Pursuing Academic Credit
University of Montana College Credit Options
ARCC Gap Students have the option to earn college credit through the University of Montana (UM) and their partnership with the Gap Year Association (GYA). UM is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities which is widely accepted throughout the country at both public universities and private institutions.
The courses do not require you to attend UM and there is no physical classroom. The courses are designed as field-based, independent self-studies. The course instructor will correspond with the student and provide written feedback on course assignments via email and other remote communication. Course requirements include maintaining a daily journal and completing required reading while on program. In addition, students will write a 8-10 page final paper post-program. There is a high degree of latitude for you to determine what you would like to study within each course – you can focus on the aspects of the region or culture that are of most interest to you, and the courses fit into the structure of the ARCC Gap Curriculum.
This course is designed to introduce students to the principles, theories, and practices of leadership development. Through a combination of theoretical frameworks, self-reflection, and practical applications to lived experiences, students will gain insights into effective leadership strategies, communication skills, and ethical decision-making. The course facilitates critical self-assessments of students’ leadership styles and examines successful leadership qualities in various personal and professional contexts.
This course is designed to use a student’s real-world experiences as a foundation for understanding fundamental principles of communication, relationship-building, cultural development, and other group dynamics within an experiential cohort-based program. Students will engage in self-reflection and explore group dynamics in various contexts, gaining essential skills for personal and professional communication while examining the particular dynamics of a cohort-based experience in various cultural settings. Through readings, reflections, and applications to real-world examples, students will examine the roles that culture, identity, and communication play in cohort formation within personal, academic, and/or professional settings.
This course is designed as an independent study of ethical approaches to volunteering for students participating in volunteer/service-learning work during study-away opportunities. In this course, students will be introduced to an ethical framework for dissecting service-learning models and reflecting on their own volunteer experiences. Students will explore the history of exploitative volunteer practices while examining power dynamics, vulnerable populations, and foundational principles of developing reciprocal community partnerships, which they will apply as they engage in community-based service-learning activities.
Tuition & Fees:
There is a flat fee of $2,050 for college credit which must be paid to ARCC prior to being registered for courses with UM. The tuition will be collected by ARCC who will then submit this payment to the Gap Year Association for processing. The enrollment deadline for college credit with UM is two weeks prior to the ARCC Gap Program start date, August 12th (for fall programs) or January 28th (for spring programs). Late registrations will be granted on a case-by-case basis (depending upon the length of the program) and will incur a $100 late registration fee by GYA.
It is possible to use 529 funds to pay for the college credit fee and the ARCC tuition. To do this, we recommend you contact your fund management company to confirm eligibility. AmeriCorps Education Awards may also be used to pay for your program tuition and college credit registration fee. GYA and UM will work individually with students wishing to use these payment options.
Students will NOT receive a tuition statement tax form (1098-T) for receiving college credit. In lieu of a Form 1098-T, it is recommended that you maintain proof of tuition payment to ARCC and documentation of enrollment with the University of Montana in the form of a student ID number and/or official transcripts.
Grades:
Students will submit their journals and coursework to the course Instructor-of-Record within 30 days of the completion of the program – December 9th (for fall programs) or May 25th (for spring programs). The Instructor of Record will submit grade reports to GYA within 30 days of receiving completed coursework. GYA will submit grade reports to UM on the last business day of the month. Grades will be available by the 15th day of the following month. You will be sent detailed instructions on how to order and transfer the transcript.
Students who do not complete their program will be withdrawn from the college credit, placing a “W” on their official transcript at UM. Incomplete or missing coursework will result in an assessment of “Incomplete” (I) on the official UM transcript. Students that choose to leave or are dismissed from an ARCC Gap Semester are not eligible for a refund on their college credit or ARCC tuition.
All Instructors of Record are vetted by University of Montana for academic integrity and quality. Each grading instructor holds an advanced degree in relevant subject matter to grade for lower-level courses.
Transferring Credit:
To ensure that UM credit will successfully transfer and not interfere with a deferral plan, we encourage students to contact their college or university’s admissions office directly. If students have trouble convincing an institution to accept transfer credits in this way, they can always encourage the receiving institution to contact GYA to request verification from the appropriate parties at the University of Montana that the coursework is academically sound.
Next Steps:
If you are interested in earning college credit through the University of Montana on your gap year, please contact ARCC’s in-office College Credit Liaison, Emily Rosser, at emily@arccprograms.com or at (415) 332-5075. Emily will provide additional information and step-by-step instructions on how to register with The University of Montana.
Centre for Global Citizenship Studies College Credit Options
ARCC Gap students can now also earn college credit through the Centre for Global Citizenship Studies (CGCS) and Hartwick College. CGCS courses are designed to “wrap around” the real world experiences of your gap year and provide tools for reflection and deeper learning.
While each course has a different topic, the basic structure is the same – 100% online and asynchronous, with up to 2 years to complete the requirements. Each 3-credit course is designed to total ~135 hours of student engagement:
– ~20 hours of online VLE modules (notes, videos, structured tasks, and quizzes)
– ~15 hours of recommended reading
– a minimum of 60 hours of experiential application through the student’s gap year activity, volunteering, work, internship, or project
– ~25 hours of assessment preparation and writing
– ~15 hours of reflective engagement and self-assessment
WiFi is required to access the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), however assignments can be downloaded and worked on offline until you are able to upload them. Each course module generally includes a series of readings and associated tasks—not graded, but required to move through the module—as well as one or more graded written assignments.
Explore global inequality, sustainable development, human rights, and ethical international engagement. Examine the interconnected challenges facing communities worldwide and develop the intercultural competencies needed to engage responsibly.
Explore global health priorities, public health systems, and ethical medical practice. From infectious disease and nutrition to social determinants of health and community wellbeing, develop an evidence-based understanding of health challenges worldwide.
Explore the science, policy, and ethics of marine conservation. From coral reef dynamics to the global politics of ocean protection, engage with real-world case studies and develop an evidence-based understanding of what it takes to protect the world’s oceans.
Explore terrestrial biodiversity, endangered species, and habitat conservation. From African savanna ecosystems to rainforest preservation, study the science and ethics of wildlife conservation through real-world case studies and structured academic assessment.
Tuition & Fees:
Each 3-credit course costs $575, which encompasses all registration, grading, and transcription fees associated with earning the credits. Each course must be registered for separately with its own registration form.
Grades:
Once you enroll in a course, you have up to 2 years to complete your coursework (course modules are designed to feasibly be completed within 6 to 8 weeks over the course of a gap year experience). Your work will be graded according to a letter grading scale (A-F), and you will have up to 3 attempts to achieve a passing grade. Once all assignments have been turned in and graded, your final course grade(s) will be submitted to Hartwick College for official transcription. Once your grade has been posted, you may order an official transcript through the National Student Clearinghouse.
Upon completion of a CGCS short course, you will receive undergraduate semester credits from Hartwick College. “Semester” credits refer to credits coming from an institution that operates within a semester system, as Hartwick College does.
Transferring Credit:
Every institution is different when it comes to credit transfer policies, so we recommend reaching out to the school you plan on attending in order to confirm if/how the credits will transfer, and if/how they might count towards requirements for your intended major.
Next Steps:
If you have questions about earning college credit through CGCS on your gap year, please contact ARCC’s in-office College Credit Liaison, Emily Rosser, at emily@arccprograms.com or at 415-332-5075.