Study Abroad Grades in LSAC GPA Forum

[Buggefraiche]

I have been driving myself a little crazy over-thinking this question and was hoping someone could confirm if I understand correctly how LSAC will deal with my grades from my semester as an exchange student.

I spent one semester abroad in France on an exchange program through my US university. I received transfer credits, which are pass/fail and show on my transcript as "Unknown" or something weird like that.

Am I correct that LSAC will ignore these credits for GPA purposes? I read that you will not need a transcript if you attended a foreign institution for less than one year, even if directly enrolled (I'm not sure if an exchange program is considered being directly enrolled, I guess it wouldn't be). They're all pass, so couldn't be considered punitive.

Or, since the credits don't show where they are from and aren't sponsored, per say, by my home institution, will I get a request for the original transcript from the French university? I am really afraid of that, since it would be difficult to obtain and also I am sure it would bring my GPA down quite a bit.

[kellyjohnson]

You are correct. they will not ask for an original transcript for one semester spent abroad

[Buggefraiche]

Thank you so much!

[objctnyrhnr]

I have been driving myself a little crazy over-thinking this question and was hoping someone could confirm if I understand correctly how LSAC will deal with my grades from my semester as an exchange student.

I spent one semester abroad in France on an exchange program through my US university. I received transfer credits, which are pass/fail and show on my transcript as "Unknown" or something weird like that.

Am I correct that LSAC will ignore these credits for GPA purposes? I read that you will not need a transcript if you attended a foreign institution for less than one year, even if directly enrolled (I'm not sure if an exchange program is considered being directly enrolled, I guess it wouldn't be). They're all pass, so couldn't be considered punitive.

Or, since the credits don't show where they are from and aren't sponsored, per say, by my home institution, will I get a request for the original transcript from the French university? I am really afraid of that, since it would be difficult to obtain and also I am sure it would bring my GPA down quite a bit.

Wait! I got totally screwed this way when I went “through” an American institution to Sydney. They wouldn’t have counted if I hadn’t gone through American institution, but they did because I did. Brought gpa down.

[kellyjohnson]

Wait! I got totally screwed this way when I went “through” an American institution to Sydney. They wouldn’t have counted if I hadn’t gone through American institution, but they did because I did. Brought gpa down.

Were your letter grades reported on the US transcript? Usually study abroad just counts as transfer credit, but maybe your university did things differently...
https://www.lsac.org/jd/applying-to-law ... ranscripts
Do NOT have a transcript sent from an international institution IF your bachelor’s degree is from a US, US territory/associated state, or Canadian school, and:

the total amount of work you completed at all international institutions combined is equal to or less than the equivalent of one year of undergraduate study in the United States, its territories/associated states, or Canada, or

your work was completed through an overseas study program that was clearly sponsored by a US, US territory/associated state, or Canadian school. In this case, the transcript must be sent by the sponsoring school.

[objctnyrhnr]

Wait! I got totally screwed this way when I went “through” an American institution to Sydney. They wouldn’t have counted if I hadn’t gone through American institution, but they did because I did. Brought gpa down.

Were your letter grades reported on the US transcript? Usually study abroad just counts as transfer credit, but maybe your university did things differently...
https://www.lsac.org/jd/applying-to-law ... ranscripts
Do NOT have a transcript sent from an international institution IF your bachelor’s degree is from a US, US territory/associated state, or Canadian school, and:

the total amount of work you completed at all international institutions combined is equal to or less than the equivalent of one year of undergraduate study in the United States, its territories/associated states, or Canada, or

your work was completed through an overseas study program that was clearly sponsored by a US, US territory/associated state, or Canadian school. In this case, the transcript must be sent by the sponsoring school.

It fell into the last category because I went “through” an American institution for some stupid reason. I mean I still got a full ride at dream school and fedclerked yada yada so everything is fine, but this brought my gpa way down.

[Buggefraiche]

Wait! I got totally screwed this way when I went “through” an American institution to Sydney. They wouldn’t have counted if I hadn’t gone through American institution, but they did because I did. Brought gpa down.

Oh no!! When you say going "through" a US institution, just to clarify, does that mean they showed as credits from a US institution on your transcript? For example, I know some of my friends who did a program with a study abroad company got credits from a sponsoring US school (for example, we were at UGA but their credits were sponsored by University of Missouri, etc).

I don't know what category mine are, being an exchange program between UGA and the French school. It showing as "unknown" foreign transfer credits on the transcript still concerns me, since I'm afraid they'll ask because of that. UGA considered them pass/fail because they are foreign credits and not US sponsored. I hope that means they're considered less than 1 year of direct enrollment and therefore exempt from the transcript requirement.

[kellyjohnson]

^Unless they show up as letter grades on your transcript, the LSAC will not count them in GPA calcs and will not ask for the original transcript. I can guarantee this to you. Whoever wrote that, the American institution must have converted them to letter grades (not pass/fail) and put them on the transcript of the American institution.

[Buggefraiche]

^Unless they show up as letter grades on your transcript, the LSAC will not count them in GPA calcs and will not ask for the original transcript. I can guarantee this to you. Whoever wrote that, the American institution must have converted them to letter grades (not pass/fail) and put them on the transcript of the American institution.

Thank you so much for confirming. That makes sense and is a huge relief!