COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSEWORK

If you are looking to get ahead on college credits while still taking a gap semester, you can earn college-level credits on all of our Gap Year Programs. This optional college credit is earned through Portland State University (PSU). All students are eligible to complete up to 20 quarter credits during the semester program.

The experiences you have on our semester are at the center of these college courses. The interviews with local experts, healers, farmers, artisans, activists and more are the course content. In addition to experiential learning, for-credit students keep an ongoing journal, complete selected readings, and give presentations to the group. Upon completing the semester, for-credit students write a 5-10 page paper for each course taken. Full details are outlined in the course syllabi.

When selecting courses, we recommend that you only enroll in courses you absolutely need for academic credit and that cover subject matter that you are genuinely interested in. The fewer academic responsibilities you have, the more you are able to stay present and the experience. Taking the courses for-credit doesn’t necessarily increase learning, but it adds a layer of academic accountability and articulation of your learning during the semester.

Course Offerings

All academic courses listed are offered on any of our Gap Semesters. In addition to the Spanish language course through Portland State University, we also offer academic credit for Madarin, Hindi, and Nepali language courses (4 semester credits) through Naropa University. Click here to view Course Offerings.

Register

Once you have decided on which courses to take, submit a Registration Fee and email a completed Course Registration Form to [email protected]. You do not need to apply directly to Portland State University. Registration is managed by Where There Be Dragons.

The Course Registration Fee is $1,800, payable to Where There Be Dragons. Whether you choose to complete one or multiple courses (up to 20-credits), the fee is the same.

Course Work

Once registered, we will introduce your Portland State University course instructor. All course work will be submitted to the instructor to be assessed. The instructor will determine a final course grade after completion of all course work.

You will receive your unofficial grade report from Dragons via email after all coursework has been submitted. You will have 2 weeks to review grades before they are sent to Portland State University for final processing.

Request a Transcript

Dragons submits final grades to Portland State University which provides an official transcript. It can take 4-6 weeks for your grades to be entered by the Registrar. Click here to request an official transcript. Note that transcripts are not automatically sent and must be requested.

Transferring Credits

Many students have success with transferring credits from a Dragons program to an institution of higher education. The first step is to contact your future college (either an admissions or an academic advisor) to understand the school’s process for transferring credit. Colleges and universities have varying processes and policies related to transferring credit from study abroad programs. Prior to your meeting, we recommend you review the Academics section on each program page of the website in order to be able to share this information with your advisor. You can also request syllabi for any courses you are considering taking for-credit. After the successful completion of the program, you can request an official transcript from Portland State University. You will then share that transcript with your college/university and follow their processes for transferring the credit.

Timeline

FALL SEMESTER

• September 15: Registration deadline
• October 5: Last day to drop courses without a record at PSU (Full Drop)
• January 5: Last day to drop courses, resulting in a ‘W’ grade (Withdrawal)
• January 20: Course work is due
• Please Note: If no course work is submitted and you have not dropped your courses prior to the above deadlines, you will receive a no pass for your courses (No Pass)

SPRING SEMESTER

• February 15: Registration deadline
• March 5: Last day to drop courses without a record at PSU (Full Drop)
• June 5: Last day to drop courses, resulting in a ‘W’ grade (Withdrawal)
• June 20: Course work is due
• Please Note: If no course work is submitted and you have not dropped your courses prior to the above deadlines, you will receive a no pass for your courses (No Pass)

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