Program of Study

This financial guarantee provides funding coverage only to the degree and major specified. Any changes in the student’s assigned major, degree or failure to enroll in consecutive academic terms related to the assigned major shall render the student’s financial guarantee null and void.

Scholarship regulations stipulate that the scholar should not change the major designated for their study without a prior permission from their sponsor. If the scholar fails to conform to these regulations, the Cultural Mission will withhold their monthly allowances until their sponsor decides their case. If the scholar graduated with a major different from the one designated for them, they will be deprived from the graduates’ allowances and incentive awards in addition to action taken against them by their sponsor.

If a student wishes to change their program of study, they must obtain a letter from the International Student Advisor that contains the degree information of the requested major. Upon receipt of this documentation, the student needs to work with their SACM advisor to request a change of major. If the student’s major change is approved, an updated financial guarantee will be supplied to EKU. Upon receipt of the updated financial guarantee, a student can then change their major through the Registrar’s office. If the request is denied and the student still wishes to change their major, EKU must receive a letter from SACM stating the student is no longer being sponsored.

Online Courses

SACM sponsored students can only take online courses under the strictest of circumstances. Students who enroll in an online course without prior permission will be disenrolled from the course. Please note that disenrollment could drop a student below a full time course load resulting in a student out of status with regards to their visa. Students will only be reviewed for online course enrollment approval if all of the information below is met.

• May not take any course online if it is offered in a face-to-face/on-campus format in the current or a subsequent term (to include Winter Term).
• Students may only take ONE online class per term, unless it is their final semester and they will be graduating (proof of graduation from the Registrar’s office is required).
• Students seeking a Bachelor’s degree are allowed a maximum of 12 online credits throughout the program of study. Students seeking a Graduate (Masters or above) degree may only take 6 online credits. After obtaining permission to take an online course from the OISSS Sponsored Student Advisor, the student must submit an online class request through the SACM portal and receive approval. Requests by students who has already met the maximum courses allowed will be automatically denied.
• SACM students WILL NOT be permitted to take online classes from another institution. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made. The course will not be transferable to EKU. Students may NOT pay out-of-pocket as this will jeopardize their ability to obtain, retain, or regain their SACM’s sponsored scholarship. SACM policy states that all online classes will be counted regardless of who pays for the course. SACM does not allow sponsored students to take online classes while outside the U.S.
• If the student does not comply, their degree will not be authenticated by SACM.

Studying at Another University

International students may submit official transcripts and have transfer credit recorded at the time they are admitted into EKU. Any previously earned appropriate credit from other institutions of higher education will be entered onto the student’s EKU academic history. However, after initial admission into EKU an international student, who subsequently wishes to enroll at another institution, for the purpose of earning additional transfer credit, must have prior approval from EKU before accumulating additional transfer coursework.

The Registrar’s Office will not record onto any existing international student’s EKU academic record any transfer credit for which the student has not secured prior approval.

SACM students WILL NOT be permitted to take online classes from another institution. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made. The course will not be transferable into EKU. Students may NOT pay out-of-pocket as this will jeopardize their ability to obtain, retain, or regain their SACM’s sponsored scholarship.

If the student does not comply, their degree will not be authenticated by SACM.

Requesting Letters

If SACM requests a letter for verification of academic progress, change of major, or online courses the student must come to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services to complete the request form. The request form needs to be completed as soon as SACM requests the information in order to obtain the letter before the deadline. Please remember that multiple offices on campus are involved in this process, which may result in possible delays.