Study abroad

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Studying abroad is the act of a student pursuing educational opportunities in another country.

Length of study can range from one week, usually during a domestic break, to an academic year, encompassing a couple academic terms, to an entire degree program that spans several years.

Some students choose to study abroad to learn a language from native speakers. Others may take classes in their academic major in a place that allows them to expand their hands-on experience (e.g. someone who’s studying marine biology studying abroad in Jamaica or a student of sustainable development living and studying in a remote village in Senegal). Other students may study abroad in order to get a credential within the framework of a different educational system (e.g. a student who goes to the United States to study medicine), or a university student from Albania who goes to Germany to study mechanical engineering.

1 History
2 Types of programs
3 Study abroad resources
4 Funding Studies
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

History

In the USA, the act of studying abroad originated at the University of Delaware. In 1923, Professor Raymond W. Kirkbride sent a group of eight students to Paris, France. At the time, the concept of students studying in a different country was incredibly unconventional. Kirkbride's program was originally named the "Foreign Study Plan". For a period of time, study abroad was seen as an option primarily for foreign language students. Recently this has changed, and the scope of study abroad programs has increased greatly.^[1]

In the 2003/2004 academic year, the four countries US students chose to study abroad in most were the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France. 46% of US students studying abroad went to one of these four countries, and 61% of US students studying abroad went to Europe. In that same academic year, the number of students that chose to study abroad in China increased by 90%. The total number of US students studying abroad during that academic year was 191,321.^[2]

Types of programs

U.S. students can choose from a wide range of study abroad programs differentiated by mission, provider type, and degree of integration.^[3]

Mission

While study abroad programs started out with the mission of educating foreign language majors, today there are study abroad programs with many different missions. In addition to language-focused programs, there are programs geared to specific academic areas (art, architecture, business, comparative religion, engineering, environmental studies, international politics, sciences, etc.).

Provider type

Providers are the organizations that run or support study abroad programs. These include.

A college or university - Probably the largest group of providers
A non-degree-granting university (USA-only)
Consortium - Group of colleges and universities that work together
Government-sponsored programs and centers, such as EducationUSA, ERASMUS programme (European Union), and Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF)
Non-profit, independent educational institutions, such as DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad, interstudy, The School for Field Studies
For-profit companies or businesses

Degree of integration

Study abroad programs have a spectrum of integration, from those that offer the greatest integration into host institutions to those offering the most assistance to students.

Integrated - Complete (or nearly complete) integration into the host academic programming; the director is often a citizen of the host country; students take regular university courses with locals. Examples include interstudy.
Peninsula - Mix of selected local resources and provider-managed resources. Some courses may only be available to program participants, others may be taught by local university faculty.
Island - Strong support services enhance the local experience and give it context. This allows an overseas experience without diverging from the home school's degree program.

Study abroad resources

There are a number of print editions compiling study abroad programs. These are trade and special interest publications listing programs, and frequently available at college study abroad offices. Individual students can also check for the existence of a study abroad office at their own college or university.

In some countries, students wishing to study abroad seek help with study abroad consultants. Study Abroad consultants have contracts with different universities and colleges in different countries, so these consultants act as representatives of these institutions. The role of these consultants is to give details about course, fee structures, fee payments procedures, scholarships options of intended institution, help students with application procedures. They also guide about visa process of the intended country.

Funding Studies

Costs for a study abroad program include:

Health insurance
Living costs incurred during the program
Passport and visa fees
Round-trip transportation for the approved program
Tuition and fees for the program

Students who wish to study abroad fund their studies through a variety of sources, including gifts or loans from family, grants from their home governments, grants from host nations or host universities, scholarships and bank loans.

Regulatory framework
Student loans in the U.S.
Higher Education Act of 1965 US Dept of Education FAFSA Cost of attendance
Distribution channels
Federal Direct Student Loan Program FFELP
Loan products
Perkins · Stafford PLUS · Consolidation Loans Private student loan

Financial aid for U.S. students who wish to study abroad may include a combination of scholarships, government student loans, and private student loans.

Scholarships

Scholarships are offered by a number of organizations and foundations. Scholarships are usually highly competitive, because there are far more students that apply for them than can be served.

Government student loans

In the USA, amendments made in 1992 to the Higher Education Act of 1965, TITLE VI, SEC. 601-604^[4] in the U.S. ruled that students can receive financial aid for study abroad if they are enrolled in a program that is approved by their home institution and would be eligible to receive government funding without regard to whether the study abroad program is required as a part of the student's degree.

To get US government financial aid, students in the USA must complete the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA). Funds are awarded by the United States Department of Education. As long as the issuing institution pre-approves the credit to be earned abroad, federal aid can be used toward study abroad programs. Forms of government aid include the PLUS Loan, Perkins Loan, Pell Grant, and Stafford Loan programs.

Private student loans

Private student loans for USA students are not guaranteed by a US government agency, but generally offer higher loan limits, grace period with no payments due until after graduation, and base availability on credit history vs. financial need.

Private loans are a good option:

If a student is not currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university
If a student is not eligible for federal financial aid
If federal financial aid doesn't cover all study abroad tuition, living arrangements, and/or transportation costs