Petitions

Petitions

Any requests for exceptions to global study policies should be submitted in the form of a petition. This includes approval to participate in a Non-affiliated global study program. All petitions will be reviewed by the Global Study Programs Committee which is comprised of faculty representatives and other members of the campus. The exceptions are any petitions related to academic eligibility or policies which will be reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee.

It is important to note that faculty committees do not meet outside the academic year. Please contact CGE with any questions about petitions.

Non-affiliated Programs

There are some Gettysburg students who, due to specific academic goals, cannot find an Affiliated Program to match their interests. Since Gettysburg College tries to support all students in good academic and disciplinary standing with an interest in global study, occasionally a few students are approved to attend a Non-affiliated Program. Students interested in attending a program not on Gettysburg College's list of Affiliated global study programs may submit a petition if they have a strong and clear argument about the unique academic reasons that the petitioned program meets their individual priorities.

Students considering Non-affiliated Program should review the guidelines below when choosing their program.

  • Petitions will only be considered for Non-affiliated Programs offered by Program Providers that Gettysburg College uses for their Affiliated Programs.
  • Any Non-affiliated Program in a country that does not have English as an official language must include a credit bearing foreign language course.
  • Any Non-affiliated program must include studying in a single country for a minimum 13 weeks in the semester and offer the equivalent of 4 course units at Gettysburg College. Any out of country excursions must be in addition to the time spent in the primary host country.
  • The inability to meet eligibility requirements in an appropriate Gettysburg College Affiliated Program is not considered a valid academic reason for choosing a Non-affiliated Program.
  • It is NOT possible for students to “directly enroll” in foreign universities without applying through a Program Provider.
  • It is NOT possible for students to gain approval for Non-affiliated Programs in cities where Affiliated Programs currently exist and are offered in the same semester.
  • With the exception of direct enrollment university programs, all Non-affiliated Programs must include a homestay.
  • It is NOT possible for students to gain approval to participate in programs offered by for-profit study abroad companies.

Students must meet with an advisor in CGE about the petition/application process. The petition deadline is September 15th for spring and February 15th for fall regardless what the program application deadline is. All petitions are reviewed by the Global Study Programs Committee and should be submitted via email to cge@gettysburg.edu. Students must receive approval by the Global Study Programs Committee prior to opening an application and applying to the program.

Non-affiliated Programs differ from Affiliated Programs in the following ways:

Credit Only

  • Students participating in Non-affiliated Programs can take courses toward their major, minor or the goals of the Gettysburg curriculum, but will earn only credit (not grades) for the work that they do. This means global study courses appear on a Gettysburg transcript as credit as long as you achieve a grade of C- or better in the courses.

Counting Course Units

  • Students participating in Non-affiliated Programs must refer to the following chart in order to determine how many Gettysburg Course Units you will receive:

    2 Semester Hours of Credit = .50 Gettysburg Course Units

    3 Semester Hours of Credit = .80 Gettysburg Course Units

    4 Semester Hours of Credit = 1.00 Gettysburg Course Units

    5 Semester Hours of Credit = 1.25 Gettysburg Course Units

    6 Semester Hours of Credit = 1.50 Gettysburg Course Units

    If your program does not use Semester Hours as the unit of credit, please see the Registrar before you plan to apply for advice on how many courses you need to take abroad. It is very important that you do not assume that one class abroad counts for one Gettysburg Course Unit, as this is often not the case!

Different Programs, Different Costs

  • Students attending a Non-affiliated Program pay all costs directly to the sponsoring program, and these costs vary according to program. All arrangements regarding payment of program fees must be worked out with the sponsoring program. Students electing to participate in a non-affiliated global study program will be billed a Non-affiliated Global Study Fee (each semester) that covers the administrative services provided by Gettysburg College for the student.
  • Gettysburg students can continue to use federal financial aid, and in some cases, state financial aid to pay for the Non-affiliated Program through Gettysburg College. Gettysburg institutional grants, scholarships, and loans cannot be used to pay for Non-affiliated Programs, although once the student returns to Gettysburg College, these grants and loans will be reinstated. Gettysburg students cannot attend an Affiliated Program as a Non-affiliated student.