Application FAQ

11:59 p.m. Central, September 9, 2026.

All Vanderbilt Study Abroad Advisors host weekly Drop-in Advising Hours during 2 p.m - 4 p.m Central on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at the Rothschild Great Room. On September 2, Drop-in is cancelled due to the Study Abroad Fair; Study Abroad Advisors will be hosting All-Day Drop-in Advising during 9 a.m. - 4 p.m Central on September 8 & 9 in the Rothschild Great Room.

You can apply to up to two programs in the Vanderbilt Global Opportunities application portal. Some program providers (e.g., CIEE, CET, IFSA, SIT, etc.) will not allow students to apply to more than one program during the same application cycle.

No. Submitted applications will be reviewed after Vanderbilt’s application deadline.

Please make sure to also complete your program provider application, if applicable.

Your Vanderbilt Study Abroad Advisor will complete the home school nomination after you have been approved to study abroad by Vanderbilt. This process takes place within two weeks after Vanderbilt’s application deadline.

No, pass/fail grade is not allowed. You must earn a letter or numerical grade for each course you take abroad.

No, courses on the Study Abroad Course Search are only what had been evaluated within the past five years. You may submit new courses for evaluation here.

The Study Abroad Course Search is a database that reflects what study abroad courses have been evaluated in the past five years. 

Non-Equivalent Credit: There is no direct equivalent at Vanderbilt. This is the most common result for course equivalency evaluations. In most cases, departments will still grant credit for the course, either toward the major and/or minor, or only for graduation credit. The specified concentration within the parenthesis of the non-equivalent course should define how the course is evaluated by the department. Students will receive the specified number of credits as listed in the Study Abroad Course Search.  

• HIST 2061- Non-Equivalent Credit (HIST-United States), for example, means this course has no direct equivalent at Vanderbilt, but may count toward the United States history concentration of the History major/minor. 
• Also can appear as “No Eq.” Examples can include: HART-2096 - No Eq (ARCH major/minor, 2000-level) 

No Equivalent: Not eligible for credit toward the major or minor: There is no equivalent course credit at Vanderbilt, and the credit cannot be applied toward the specified major or minor. Credit will still be granted for the course, but it will be counted only as general graduation credit.  

No Credit at Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt will not award credit for this course. These are displayed as: GNEL NOCR-No credit at Vanderbilt. Students will receive no hours for this course.  

Specific Course Title: If the VU description lists a specific Vanderbilt course title, it means the study abroad course is a direct equivalent to a Vanderbilt course. Students will earn credit for the course as if taken at Vanderbilt.  

You can make an appointment on Handshake. If your advisor not have appointment that suit your availability, you may attend weekly Drop-in Advising Hours, or email your advisor with your questions or set up a time to meet.

The Spring 2027 Commitment Deadline is October 16, 2026. If you have applied to two programs in the Vanderbilt Global Opportunities application portal, this is the date by which you must commit to your selected program. Important Note: If you applied to programs that require a visa process (i.e., Spain, France, Italy, etc.), you will need to decide on your program choice much earlier. In addition, your program may have a separate program commitment process that is earlier than October 16.