Learning Abroad Center

Choosing a Program

Current US passport processing times are longer than normal. If you do not have a passport, or your passport expires less than 6 months after your return date from your time abroad, apply for a new passport now.

There is no one way to choose a program. Different factors will take priority depending on who you are and what sort of goals you have. There will likely be several programs that fit most of your criteria, but perhaps not one program that meets all of them. It is important to know what priorities are most important to you. 

In selecting your program, give careful attention not only to such factors as location, length, or language of instruction but also to the type of academic experience the program will provide.

All Learning Abroad Center and Affiliated programs are specifically designed to ensure that participants will:

  • expand their knowledge through multiple academic perspectives
  • gain awareness and appreciation of their host cultures and deepen awareness of their own culture
  • identify and communicate the impact of their experience abroad personally, academically, and professionally
  • become more self-reliant and self-aware
  • navigate differences more effectively

How to Get Started Choosing a Program

  1. Determine what you want to get out of an experience abroad through identifying your goals.  
  2. Attended an in-person or online First Step Session.
  3. Review the Program Types and Definitions section to better understand the differences between programs types and models.
  4. Check out the Program Search using different criteria that are important to you.  
  5. Schedule a Program Selection Advising appointment, where a study abroad adviser will meet with you one-on-one for a 30 minute appointment to discuss your interests, goals, academics, career, and help you narrow down your program options.