The Global Exchange Semester Study Abroad in Mérida, Venezuela is the product of a collaboration between the Universidad de Los Andes, the Iowa Institue and Global Exchange. A legal agreement between Global Exchange and the Centro de Esudios Políticos y Sociales de América Latina (CEPSAL) at the Universidad de Los Andes establishes the granting of academic credits to students who successfully complete course requirements. CEPSAL will generate a transcript for all academic work completed, with grades on a 4-point scale. The transcript will then be made available to students' home universities for transfer credit.
It is important that students wishing to participate in the program take all necessary steps to insure that their home university will accept the credits earned while in Mérida. This includes arranging meetings with academic and/or study abroad advisers and completing the Participation Approval Form. Students should be prepared to convince their advisers of the importance of this program to their academic development and may need to petition their departments or deans in order to receive approval. Global Exchange has created a Program Overview which students can present to academic/study abroad adivsers to assist in this process. Additionally, our staff is more than willing to help students with any questions they may have regarding the accreditation process and can provide any further documentation to facilitate the acceptance of the program's credits by home universities.
