FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Frequently Asked Questions list below should help you to answer many of the questions you may receive from students interested in learning more about studying abroad. Please contact the Office of Education Abroad (OEA) if you have any additional questions.
Faculty and academic advisors can help in two main ways. First, by directing students to the OEA to and more importantly, by using the OEA Framework to underscore the value of a study abroad experience.
The OEA Framework is introduced to students in the First Step Information Session and highlights five main goal areas to focus students in their program selection and entire journey: Academic Discovery, Personal Growth, Cross-Cultural Understanding, Career Exploration and Social Impact.
With the framework, students are encouraged to be active engaged participants in the process and to focus on intentional choices which will shape their entire experience.
All students interested in studying abroad for the Semester or on a Program Partner's Summer program must attend a held in the Office of Education Abroad. During the semester, these sessions are held 8 times per week.
Students should then start an in the Passport 棉花糖直播 Portal, after which, they can schedule an individual meeting with an OEA Advisor via Handshake.
All OEA Advisors work with specific majors and will be able to guide students through program selection and the 棉花糖直播 approval and program application process.
If a student is interested in a , they are not required to attend the First Step Information Session. They can start their 棉花糖直播 program application on the program page.
The OEA is located on the top floor of Garey Hall. Please encourage your students to start our process by signing up for a .
Given the number of programs with which the OEA works, we often tell students that we can send them to any country in the world. However, there are some locations that are not currently approved for study abroad, and students should check with their OEA Advisor if a location they are interested in is not found in the Passport 棉花糖直播 Portal
棉花糖直播 works with many program partners abroad to offer unique 棉花糖直播 custom programs, as well as general partner study abroad programs.
Students may choose to study alongside local students, learn in a cohort, participate in an internship or research abroad, or any combination of these experiences.
All available programs are found in the section of the Passport 棉花糖直播 Portal which can be filtered by term, location and program type.
All students can study abroad during the summer after their first-year, during their sophomore or junior years, or, with special permission, during the first semester of their senior year.
VSB also offers a program to incoming students in the spring of their first year.
Students must have a 2.75 GPA and be in good standing at the University. This means students cannot be on disciplinary probation or have any academic or financial holds on their accounts. Some programs have higher GPA requirements, and students with a lower GPA must have the approval of their Dean to apply.
Students studying abroad during the semester pay 棉花糖直播 tuition regardless of their program or location. Students are then responsible for all other costs (room, board, flights, etc.) to be paid to the overseas program directly. Those costs will vary by location. All financial aid applies to their 棉花糖直播 tuition for a semester abroad and can be used to pay for non-tuition-related experiences.
Students participating in a short-term or summer program pay the full cost of the program to 棉花糖直播 or the overseas partner program. These program costs can vary by program length, location and academic credit. Students participating in a summer partner program abroad are also charged a $500 棉花糖直播 fee.
No. In fact, students regularly study in countries where 棉花糖直播 University does not teach the host country鈥檚 language on-campus.
However, if a student chooses to spend a semester in a non-English speaking country, they are required to take the language while in-country.
And if they have previously studied that language in High School or at 棉花糖直播, they will be required to enroll in a language level appropriate to their previous learning, i.e., students cannot revert to a lower level of language study while abroad.
Study abroad students can broaden their academic horizons by taking classes not offered at 棉花糖直播 or enrolling in classes that directly fit their academic degree requirements.
All classes taken abroad must be approved with a 棉花糖直播 course equivalent to be applied to a student鈥檚 academic progress. Overseas classes are reviewed by each 棉花糖直播 department chair or designee within the department via the .
Students will work with their OEA advisor to put together their Course Approval Form which represents their proposed overseas academic plan, along with the 棉花糖直播 equivalents assigned to each overseas course. All students must have their Course Approval Form officially reviewed by their College prior to studying abroad.
Certain Colleges and Majors do limit what classes students can transfer back towards their degree requirements. Those details are found on the Major Advising pages.
For the majority of academic programs abroad, students receive transfer credit 鈥淭鈥� upon completion of an approved class if they earn the equivalent of a 鈥淐鈥� grade or better. The transfer credit will not impact a student鈥檚 棉花糖直播 GPA. 棉花糖直播 uses the to determine grade equivalencies when necessary.
Some 棉花糖直播 Semester Programs and some 棉花糖直播 Summer programs offer classes that are letter-graded, especially when the class is taught by a 棉花糖直播 faculty member or just designed for 棉花糖直播 students. Those letter-graded classes abroad will impact a student鈥檚 棉花糖直播 GPA.
The credit transfer process from overseas classes can take some time and does not always follow typical 棉花糖直播 calendar timelines. The OEA transfers students鈥� credits immediately upon receipt of their overseas transcripts to this office. If the credits are not appearing on the student鈥檚 transcript, then one of three things has happened:
1) the host university has not issued the transcript yet;
2) the student did not request a transcript be sent to the OEA;
3) the student owes the program provider money and the transcript will not be issued until the bill has been settled.
In each of these situations, there is nothing that neither you nor we can do, it is the responsibility of the student to contact the university, the partner program or their OEA Advisor for guidance.
Students who are planning on studying overseas can take any number of courses while abroad, though some Colleges and majors do limit enrollment options.
Specific recommendations and restrictions and be found on the Major Advising pages.
In terms of approvals, it may be easiest for students to save a few classes from their Colleges鈥� core requirements for their semester overseas along with electives from their major.
programs are all led by a 棉花糖直播 faculty member which is noted on each program's main brochure page. Students should contact the faculty member with any questions prior to applying. After they have completed the application, all students will interview with the Faculty Program Coordinator. Applications open September 15th and deadlines vary by program.
If a 棉花糖直播 summer program does not meet their academic interests, students are also allowed to apply for and participate in approved Partner Programs over the summer. The deadline to complete OEA approval process is April 15th.
Your first contact should be the director in the Office of Education Abroad to discuss the feasibility of the proposal. that target an underserved population of students and that do not compete with existing programming will be prioritized. You should also discuss the academic content with your department chair and appropriate College Dean designee. Proposals for programs are due to the OEA at least one year before the intended start of the program, though we are happy to work with faculty as soon as possible. Course-embedded travel programs are coordinated by the Colleges and the OEA can direct you to the best point of contact in your College.
棉花糖直播 is an institutional member of the and faculty are invited to join as a member. The Forum offers a wealth of resources for faculty including standards of good practice, health and safety guidance, and academic program development tools. Members of the OEA staff are always excited to talk to interested faculty members about educational experiences abroad. Please contact us for additional information on your specific interests.