Upon returning from your study abroad, your courses and grades will be added to SPIRE once your transcripts are received and processed by the Registrar. To ensure a smooth transfer, please follow these steps:
- Request an Official Transcript
- Request an electronic official transcript from your host institution, sent directly to @email. UMass typically does not accept transcripts directly from students.
- Verify Your Grades on SPIRE
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Once your grades are posted to SPIRE, check your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) and unofficial transcript to ensure everything is accurate. If you encounter any issues:
- For ARR or grading errors: Email @email.
- For retroactive international course approvals: Contact your departmental advisor. The department will need to update your ARR directly.
- If you have a grade dispute:
- Use the grade conversion tool to verify if grades converted correctly.
- For transcript disputes, contact your program provider or host university. The Global Education Registrar cannot handle grade disputes.
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- Minor or Certificate Courses
- If you took courses abroad for your minor or certificate, work with your department to ensure the appropriate credits are applied once your transcript has been processed.
- Gen Ed 3-Credit Courses
- If you took a 3-credit General Education course abroad, you may be eligible to fulfill Gen Ed requirements by requesting a “Change to Transfer General Education Requirement” through Transfer Credit Services. To start this process, once your courses from abroad are posted on SPIRE, email @email.
Average timeline of when grades/courses from abroad appear on SPIRE:
Time Abroad | Grades/Courses Posted on Spire |
---|---|
Fall & Winter | April/May |
Spring & Summer | September/October |
Frequently Asked Questions
If you haven’t received an email from Global Education confirming that we’ve received your transcript, please request an official electronic transcript from your host institution and have it sent directly to @email.
If you’ve already received confirmation of transcript receipt, please allow 4–6 weeks for processing.
Your grades earned abroad will be on your UMass transcript but won't affect your GPA, except for Faculty-Led programs. Some graduate schools will recalculate your GPA to include study abroad grades in their applications.
If you took a 3-credit General Education course abroad, you may be eligible to fulfill Gen Ed requirements. Read the website linked above thoroughly and follow the steps if the rules apply to you.
Occasionally there are issues with processing transcripts and assigning the proper requisites.
Courses for your Major:
If you followed the International Course Approval Process and courses for your major were not properly posted on your ARR, email @email to investigate the issue.
If you did not submit an International Course Approval Form (ICAF) for a course you took abroad that satisfies a degree requirement, work with your academic advisor on approvals and ARR updates.
All classes taken abroad will automatically transfer back to UMass for credit.