I’m Going to Apply to Study Abroad
By: Richard Menard, Director of Study Abroad
“I’m going to apply to study abroad!”
You are probably thinking, “I just got them to Spokane,” and now they want to go to Florence, Paris, Beijing, or Valparaiso. Maybe they want to do multiple Study Abroad programs.
You probably have a lot of questions.
- How hard is it to apply to go abroad?
The first thing to know is that the applications to apply to study abroad open December 18th at 5:00 pm for Fall and Academic Year 2016. Spring 2017 Applications open May 6th at 5:00 pm.
Depending on what program your student selects, they may have to do one or two applications. Students who choose the Gonzaga-in-Florence or Gonzaga-in-Paris will only complete one application. Students who choose one of the Sponsored Programs will have to complete two applications. The Sponsored Programs require two applications—one for Gonzaga, and then one for the University abroad that they have chosen.
- So how difficult is the Study Abroad Process?
It’s actually pretty easy. Students can print out the Step by Step Guide to Studying Abroad to see all the things that they need to complete.
- What would stop my students from studying abroad?
Most of the time the two factors that stop students from studying abroad are grades or disciplinary issues. Each study abroad program has its own GPA requirement and most of them range from 2.5 (Gonzaga-in-Florence) to 3.8 (Oxford University).
All students must be cleared through the Office of Community Standards before they go abroad. That process is part of the Study Abroad Application. It’s very easy for students to complete. Basically students can’t be on probation at the time that they apply or when they go abroad. Usually we have a three strike policy on who we would deny to study abroad.
- Once they get accepted how do I pay for the study abroad experience?
The cost of studying abroad is going to vary from program to program. Most of our study abroad programs are actually cheaper than being on campus. However, students will still need to cover their flight there and home, spending/travel money, and, depending upon the program, meals. But a semester abroad can be very affordable.
Additionally, we allow students to take their Gonzaga scholarships and financial aid abroad with them for a semester or academic year. Students are billed through Gonzaga if you have a payment plan or some other payment mold that can be used to continue paying for your student’s study abroad experience.
You are probably thinking that this sounds too easy. However, Gonzaga’s goal is to have 50% of students study abroad by the time they graduate, so we have tried to make the study abroad process as easy as possible.