International Student FAQ Academics

Language courses are taught in the respective languages; all other courses are taught in English.

HPU offers undergraduate courses through the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Art & Design, the Earl N. Phillips School of Business, the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences. Our largest majors and niche programs include Biology, Business, Communication, Education, Exercise Science, Human Relations, Interior Design, Music, and Physics. A complete listing of course offerings is available in the online course catalog.

Exchange and study abroad students are not restricted in undergraduate course selection; however, some courses have prerequisites and Music, Theatre, and Art & Design courses often require auditions or portfolios. Currently, High Point University is not able to accept exchange students into graduate-level courses.

Unless otherwise stated, courses are worth 4 credits and include a minimum of 50 instructional hours, some of which may include experiential components such as lab work, field work, studio, or service leaning projects. High Point University requires international students to enroll in a minimum of 12, maximum of 18, credits per term. The standard credit value at HPU is 4 credits per class with activity and some special-topics classes carrying 1-2 credits. The recommended number of credits for international students is 16 credits per term.

HPU’s course catalog is open to all users online through a portal called MyStuff. Go to MyStuff and click on the orange Search for Classes button and then the blue Search for Classes link. This will open the Search for Sections page where you can search by term, dates, subject, course levels, days of the week offered, course titles, or instructor’s last name.

After your acceptance, you’ll be sent pre-arrival materials which will outline how to register for courses. The Office of Study Abroad will work with Academic Services to pre-register you for courses and will then notify you of your enrollment. This may take up to three weeks, and that if you are not satisfied with the courses you receive, you may make changes to your schedule during orientation week.

The undergraduate bulletin states that students may apply to the chair of the Global Studies Committee to have their Core global studies requirement waived if they are an international student enrolled at High Point University for at least one semester. You can begin this process by emailing the chair of the Global Studies Committee explaining your international student status. 

By receiving this waiver, you will not earn academic credits, instead just a waiver of having to complete this degree requirement. You still will need to complete a minimum number of credit hours in order to graduate (128 hours, or 160 hours if earning a dual degree) and may need to make up the hours elsewhere. 

During orientation, you will be able to meet with an academic advisor and make changes to your class schedule. You have one week to make changes without penalty.

HPU’s professors will let you know how best to contact them on the first day of class. Additionally, you’ll learn about how to best approach your professors during orientation.

It’s best to be proactive and introduce yourself to your professors on the first day of class, instead of waiting until you need to contact them later in the semester. When you do need to discuss your participation in class, you should plan to meet them during office hours or a schedule meeting time. Additionally, where available, tutoring is available at no additional cost to students.

Many buildings on campus have a computer lab with printers available for students to use throughout the day. Additionally, the Smith Library offers a large lab with scanners and printers that is open 24/7.

During orientation, you were asked to complete a form to request your transcript be sent to your home university. Before your transcript can be released, you must make sure there are no holds on your account—for example, make sure there are no outstanding loans from the library or no outstanding payments on your student account.