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A Smarter Workflow From Start to Finish — for Everyone
1st Place Innovative Technology
Keep What Works. Strengthen What Doesn’t​​​.
From faculty to registrars, Course Approval is the study abroad course database software that provides role-specific tools that streamline study abroad course approvals—saving time, reducing friction, and improving the student experience.
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The Course Approval software system routes, tracks, and organizes every request—so each stakeholder has what they need, when they need it.
No more bottlenecks. No more spreadsheets. No more scribbled notes on paper forms.
Academic Advisors
Reduce Advising Uncertainty & Build Confidence
Academic advisors are often caught in the middle—navigating complex course-related questions from students while trying to reach faculty who may be hard to contact. Unclear approval histories and inconsistent communication only adds to the frustration.
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Course Approval removes the guesswork by giving advisors full visibility into the approval process, including departmental notes, decisions, and expiration dates.
With our centralized study abroad course equivalency system, academic advisors can:
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Track exactly where a course is in the review process
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Quickly reference previously approved courses and their expiration dates
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Guide students with confidence—no need to “check with someone” every time
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Cut down on back-and-forth emails and delays during advising appointments
Faculty Equivalency Reviewers
Say Goodbye to Redundant Course Approvals
Approve a course once—reuse it for years. Course Approval is the education abroad course database that helps departments save time, stay consistent, and support students efficiently.
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Faculty are busy. Re-evaluating the same study abroad course for every student taking it can drain their time.
Course Approval eliminates this redundancy by maintaining a searchable, centralized database of approved course equivalencies. Once a course is reviewed and approved, it can be reused for future students until it expires.
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​This means fewer forms, fewer emails, and less frustration for everyone involved.
Office of Registrar
Ensure Accuracy and Oversight Without Reinventing Your Process
Gathering the right information from departments, faculty, and advisors—especially when it comes to study abroad courses—can be inconsistent and time-consuming.
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Course Approval doesn't replace your existing systems. Instead, it works alongside your current workflows to provide clear, organized information—reducing errors and helping you uphold academic standards across global programs.
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Providing you with well-structured, clearly documented information at the point you need it most—when assigning credit and ensuring compliance.​
What Course Approval Delivers for Registrars:
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Standardized Course Data
Every course approval includes consistent documentation—host institution details, credit hours, syllabi, department approvals, and expiration dates—
making it easier to verify and apply credit.
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One Place to Review All Activity​​
View current and historical approvals across all departments and programs in one secure system.
No more chasing down PDFs or spreadsheets.
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Improved Compliance & Transparency
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Maintain an auditable trail of who approved what and when—critical for accreditation, internal reviews, and policy enforcement.
Export clean, structured data for integration into your SIS or records systems—reducing manual transcription errors and saving staff time.
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No Additional Data Entry
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Department Ownership, Registrar Visibility
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Let departments manage their own course evaluations while keeping registrar offices in the loop. Course Approval offers visibility without micromanagement
Study Abroad Advisors
Empower Advisors to Focus on Students—Not Paperwork
Study abroad advisors are the frontline guides helping students turn global experiences into academic progress. Their focus should be on program selection, health and safety, and meaningful student support—not getting buried in course articulation workflows.
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But keeping up with evolving course approvals, tracking departmental decisions, and fielding equivalency questions can quickly overwhelm even the most experienced advisor.
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Course Approval is the study abroad course equivalency database simplifies the advising process by keeping course data organized, approvals transparent, and students on track. No more chasing emails, digging through spreadsheets, or guessing if a course was approved last year—just clear, accessible information at every step.
What Course Approval Delivers for Study Abroad Advisors:
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Instant Access to Approval Histories
​Quickly look up previously approved courses—by program, location, subject, or course number—so you can guide students without delay.
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Real-Time Status Tracking
Know exactly where each course request stands, who it’s assigned to, and when to expect a decision.
No more bottlenecks or blind spots.
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Proactive Advising Tools
Receive alerts when popular program courses are about to expire or when reviews are overdue, helping you stay ahead of problems before they impact students.
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Cross-Office Coordination​​
Coordinate seamlessly with faculty, academic advisors, and registrars—ensuring every stakeholder is working from the same playbook.
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Integrated Student Communication​​
View student-submitted requests alongside faculty feedback so you can answer questions without playing middleman.
Simple, Flexible Implementation — On Your Timeline
The Course Approval software matches your current workflow, integrates with your existing tools, and gets you up and running quickly—with our support every step of the way.​
What to Expect During Your Implementation
​At Course Approval, we know no two institutions are the same. That’s why implementation is built around your current workflow—not the other way around.
Whether you’re starting from spreadsheets or transitioning from a legacy system, we make the switch smooth and stress-free.
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Set Up Single Sign-On (SSO)​​
We’ll work with your IT team to configure SSO, ensuring that faculty, advisors, registrars, and students can log in securely using their campus credentials. We support SAML, CAS, Shibboleth, and other common protocols.
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Ensuring seamless, secure access for your entire team.
Map Your Course Approval Workflow
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We customize Course Approval to mirror your institution’s exact process—including departmental routing, notifications, review permissions, and course expiration rules.
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A platform that works like your current process—only faster and more transparent.
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Optional System Integrations
Need to connect with other tools? We offer optional integrations through Zapier or Make, enabling connections to CRMs, SIS, Google Sheets, email systems, and more—without custom development.
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More automation and fewer manual tasks while being tailored to your needs.
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Training
& Support
Because step-by-step instructions are built directly into the system, new users get instant clarification without needing to search through complex manuals.
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We also provide ongoing support after launch to ensure long-term success and help your team make the most of the platform.
Set Up Automated Email Notifications
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Course Approval uses rule-based email automation to keep users informed at every step of the process.
From notifying a faculty reviewer of a new request, reminding a student of missing documentation, or confirming a final decision, we’ll set up communications that reduce the need for manual outreach.
Setup can be completed in 4-6 weeks, depending on your custom needs.​
We’ll work at your pace and provide guidance at every step of the way.
Your Process. Your Policies. Our Platform.
Course Approval doesn’t force you to change how you work—it brings clarity, consistency, and automation to what you’re already doing.
Implementation is collaborative, efficient, and built to make your life easier.​
Let's Talk
To help us tailor your walkthrough, please be ready to share the following when scheduling your meeting:
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A copy of your current course approval form (PDF, link, or screenshot)
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Approximate annual enrollment in study abroad programs
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A list of key stakeholders involved in your current approval process
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Any major challenges or pain points you’re experiencing with the current system
You’ll be prompted to upload or describe these items as part of the scheduling form.
This information helps us make the most of your walkthrough and provide relevant, targeted recommendations.
Connecting Courses.
Reviewed.
Approved.
Done.
COURSE APPROVAL FAQ
You asked — we answered.
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Can Course Approval integrate with our existing systems or export data?Yes, Course Approval supports data exchange across platforms through tools like Make.com and Zapier, offering flexible options for integration. We also provide standard CSV export formats for every report in the system, making it easy to share and analyze data in other systems. Institutions like the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois have successfully used Course Approval alongside their existing infrastructure, demonstrating how the platform can adapt to complex environments.
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Does Course Approval handle course tracking, updates, and expirations?Yes, the system supports automated course expirations and alerts, multiple equivalencies per host course, and flexible formatting options. Bulk upload tools are available for importing legacy equivalencies, making it easy to get started or update large datasets. While the system does not currently include duplicate prevention, we are actively developing AI-powered notifications to help identify and flag potential duplicate entries more effectively. These features are already supporting complex environments at institutions like Seattle University and the University of Tampa.
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Can we customize workflows and routing for specific tasks?Yes, routing is customizable and user-friendly. Evaluators and admins can re-route, leave messages, and receive automated reminders or escalations. Workflows are configurable with a graphical interface, and the platform is accessible and mobile-responsive.
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What reporting and analytics features are available?Both standard and custom reports are supported with export to CVS and print to PDF. Dashboards and some visual insights are included (bar, pie, line, area, and pivot), with the option to use external BI tools if preferred.
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What administrative tools and user roles are supported?Distinct views for study abroad admin, faculty reviewers, academic advisors, the registrar, and students are supported. Easy field customization and a full-featured sandbox for testing and training are available. The greatest challenge with implementation has been with universities not having accurate access to who their academic advisors are. We have come across this often, but have developed strategies for keeping the workflow moving across all aspects of post decision.
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How is Course Approval priced, and what support is included?Course Approval is offered as a SaaS solution with flexible 3- to 5-year contract options designed to fit a variety of institutional needs. The base platform is affordably priced, and institutions can scale functionality over time based on their goals. While advanced integrations can add to the total cost, we recommend a strategic approach to prioritize the most impactful connections, ensuring maximum return on investment through thoughtful workflow automation. Many schools find that flexibility in scope helps reduce costs while achieving long-term efficiency. All implementations include robust support: a dedicated help desk and ticketing system, plus direct access to a customer success manager who ensures your team has ongoing guidance and personalized assistance.
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How does Course Approval ensure data security and compliance?Course Approval is a cloud-based SaaS platform designed with security and compliance at its core. We fully comply with FERPA and GDPR, ensuring that your data is handled responsibly and lawfully. All data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2+ with 2,048-bit keys, and encrypted at rest using AES-256 standards. Data is securely hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), remains fully owned by your institution, and can be exported at any time. The platform supports Single Sign-On (SSO) and granular, role-based permissions to ensure users only access the data relevant to their role. Our incident response plan includes structured procedures, post-incident reviews, and a continuous improvement process. Security is integrated throughout the development lifecycle through both automated and manual code reviews aligned with industry best practices. Course Approval's platform is SOC 2 certified and provides a HECVAT Lite for institutional IT teams.
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What’s on the roadmap for Course Approval, and who are your current partners?Course Approval is built to be fully customizable. Each installation is tailored from the ground up to meet the unique needs of the institution—there’s no one-size-fits-all version. Looking ahead, we’re focused on strengthening the end-to-end workflow experience. We’re actively collaborating with UI/UX specialists to uncover new integration opportunities and further streamline shared processes for study abroad offices. Our client base includes a diverse range of institutions, all of which can serve as references. We’re proud to support universities that prioritize innovation, such as Grand Valley State University and Texas Christian University, where Course Approval is already embedded in highly intricate environments.
Don't see your question?
Reach out to us at support@courseapproval.com