STUDY ABROAD ONLINE
PRE-DEPARTURE
ORIENTATION MODULE
BBA International Programs
updated 10.13.15 EMM
Welcome to the BBA International Programs Online
Orientation!

This module covers all of the topics listed on the tabs above to help prepare you
for your program abroad.

This module will take approximately 25-30 minutes to read.

If you have any questions about the information in these modules, we encourage
you to talk to your BBA International Programs Coordinator.

The orientation modules will remain available to you on MySAO after completion.
They can be a good resource throughout your preparation and even while abroad,
so refer to back to them as often as you need. You may also wish to print them out
for reference away from your computer.

In addition to this online module, you will also have in-person pre-departure
meetings on campus to prepare you for the personal, cultural and academic
experience abroad.
Tuition and Fees

BBA International Programs are exchange programs, where you will study directly
alongside local students at our partner universities. In turn, students from the
partner university study at UT Austin.

As a student in an Exchange program, you will earn regular in-residence UT credit,
just as if you were taking courses on campus in Austin. All grades earned for the
courses you take are factored into your official UT Austin GPA, just as they would
be for courses taken on campus.

You will pay your regular UT tuition just as if you were studying here in Austin. In
addition, you will be responsible for paying for housing, food, transportation, and
general costs of living in the host country, just as you would pay for those same
expenses here in Austin.

Undergraduate participants in an Exchange program pay UT tuition based on the
flat rate tuition schedule.

Visit the UT website’s tuition page for current tuition rates.

Most federal, state and UT institutional aid can be used on Exchange programs. To
be eligible for financial aid, you must fill out a FAFSA .

The UT Office of Student Financial Services (OSFS) will consider the additional costs
of studying abroad when calculating your student aid package. The estimated costs
are based on a program budget submitted by your BBA IP Coordinator. You can
view a sample budget for your program in the Program Search Engine. This
estimated budget includes tuition, program fees, room and board, airfare, books,
international health insurance, and emergency funds.

OSFS will revise your financial aid package based on this budget and your individual
financial circumstances. The award increase is most often in the form of additional
loans, although some students may receive additional grants or scholarships.

OSFS will send you an Electronic Financial Aid Notification (E-FAN) with your new
financial aid package. Be sure to respond promptly to every correspondence you
receive from OSFS. You may receive more than one E-FAN as your aid is
recalculated.

Financial aid funds are not released until the official start of the UT semester,
which means that you may already be abroad when you receive your aid.
Financial aid cannot be released early for study abroad students.

Be sure to make your financial plan accordingly. You will have expenses before
departure, such as your plane ticket, program deposit, and on-the-ground costs
when you arrive to your host country.

When your aid is released, the funds are first used to pay off anything you
currently owe to the university. Any remaining funds will be released to you by
direct deposit or by mail.

In order for your aid to release, the following items must be complete:

Online Financial Aid Counseling module on MySAO

UT Registration

UT tuition bill (must be paid or deferred to financial aid)
Emergency Tuition Loans

In the event that you have not received your E-FAN by the tuition payment
deadline, you can obtain an Emergency Tuition Loan to complete tuition payment.
Remember, all financial bars must be cleared before processing an Emergency
Tuition Loan.
Registration at UT for term abroad

You will register yourself in Reciprocal Exchange (SAB) status for your
semester abroad. This registration counts as full-time enrollment at UT,
retains your eligibility for financial aid awards and scholarships and
allows you to receive in-residence credit for courses taken abroad.

How to register, using the UT online registration system:


Log on to the UT Registrar’s online registration system.

Clear all bars.

Fall or Spring Abroad : Enter the unique number 00180 FOUR TIMES (for a total
of 12 hours).

Summer Abroad : For CUHK, HKUST & ITESM, enter the unique number 70180
two times (for a total of 6 hours). For BI Norway, enter 70190 one time for a
total of 5 hours. For CBS, enter 70185 two times (for a total of 8 hours).
It is your responsibility to complete registration and payment for your time abroad.
Your tuition bill must be paid by the date indicated on the UT calendar. Your
registration is not complete without payment. If you have difficulties please email
your BBA International Programs Coordinator.
Registration for Courses Abroad

In addition to your UT registration, you will register for specific courses directly
with your exchange partner institution, either before you leave or when you arrive.

Registration for a full course load is required.

A full course load is the equivalent of 12 hours for each semester, 6 hours for
each summer session (5 hours for BI Norway summer, 8 hours for CBS summer).

You must enroll in at least two business courses (at least one in the summer); if
your partner school requires you to take more courses within the business
school, or more hours total, you must also comply with their policies.

If you are not sure what constitutes a full course load or have questions about
how many UT course hours a course abroad is equivalent to, please contact your
BBA International Programs Coordinator.

Do not register for more than 12 hours; if you do take more credit hours abroad
those can easily be added upon your return, but hours cannot be removed.
Registration for Courses Abroad

Before your program begins, make an appointment with your Academic Advisor to
help you develop a flexible course plan.

Remember to be flexible with your course choices – there is no guarantee of what
classes will be available and what you can take.

If course offerings for your host school are not yet available for the term you will
be abroad, view the offerings from current and past semesters for an idea of what
might be available. Courses are often semester-specific, so look at offerings for
past corresponding semesters.

At all host schools it is possible to make course changes after arrival, but the
number of changes is restricted at some.

While you are registering for classes abroad email Josh Rucker a list of your classes
including title and number. Include all courses in the email, including those that are
in our database. Students who do not email us this information risk not getting the
credit they seek!
Registration for your Returning Semester

It is your responsibility to register and pay your tuition bill for the semester in
which you will return to UT. The course schedule and registration times can be
found on the UT website.

Course schedules are available online by early October for Spring and by early April
for Summer and Fall.

Before registration, you should contact your Academic Advisor to make sure you
have cleared your advising bars. If you encounter difficulties registering from
abroad, please contact your BBA International Programs Coordinator for
assistance.
Pre-Departure – “Credit Walk-In Hours”

Prior to departure, you must meet with your Academic Advisor to discuss the
classes you are considering taking abroad, your degree requirements , and any
course issues for the semester you return. This is required to satisfy the
mandatory “Credit Walk-In Hours.” McCombs does NOT have credit walk-in hours;
instead you meet individually with your Academic Advisor (not study abroad
advisor). Refer to the “Academic Advising Requirement” document on Canvas.

Refer to the course equivalency database on Canvas to see classes that have
already been evaluated for UT credit. You are not restricted to the courses listed in
the database; new courses are evaluated and added each semester.

This is not a current semester listing of courses offered by your host school.
Please consult your host school's website for course listings.

Courses offered by partners might be changed or cancelled, just like at UT . Reevaluations of classes are necessary every five years. The designation "was FIN
3xx" in the Notes section indicates that the equivalent has expired and must be reevaluated. If the content has not changed significantly, the designation will likely
be the same.
Course Evaluation

If you are enrolled in a course that has not yet been evaluated, you need
to send Josh the full syllabus.

For a course to be worth 3 hours of UT academic credit, it must have
approximately 45 contact hours during the semester. Use this to
determine if a course abroad is likely to be worth 3 hours of UT credit, or
less. If you are unsure of how many UT credit hours a course abroad is
worth, please contact Josh.

To be equivalent to a specific UT course, the course at the host school
must cover the same topics. Compare course content to UT syllabi.

Course evaluation can be done at any point; it is best to submit materials
AS SOON as they are available!
Credit Processing

Courses taken abroad on a BBA exchange program will be posted as in-residence
credit and will count towards your degree at UT. The credit may be considered as
major/minor course credit, core credit, language requirements, area studies
requirements or as electives as dictated by course contents.

The grades earned will be calculated into your UT GPA.

Credit is posted when transcripts from the partner school have been received and
processed, after you have submitted all your course forms and information, and
you complete your re-entry paperwork. This is usually in the first semester after
returning from abroad.
Grades

Grades for the courses you take abroad are determined by instructors at the host
institution. International grades are converted to UT grades according to
established guidelines.

This is merely a process of transcription. UT will not overrule another instructor's
evaluation. Any issues you have concerning a grade earned abroad must be
directed to the instructor of the course.

The grades earned on an Exchange program will appear on your UT transcript and
be calculated into your UT GPA.

Courses and grades cannot be processed until all UT equivalencies have been
determined, and the official transcript from the host school is received. It can take
several months to get the transcripts, due to different grading and processing
systems.
Special BBA International Programs Pass/Fail Policy

Upon reviewing the grades earned on exchange at a BBA partner institution, business
students may elect to place up to four courses on their records with a CR rather than with a
UT letter grade. The following restrictions apply:
1.
The student must have earned the equivalent of a “C-” or better in a course to choose
the CR option.
2.
Courses taken on a BBA exchange with the CR option may be counted toward any
business school (not UGS) requirements for the degree, major, or minor. UGS
requirements cannot be taken pass/fail! They must be taken for a letter grade. These
classes are UGS 302/303, RHE 306, ENG 316K, 2 GOV, 2 HIS, Social & Behavioral Science,
Science & Technology parts I & II, Visual & Performing Arts. Exception: BHP students may
take the CR option on any courses taken abroad except those used to fulfill the Honors
“core” (courses designated with H). You cannot retake an Honors course at UT later if you
were not satisfied with your grade in the course you took abroad.
3.
A student may use a lifetime maximum of four (4) courses concluded with the CR
designation, including those taken on a BBA exchange, to satisfy degree requirements.
(i.e. a student who, prior to study abroad is already counting two courses taken on a P/F
basis toward her/his degree, may elect to have no more than two courses taken on a BBA
exchange recorded with CR.)
4.
Once a course is placed on the UT record the grade designation may not be
changed.
5.
A student cannot take advantage of both the special BBA exchange pass/fail
policy and the regular UT pass/fail policy when transferring their study abroad
classes. A student must choose one policy or the other.
Important Information for UT Credit

50% of major coursework (finance courses for Finance majors, etc.) must be
completed physically at UT .

Students must take the required integrative course for their major (FIN 370, IB 378,
MAN 374, MIS 375 or MKT 370) at UT . Writing flag courses must also be taken at
UT .

BHP students wanting to fulfill Honors courses while abroad may need to complete
additional assignments. BHP students are responsible for consulting with a BHP
advisor prior to departure to determine what needs to be done. BHP students who
take a course approved for Honors credit must transfer the grade received, cannot
take the course on a pass/fail basis, and cannot retake the course at UT later if they
are not satisfied with the grades earned abroad.
Graduation Restrictions

Unless you have already completed all degree requirements for graduation before
departure, you cannot graduate during the semester you study abroad. In addition,
students may not be able to graduate the semester immediately upon return
because the credit cannot always be posted by the graduation deadline. Questions
about special circumstances should be directed to Polly Trigger or Josh Rucker.

If you’re studying abroad during your next-to-last semester at UT, please review
the procedure for "In Absentia Graduation/Registration" with your academic
advisor.
Program Withdrawals and Refunds

If you choose to withdraw, you must notify BBA International Programs as soon as
possible. Withdrawal should only be for situations that could not have been
considered or predicted before your commitment to the program.

You are responsible for understanding your Exchange program’s withdrawal and
refund policies. Failure to abide by the program’s policy may have severe
academic and financial costs.

The $75 SAO application fee is non-refundable.

If you withdraw on or before the 12th class day of the UT semester, you will drop
your SAB registration and register for regular UT courses.

If you withdraw after the 12th class day of the UT semester, your SAB registration
will be dropped. In most cases, you will not be able to register for regular UT
classes. These cases are considered on an individual basis.

For withdrawals due to program suspension, political disturbance, uncontrollable
acts of nature, or for medical reasons, BBA International Programs will work with
each student on an individual basis.
Internship
If you are considering an internship while abroad, make sure you:

Contact your partner school to find out if you can do an internship while on the
exchange program. Some places do not allow this!

Check with the Embassy or Consulate to learn if your exchange student visa will
allow internship employment. Again, this is not possible in some countries.

Contact your UT Internship Coordinator about your plans, and get approval
BEFORE you go! Otherwise you might do the work but cannot get the credit.

Contact BBA Career Services before leaving.
Internships require advance planning. You should refer to the internship manual.
http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/BBA/Career-Services/InternshipRequirement.aspx
Career Services While Abroad

What services will I have access to? A current BBA student will have
access to all of the on-line resources located on the BBA Career Services
website.

What if I do not have a full-time job or an internship and most of the on
campus recruiting will be occurring the semester that I am studying
abroad?

You will be able to view all of the companies coming on campus to recruit; however,
you will not be able to apply for any positions that are conducting interviews on
campus. Employers spend a lot of money to travel to our campus and recruit
students. It will not make a favorable impression if you have been selected to
interview and then try to negotiate a phone interview. You may, however, apply for
positions that are “Resume Collection Only (RCO) since an interview schedule is not
yet set up for those positions.
Consequences: If you submit resumes through the On Campus Recruiting
System for positions other than RCO, you will be in violation of the BBA
Career Services Code of Ethics and therefore blocked from that system.
How can I utilize the on-campus recruiting system while studying abroad?

Utilize the system as a networking tool. E-mail the employers who are
coming on campus directly and let them know of your situation, and ask
what options are available or if the company will be back the following
semester. In this email, you should indicate why you have an interest in the
company and attach your resume. The best solution is to secure your
opportunities prior to leaving to study abroad.

If you have a question, contact your career advisor:

http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/bba/career-services/contact
BBA Exchange Orientation Complete!
You may print or save this presentation now, or access it
on MySAO at any time.
To finish, complete the Acknowledgement Page.
https://utdirect.utexas.edu/student/abroad/stud_orient.WBX
(copy and paste this url into your web browser)
BBA International Programs