Regulations for Study Abroad

These guidelines apply to undergraduate programmes where either:

• The programme requires a student to undertake study at an approved host institution for a full academic year for the award of credit, i.e. a ‘Full Year Study Placement’

or

• Study is undertaken at another institution for credit in lieu of the credits that the student would have normally taken at Swansea, i.e. a ‘Semester Study Placement’.

Regulations for Industrial Practice/Work Placement/Intercalary work placement/work based learning can be found in point 3 of the Bachelor Degrees - Swansea University. The Undergraduate Assessment Regulations detail criteria for progression and degree classification.

2.1

Where the period of formal study is a required part of the programme, the programme specification must clearly identify how the intended learning outcomes of the programme should be met.

2.2

All new partnership agreements must ensure that a credit framework and mark allocation guidelines are provided.

2.3     

Any formal period of study placement must be credit-bearing and contribute to the award of the programme and consequently the degree classification (i.e. therefore not pass/fail).

2.4

The Study Year Placement should normally be taken:

• During the third year of a four-year initial degree which includes a year or two semesters abroad.
• During the fourth year of a five-year advanced initial degree including a year of semesters abroad.
• Where required (for example, due to delayed placements as a result of a global pandemic or other issue), placements can also be taken in year 4 of a 4-year programme or year 5 of a 5-year programme, with agreement from the Faculty/School. 

2.5   

Any marks from a study placement will be determined by the translation of marks that have been gained at the partner institution using the approved Swansea University Regulations. The University’s official transcript will show the Swansea University translated mark(s) from the study placement period.

3.1

Study placements should conform to one of the following structures:

• One year in duration (equivalent to 120 Swansea credits and commonly referred to as an intercalary year);
• Two semesters split over two years (equivalent to 2 x 60 Swansea credits and commonly referred to as an intercalary year);
• One semester (equivalent to 60 Swansea credits within a three-year degree or a four-year advanced initial degree);
• Combination of one semester study placement and one semester work placement (equivalent to 120 credits and commonly referred to as an intercalary year.

3.2

The Full Year Study Placement will be recorded as 120 credits and the Semester Study Placement as 60 credits on the Swansea University student transcript.

3.3 

Students are required to enrol on the equivalent of a minimum of 80% of a full Swansea University course load at the partner institutions (there may be exceptions and some partners may allow students to enrol on less than 80% of a full Swansea University course). Students should be aware that while Swansea University only requires enrolment on 80% of a full course load, visa regulations in the host country may require students to enrol on a full course load at the partner institution.

Students will be provided with a Learning Plan which will detail the minimum credit load they will be required to enrol in at the partner university.

3.4   

For a Semester abroad, as study is carried out in lieu of study at Swansea, students are required to enrol on the equivalent of a full Swansea University semester credit load (60 credits). 

3.5

Marks will be converted using the approved Guidelines on the Procedure for Allocating Marks for a Semester Abroad Period Swansea University’s official transcript will show the Swansea University translated mark(s) from the study placement period. 

4.1

There is a competitive application process in place for Study Abroad. The International Development Office will work with Faculties to consider a student’s academic performance and a personal statement as part of that application process.

4.2

Any student with extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

4.3

Faculties/Schools are permitted to set a minimum average as a threshold for participation (which will be reviewed at the end of 1st year) subject to University approval processes.

4.4

If students have been awarded supplementary assessments in their second year of study, the supplementary assessments must be passed and progression to the next year of study permitted before students can participate in a semester/year abroad placement. This may mean that students will be unable to continue to their chosen partner university (e.g. those in US, Australia or Canada as term starts mid-August and the results of Supplementary assessments will not be known in time).

4.5

Students who are not permitted to progress in their studies prior to the semester or year abroad study placement will not be able to participate in the semester/year abroad and may need to transfer to a different programme of study (e.g. from a four-year programme of study to a three-year programme of study).

Faculty/Academic departments are responsible for assigning a study abroad tutor to all students taking part in the Semester or Year Abroad.

5.1 Study Abroad Tutors must ensure

5.1.1

That students are fully aware of the academic arrangements for any period of study placement abroad prior to the student committing his or herself to it, and that students wishing to undertake study in a language other than their own have the relevant language skills.

5.1.2

Completion of a Learning Plan detailing

• The total number of credits that the student is required to enrol in and pass during the study period abroad;
• The appropriate level of the modules/classes the student should select and the appropriate subject areas;
• Whether some or all of the planned study should be through the medium of English or whether the student is expected to study in a foreign language (if they have relevant language skills);
• Details of the re-sit opportunities for the planned placement.

5.1.3

That an approved Learning Agreement is completed prior to commencement of the Study Placement abroad and that any changes to it are only made with their explicit agreement and that of the student.

5.1.4

That modules studied on a Study Placement abroad are at a level of study appropriate to the programme.

5.1.5

That students are informed if there are re-sit opportunities available in the host university/country prior to the student selecting a Study Placement abroad.

5.1.6

That regular contact is maintained with any student undertaking a study placement abroad in addition to the requirements on the student of the Engagement Monitoring Policy for Taught Students.

5.2 Student Responsibilities

Students must ensure that they fully agree the academic arrangements for any period of study placement abroad through discussions with their Faculty/School. This will include:

• Completion of a Learning Plan detailing
  • The total number of credits that the student is required to enrol in and pass during the study period abroad;
  • The appropriate level of the modules/classes the student should select and the appropriate subject areas;
  • Whether some or all of the planned study should be through the medium of English or whether the student is expected to study in a foreign language (if they have relevant language skills);
  • Details of the re-sit opportunities for the planned placement.
• Completion of a Learning Agreement prior to the start of the planned study placement detailing
  • the specific modules/classes that the student plans to enrol in. Students must seek approval from the Faculty/School for any changes they make to the approved Learning Agreement.

Students are also required to maintain regular contact with their Faculty/School in line with the requirements on the student of the Engagement Monitoring Policy for Taught Students.

6.1   

Partner universities issue an academic transcript with details of the credits studied and marks achieved by students. Swansea University has adopted an evidence-based approach for converting marks gained from mobility placements in the form of approved grade conversion tables, benchmarked against both transcripts and grading tables from both our partner institutions and other Higher Education institutions in the UK. 

6.2

Swansea University recognises that there can be significant differences in the number of courses and credits available for study at the host university. It is recommended (for purposes of recording a Study Placement on the Swansea record) that one of the following options be used (Faculties/Schools may select the most appropriate option):

6.3  

If the Faculty/School decides to use one Swansea module (60 or 120 SU credits) to represent the study placement the final mark should be calculated as follows:

• Use the marks and credit value recorded on transcript (before conversion) to:
  • Calculate the weighted average of all the marks achieved;
  • Calculate the median mark;
  • Select the mark most advantageous to the student from each of these calculations and convert them to Swansea University grades using the approved conversion tables.

6.4

If the Faculty/School opts to use 4 (or 8) x 15 credit Swansea modules (equating to 4/8 equally weighted modules at a host university) to represent the study placement, each module mark should be calculated as follows:

• Convert the mark for each module on the transcript using the approved tables and allocate it to Swansea equivalent module.

6.5

Marks must be converted using information provided on the host university transcripts and translated on to the approved conversion tables, as referred to above, using the approved Swansea University regulations.

6.6

The International Development Office will carry out the initial mark conversion on behalf of the Faculty/School and will send the recommended mark to the Faculty (together with a copy of the student transcript).

6.7

The Faculty is responsible for reviewing and confirming the recommended mark(s) to ensure that they are robust.

7.1

Swansea University does not normally offer a supplementary opportunity for students who fail a module(s) during a study period abroad.

7.2

Students must be informed of the availability of re-sit opportunities in host universities/countries prior to making their selection.

7.3  

Where partner universities do offer re-sit opportunities as standard practice during the normal study mobility period students are advised to avail themselves of this opportunity to re-sit any failed modules.

7.4  

In cases where there are extenuating circumstances (or circumstances beyond students control) a supplementary assessment opportunity may be offered on the recommendation of the Progression and Awards Board.

7.5

Where a supplementary assessment opportunity is offered the Faculty/School must ensure that it meets the module learning outcomes.

7.6

If it is not possible to redeem a failure(s) in module(s) studied during a study period abroad alternative options for progression will be explored. This could involve a transfer to a different programme of study.

8.1

Guidelines on how mobility opportunities are to be counted towards final degree classification can be found in the Academic Regulations.

All students will be given guidance on modules appropriate for pursuit as part of their Swansea University degree. Each student will be provided with a learning contract in advance of their departure detailing the number and level of credits which they are expected to enrol on. Students spending a Semester Abroad will be required to enrol on approximately 25 ECTS credits (or the equivalent approved amount of credits from international universities). On return from the Semester Abroad the grades will be converted into 60 Swansea University credits for a Semester Abroad.

All students returning from a Semester Abroad will receive an official transcript from their host university. A copy of the transcript or result letters are normally also be sent to the IDO and then distributed to the relevant academic coordinator for calculation and conversion.

1.    Converting marks achieved at partner institutions

When allocating a mark from a Semester, academic coordinators should refer to the completed learning contract together with the academic transcript provided by the host university.

Transcripts received from partner universities in Europe will contain information on the credit value of each module/course pursued, together with an ECTS grade (on a scale of A-E) and an actual module/course mark. Transcripts received from international partners will contain information on the credit value of the module/course studied and an actual module/course mark.

To calculate the mark which will contribute to the Swansea Award the following procedure should be adhered to:

Allocation of marks

Decide on the most appropriate method of allocating marks awarded from a partner Institution into Swansea credits (to the best advantage of the student):

• 1 x 60 credit module - usually most suitable for representing ECTS credits
• 4 x 15 credit modules - usually used for representing Hong Kong and some USA marks

or

• A University approved alternative structure as defined by a specific strategic partnership agreement

Calculation and Conversion of Marks

a) For marks being represented as 1 x 60 credit module

The range of marks awarded from partner institutions should be calculated first by 

• The weighted average and
• The median

The mark most advantageous from these calculations to the student should then be converted to Swansea credits using the Swansea Grade Conversion tables

i.e.

To calculate the weighted average:

• Multiply the numerical mark achieved by the number of credits for that module (for each of the modules to be included in the calculation).

e.g. a student has taken a semester abroad at a French University and has studied 25 ECTS credits. The results achieved are as follows:

module XX1  mark achieved = 12  (3 credits)  12 x 3 = 36
module XX2  mark achieved = 13  (5 credits)  13 x 5 = 65
module XX3  mark achieved = 11  (6 credits)  11 x 6 = 66
module XX4  mark achieved = 10  (5 credits)  10 x 5 = 50
module XX5  mark achieved = 14  (6 credits)  14 x 6 = 84 

Add all of these marks together 36+65+66+50+84 = 301

and divide by the total number of credits used in the calculation (i.e. 25 in this case) to arrive at the weighted average

301 ÷ 25 = 12.04

The weighted average is 12.04

To calculate the median: 

module XX1  mark achieved = 12  (3 credits)
module XX2  mark achieved = 13  (5 credits)
module XX3  mark achieved = 11  (6 credits)
module XX4  mark achieved = 10  (5 credits)
module XX5  mark achieved = 14  (6 credits)
 

List the numbers in order (the highest first)

14

13

12

11

10 

Find the middle value = 12

(if there are an even number of modules, add the two middle numbers together and divide by 2)

The median is 12

Consider if the weighted average mark or the median is the most advantageous to the student.

The above student has a weighted average of 12.04 and a median of 12.

Using the Swansea University Grade Conversion Table a weighted average score of 12.04 in France would approximately equate to a Swansea Grade of approximately 58%, whilst a median mark of 12 would equate to a grade of approximately 57%.

Therefore in this case the weighted average should be used and a final mark of 58% should be recorded for the Semester Abroad.

b) Marks to be allocated to 4 x 15 credit modules

e.g. A student at a partner University studies the following modules and is awarded the indicated partner grades which can be allocated to 4 distinct modules: 

 Using the conversion table the Swansea marks awarded would be as follows: 

These marks would then be recorded on the Swansea transcript as 4 x 15 credit modules which would give the following results: 

Swansea1   = 72%

Swansea2   = 62%

Swansea3   = 72%

Swansea4   = 51% 

2.     Classification of Awards

Module results will be entered into the Classification of Awards framework using the appropriate method as published in the Undergraduate Assessment Regulations, Classification of Honours Degrees.

EUROPE*

INTERNATIONAL *

*PLEASE NOTE

These tables are for guidance only and should be used in conjunction with the transcript and conversion table provided by the host university.