Intersession or Summer Session immediately after their first semester at Baruch.

Semester Study Abroad

Transfer students wishing to study abroad for a semester must complete at least one semester of full-time study at Baruch, and their Baruch transcript must show grades for that semester. In practice, if your first full-time semester at Baruch were the fall, you would typically wish to apply to study abroad during the subsequent fall term; if you first entered Baruch in the spring semester, you would typically wish to apply to study abroad during the subsequent spring semester.

First-semester transfer students may, however, apply to be conditionally approved to study abroad in their second full semester at Baruch. Final approval to study abroad will only be given after we review your Baruch transcript for your first semester and can verify that you have met the academic requirements for your study abroad program.

If you wish to pursue this option, you should be aware that your choice of programs is limited and that this option also carries some risk.

1. You would not be eligible to apply to certain exchange programs.

• Many of Baruch’s exchange partners will not accept nominations of students who have not completed at least one full semester of study at Baruch, and we must nominate students to our exchange universities months before your grades are posted on your Baruch transcript.
• Many Baruch exchange programs are competitive. We will only nominate students for these exchanges who we know at the time of their nomination will be eligible to study abroad the following semester.

These restrictions do not apply if you wish to apply to study abroad through Direct Enrollment or on a Sponsored Study Abroad Program.

2. You assume all risk for any obligations you make as part of your application(s) to study abroad, on any type of program.

• Students must often pay application fees and/or non-refundable deposits for housing and other expenses related to study abroad. If you apply for a conditional approval to study abroad, you assume the risk for any such payments.
• As a result, you should pursue the option of a conditional approval to study abroad only if you are confident that you will earn the GPA needed to meet the academic requirements of the study abroad program(s) to which you wish to apply.

If you are in your first full-time semester at Baruch and would like to petition for permission to apply to study abroad during your second semester of full-time study at Baruch, please schedule an Advising Session with the Director of Study Abroad.

Other things Transfer Students must consider

Transfer students must be especially aware that Baruch College limits the number of credits students are allowed to transfer to Baruch from another college or university. With some exceptions, this limit applies to credits earned through study abroad. According to the policies outlined on the Admissions Office website, for undergraduates there “are no set limits on the total number of credits that can be awarded based on prior coursework. All students, including Second-degree students, must take a minimum of 31 credits at Baruch to obtain a Bachelors degree, regardless of transfer credits awarded.” (emphasis in original). Since these policies can sometimes change, we strongly advise students to consult with the Transfer Credit Section of the Admissions Office, the Office of Undergraduate Advising, as well as the applicable office of their School to see how these policies might affect their plans to study abroad.

• Transfer Credit section of Undergraduate Admissions
• Undergraduate Academic Advisement
• Marxe School of Public and International Affairs: Office of Undergraduate Advisement
• Weissman School of Arts and Sciences: Office of Undergraduate Advisement
• Zicklin majors: Zicklin Undergraduate Programs Office