Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have experience only with Oxford graduate programs. When Oxford says a 3.7 minimum, it means it. Don't even try.

That's not at all what the OP was asking.

She said she had experience "ONLY" with it. stop being a jerk.

As to St. Andrews, what they say (2.5) is apparently not what they mean: "St. Andrews University requires a minimum college GPA of 2.5 on a 4.33 point scale and a minimum high school GPA of 2.5. However, applicants should ideally have a current GPA of at least 3.04, with a preferred GPA of around 3.16. The university accepts 42.86% of transfer applicants, making the process competitive."

But that's not what the OP is asking. You're assuming the criteria for general admissions as an undergrad are the same as the criteria to be accepted at the target university as a study abroad student. Which may or may not be true. But this sounds like a very university specific criteria, so best your kid talks to his own school and gets their opinion.

Exactly. Graduate admissions have nothing to do with study abroad requirements.

If the kid can’t get a 2.75 he shouldn’t go abroad. Nowadays a monkey can do that. Wow.

Anonymous wrote:Mine applied last November and his cumulative gpa ended up being just below the 2.75 cutoff. He applied again in the spring and was accepted. The less desirable locations were available but he is going to Prague this spring.

Mine went to Prague last spring and absolutely loved it! Hope he does too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the reason they set GPA requirements is because study abroad is a distracting environment. Kids can get homesick or seduced by the fun outside of class.

If I were you, I'd recommend he go in spring semester. Does it really make much difference?

This is about right. Many students suffer GPA drops during semester abroad.

OP here. We’d be thrilled for him to study abroad in either the fall or spring. The issue is that his college uses only first-year grades to determine whether a student is even allowed to apply (due in a few weeks). So, for example, if he wanted to study abroad in Spring 2027, the study abroad program application (not the college's) wouldn’t be due until next October 2026. By that time, he’ll have completed two additional full terms plus midterms for a third, yet he has to get his college's approval to apply now, and they base it solely on his freshman-year GPA.

As for lowering his GPA, his school does not factor study abroad grades into the GPA; only the credits transfer. We learned this from our older child, who earned straight As abroad, but the school accepted only the credits, not the grades, so their GPA didn’t change. We’ve looked over the different options with him, and he was planning to fulfill some of his GE courses abroad—language, art, and possibly a science without a lab.

Hopefully, he can figure something out. But this might be helpful to other people to know: if your student wants to study abroad, this is more incentive for them to keep their grades up. Obviously, not every school is like this. I'm seeing some schools allow you to apply to go abroad with 2.0.

Anonymous wrote:OP, the reason they set GPA requirements is because study abroad is a distracting environment. Kids can get homesick or seduced by the fun outside of class.

If I were you, I'd recommend he go in spring semester. Does it really make much difference?

This is about right. Many students suffer GPA drops during semester abroad.

OP here. Thank you to everyone who responded. I appreciate all the perspectives.

I just want to clarify a few things. In this situation, the school's decision is based entirely on freshman-year grades, without considering the student’s current trajectory. This year has been a big academic turnaround, and the GPA for this semester will likely be over a 3.0. It’s frustrating that none of that progress is being taken into account. The actual program deadlines aren’t until April 2026 for fall programs or October 2026 for spring programs, so there’s still plenty of time for the stronger grades to be reflected.

To the PP who mentioned the course load, that has all been mapped out, and they will be on track to graduate and will even have room for "extra" elective classes by the end of their senior year. The courses they would take abroad would fulfill several of the GE requirements.

And to the poster who mentioned that students mostly “just party” abroad… while that may be true for some, that wasn’t our experience with an older child who studied abroad. They didn’t travel outside their host country and spent a lot of time doing research and fieldwork. Of course, they occasionally partied, but when they talk about their experience, it is mainly about the academic experience. We know the younger DC can more than handle going abroad, and it was actually an important factor in choosing this school, so it’s discouraging to hear now that it may not be an option.

Thanks again for all the thoughtful input. We are hoping he can appeal, but a summer program is also an option.

OP, aside from the input you’ve already gotten, keep in mind that depending on the program, study abroad can mostly result in elective credits. Which means it can increase the core course load before and after. Something to keep in mind if a student is already having trouble maintaining gpa.

The study abroad office at your SLAC can probably find the right program. DD had a low GPA and was able to find a program.