Jan Plan Options

1. On-Campus Courses for Credit or Noncredit

Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Courses Offered for Credit: Some are created specifically for January; others, originally designed to be offered during semesters, may be modified for January. Such courses are graded in the same manner as semester courses, except that nongraded January courses will be marked credit or fail.

Noncredit Courses: These courses fulfill the January Program requirement, but students do not earn course credit that can be applied toward the credit hours required for graduation. These courses may be offered by experts in fields not included in the regular curriculum and will be graded credit or fail.

2. Faculty-Led Off-Campus Courses:

Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Students may choose to spend Jan Plan immersed in another culture abroad or off-campus in the U.S. Faculty from a range of different academic departments offer these courses each year, all over the map.

See Jan Plan ’23 Options

3. Research or Other Independent Study Projects:

Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Independent studies, on or off campus, are academic projects under the direct supervision of a member of the teaching faculty. Projects ordinarily involve the preparation of an extensive paper or other suitable indication of the student’s independent research or artistic efforts. Two options exist for electing January independent study: (a) for course credit that can be applied toward graduation requirements, to be graded as in the first item above; and (b) for January Program credit only, to be graded honors, pass, or fail. Students should meet with their faculty advisor to discuss this option.

Find a Research Opportunity

4. Internships

Open to First Years, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Internships provide students with marketable skills, the chance to explore, and the opportunity to enhance their professional networks. at an off-campus job site and monitored by an on-site work supervisor. An internship for Jan Plan credit requires completion of an online application and approval in advance by a faculty sponsor and DavisConnects. A successful Jan Plan internship will receive transcript notation and may earn, with the approval of the faculty sponsor, one academic credit.

Make an Appointment with an Advisor

Register for Internship Notation or Credit

5. Transfer of Credit

Open to Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Courses taken at other accredited institutions in the U.S. and abroad, in which grades of C or higher have been earned (the courses may not be taken with pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading), may be credited toward the Colby degree and therefore accepted for Jan Plan credit. Students must work with their faculty advisor to submit an application for approval through the Registrar’s Office.

Apply for Transfer of Credit

6. No Jan Plan

Open to Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

A full description of January courses is available on myColby in October, and students select for January at that time. A student choosing not to do a January Program in any year must signify this decision during web registration.