Study Abroad Academic Policies
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
Information Guide for Academic Policies and Credit & Grade Conversions for AU Students Studying Abroad
at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar, Germany
CONTENTS:
• Minimum Requirements for Application
• Gaining Approvals for Courses Taken Abroad
• Registering for Courses Pass/Fail
• Tuition Payment
• Educational Differences
• Credits and Grades
• Transcript Processing
• Key Contacts
Minimum Requirements for Application
To apply to study abroad at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, students must have met ALL
of the following minimum requirements:
• Second semester Sophomore or greater standing
• Passing grades in the following courses:
o For Kogod majors:
 8 of 10 general education requirements, including both ECON-100 and ECON-200
 LIT-100 and LIT-101 (or the English Competency Exam)
 MATH-211 and STAT-202
 ACCT-240 and ACCT-241
o For Kogod minors and non-Kogod majors:
 8 of 10 general education requirements
 LIT-100 and LIT-101 (or the English Competency Exam)
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
Gaining Approvals for Courses Taken Abroad
Before You Go
You must complete the KSB Academic Advisor Study Abroad Approval Form as part of your application
for study abroad. The Approval Form lists key expectations and requirements to support your continued
academic success while abroad. It includes information on gaining approval for course equivalencies, and
finding information on the courses that have already been pre-approved. It is recommended to gain approvals
for twice as many courses as you plan to take abroad – you should have many back-ups to choose from in case
the courses you are interested in are not offered, are closed, or conflict with your other courses. If you plan to
study abroad for a year, be sure to gain course approvals for both terms.
Keep in mind that you cannot take General Education credits, Accounting credits, MGMT-201, or MGMT-458
abroad. Kogod majors can take no more than three Kogod core courses and no more than two Kogod
specialization courses abroad per semester (per specialization in the case of double specializations). Kogod
minors can take up to two required minor courses abroad per semester.
After your study abroad application is submitted, if you are accepted into the program, WHU will send you a
course registration link and associated instructions for registering for your courses. Course registration is
completed directly with WHU and you should read any emails and instructions from WHU thoroughly.
At AU, you will be registered for a study abroad “placeholder” course of 15 credits, KSB-349. Once your final
transcript is received and processed (see “Transcript Processing” section below), specific sections will be
created under the placeholder course for the courses you completed (i.e. KSB-349-002, 003, 004, etc.). Thus,
your DARS report may not correctly reflect the courses you’ve completed towards your degree requirements,
and you will need to keep track of how your abroad courses do/do not translate to your required courses
(according to your Course Equivalency records). This will be rectified upon your graduation clearance. Many
students find their Kogod Road Map to be the best tool to track their progress towards graduation, including
their courses taken abroad.
BLC Majors (German Track): Remember that you MUST complete at least 12 AU credits taught in German,
including 6 credits of business courses. Review the WHU course catalog very closely to validate the language
that the course is taught in German vs. English. Most of WHU’s courses are taught in English, but there are
enough courses taught in German each semester to fulfill this requirement. You are solely responsible for
ensuring that you are meeting this requirement and failure to do so could jeopardize meeting your BLC degree
requirements on time.
At WHU
As you experience at AU, you will have the first two weeks of classes to make changes to your registration.
Adjustments are made to accommodate differences in academic calendars, so that if your classes start later at
WHU, the end of your add/drop period will be adjusted accordingly. Please note that you cannot retroactively
change course registration after the end of the add/drop period for your program.
You should take a copy of your Course Equivalency records with you to WHU! If, during the registration
process and subsequent add/drop period, you need to register for a course for which you did not get advance
approval, you must obtain approval while abroad. This can be done by following the instructions on the AU
Abroad website under “Courses and Credits”. BLC students should also clearly state the language in which
the course is taught. You will receive and email response regarding the outcome of the equivalency request,
and should maintain a record of this email response. If approved, the course will be added to the AU Abroad
course equivalency database. This complete set of approvals will be used to validate your final transcript from
WHU. Any missing approvals for courses you have taken may result in delays in processing your transcript, or
may result in a course not being applied as anticipated toward your Kogod degree and/or graduation
requirements.
Registering for Courses Pass/Fail
Most of our international partners do not have a Pass/Fail grading system; thus, an A-F letter grade (or local
grading scale as outlined below under the “Credits & Grades” section) will appear on the transcript from the
partner school. However, the course can be converted to Pass/Fail on your AU transcript upon completion of
the semester IF you follow the guidelines below:
• Please note that the standard Kogod policies for which types of courses can be taken Pass/Fail
apply abroad
• If you plan to take a course for Pass/Fail credit, you should indicate this option on your Course
Equivalency Form
• If you did not select the Pass/Fail grade type on your Course Equivalency Form, you can also request
the Pass/Fail grade type during the first TWO WEEKS of your courses (ONE WEEK for
module/partial semester or summer courses)
• To do so, e-mail your Academic Advisor AND ksbabroad@american.edu with the name of the course
and a request to change your grade type to Pass/Fail
• This request must be acknowledged and approved by your Academic Advisor
• After this two-week period, you cannot be authorized to take the course as Pass/Fail
Tuition Payment
You will be billed standard AU, full-time tuition and a program fee for your term abroad; the program fee
covers all of Kogod’s non-tuition related fees, including university-mandated supplemental insurance. These
will both be billed to your AU student account. All financial aid (except Federal work study) carries over to
your semester abroad.
Since AU tuition only covers 12-17 credits, students who go over the allotted 17 credits of a normal course
load will be charged AU tuition for every credit over 17 credits. Students who drop courses and take under the
minimum of 12 credits will not receive a refund from AU. IMPORTANT: If you take fewer than 12 credits,
your visa status may be jeopardized and you will not be eligible to receive any financial aid for the semester.
Students should review all of their financial aid requirements to ensure that you are aware of any year-long
credit and GPA requirements for all scholarships and financial aid.
Educational Differences
In general, you should be prepared for MANY differences between the overseas and the US academic systems
and be aware that you may experience a period of adjustment. You may also experience some academic
differences dependent upon where each of your professors was educated. You may have some professors who
provide detailed syllabus with dates and expectations that are firmly set, while others will be more fluid and
less specific.
Class scheduling at WHU is also quite different than at AU; classes may not meet every week, and/or may not
meet on the same day or time from week to week. You may have periods of several weeks during which none
of your courses are meeting. This varies from student to student depending on your unique schedule of classes.
As WHU is a “direct enrollment” program; you will be taking courses alongside WHU’s full-time students,
subject to the same expectations. Your courses, professors, and assignments will likely be quite different from
what you’ve experienced at AU. Most will be lecture driven and the class size can range in from 20 students to
100 or more students in a class. Also, a larger percentage of your grade will be determined by your midterm
and final exams. For some courses, your grade will be solely determined by your midterm and final exams.
WHU is an academically rigorous program, and grading can be more stringent; it may be more difficult to gain
an “A” or “B” grade in a course. Even failing an exam is relatively common at WHU and they have a process
through which you can retake any exams you may fail. As is typical for many study abroad programs, you may
not maintain the same GPA at WHU that you have earned at AU. Regardless, the grades you earn at WHU
will be included in your AU GPA. While students are expected to fulfill all requirements and expectations of
their coursework to the best of their abilities, you should keep in mind that the experience of studying abroad
carries with it many other tangible and intangible benefits and should be viewed as a holistic life experience,
not merely one that contributes to your GPA.
Credits and Grades
Credits
WHU awards credit on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). To determine the credit value at AU,
divide the amount of credit awarded by WHU by 2. Regular course load for WHU students is 30 ECTS per
semester. AU students must take at least 24 ECTS per semester while at WHU.