Gallatin students who believe their concentrations would benefit from study outside of NYU’s global network may apply for approval to take courses at another college or university while matriculated at Gallatin. Approval for such coursework is by no means guaranteed.
Through Domestic External Study, students either take one or more classes at another US college or university in the same semester that they take classes at NYU, or they take all their classes outside NYU in a given semester. Students seeking credit for courses taken at another US college or university should read all of the information below. (Students seeking credit for a non-NYU study abroad should consult the International External Study website.)
Students who apply after these dates may experience a delay in obtaining a decision.
Fall: April 1
Spring: November 1
Summer: March 1
NOTE: Students must also apply separately to the external program (deadlines vary). Students may submit the Gallatin external study application before or after applying to the external program.
All external study courses must be credit-bearing, taken at an accredited four-year degree-granting college or university, and offered as part of a degree-granting program at the external institution. The courses and/or program must relate to the student's Gallatin concentration.
Courses that will not be approved include some practical skills courses such as physical education, etc. At this time, Gallatin does not grant credit for internships or online courses taken externally.
Because students cannot receive credit for taking the same course more than one time, external courses approved for transfer back to Gallatin cannot duplicate another course already completed and passed on the student’s NYU transcript. In addition, students who receive transfer credit for an external course will lose the credit if they subsequently register for the identical course at NYU.
External courses approved for transfer back to Gallatin must earn a letter grade equivalent to “C” or higher. No credit will be given for courses graded on a "Pass/Fail" basis. Grades for external courses will not be computed into the student's NYU grade point average.
Generally, students are limited to a maximum of 8 credits/units of external study per term, with a maximum of 16 credits/units over the course of the BA degree. (NOTE: Students who already have 64 credits/units in transfer and/or advanced standing credit (AP, IB, etc.) might not be eligible for external study. External study credits are considered transfer credits, and Gallatin’s transfer credit limit is 64 credits/units.)
The amount of transfer credit awarded at NYU will be based on the number of credits/units earned at the external institution, as well as the length of that institution's academic term. Courses completed in schools on a semester system will earn the same amount of credit assigned by the external school (e.g., a 3-credit course completed at a school on a semester system will be granted three units at NYU). Credit for courses completed at schools on a trimester or quarter system will be recalculated to meet the credit value based on the semester system.
Some courses taken at another institution will not necessarily fulfill a pre-requisite for more advanced courses at NYU (e.g., language or science course sequence, etc.). Students seeking to use another university’s course to fulfill an NYU pre-requisite (for a minor or other reason) should confer with the NYU department requiring the pre-requisite.
External courses approved for credit toward the BA might fulfill a Gallatin liberal arts or historical and cultural requirement; however, external courses will not be eligible to fulfill other requirements (e.g., the First-Year Writing and Research Seminars, the 16-unit Gallatin interdisciplinary seminar (IDSEM-UG) requirement, etc.).
To be eligible for external study, students must have a cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, have no active Incomplete grades on their transcript, and they must receive adviser approval for the study. Students who have been suspended for discipline reasons are ineligible for external study.
Students seeking credit for external study are expected to satisfy Gallatin's residency requirement (completing the final 32units in residence at NYU). If a student has extenuating circumstances, the student may petition to be waived from the residency requirement in the external study application.
Students who already have 64 credits/units in transfer and/or advanced standing credit (AP, IB, etc.) might not be eligible for external study. External study credits are considered transfer credits, and Gallatin’s transfer credit limit is 64 credits/units. If a student and the adviser feel the additional credit is warranted, the student must file a separate petition through Gallatin to request a waiver of the transfer credit maximum.
Students entering Gallatin must enroll in courses at NYU/New York in the first semester, and may be eligible for external study if they meet the other eligibility requirements listed above.
Students should be aware that they pay the external institution, not NYU, for courses taken externally. Federal financial aid can sometimes be transferred to most US colleges/universities. No NYU-specific aid can be transferred. For more information students should contact NYU’s Office of Financial Aid.
Students are strongly advised to contact the Gallatin Office of Academic Advising well in advance of their intended external study to ensure that their plans abide by Gallatin’s policies and procedures.
Students must complete the Gallatin Domestic External Study Application, which is subject to approval by their adviser and Gallatin Office of Academic Advising. The application requires a 250-500-word statement in which the student explains the relevance of the external study to their concentration and how it will enhance their education.
To receive credit for external study, the student must have the external institution send an official transcript directly to:
Gallatin Office of Academic Advising
Attention: Katherine Taylor
kat4@nyu.edu
1 Washington Place, 7th floor
New York, NY 10003
Credits earned from external study are subject to the policies applicable to transfer credits:
Gallatin Office of Academic Advising
1 Washington Place, 7th Floor
(212) 998-7320
advising.gallatin@nyu.edu