Studying abroad provides you with an incredible opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture and develop language skills – it will change your life forever!
Students have access to an abundance of programs offered through colleges or universities as well as third-party providers and organizations, from academically rigorous courses such as international business or the arts to courses that combine on-campus with fieldwork for cultural immersion or internship opportunities. Many programs follow regular semester schedules with courses such as international business or anthropology – each structured like its own semester with courses, assignments and exams – often structured similarly as home.
Study-abroad programs are usually coordinated through universities that have exchange agreements with American colleges or their own study-abroad offices, typically offering semester or year-long programs where students take classes in their host country while earning credits that transfer back to their home institution. Housing options might include residence halls, apartments or homestays with local families.
Studies abroad programs may be an ideal option for students with physical or mental health-related concerns that prevent them from attending longer, residential programs. Shorter duration – often summer – and more flexible travel arrangements make study-abroad trips appealing to such students, giving them an opportunity to travel around a region other than their host country while earning credit from faculty-approved independent trips if possible. Our Global Notebook features content on these programs as well as staff stories of their experiences as participants; plus ways in which our international communities remain engaged with one another.