Students must complete and submit an application by the posted deadline, including a recommendation. The Global Experience Committee is responsible for reviewing study away applications. It bases decisions on students’ rationales and preparation for study away, and the fit between their selected program and their goals. The Global Experience Office strives to make study away accessible and possible for all students. 

The chance of approval for your program depends on a number of factors. The program options are ranked in terms of likelihood of approval.

Students applying for programs that are not listed as “Featured” in StudioAbroad should choose a second choice that does. An additional prompt in the application will ask for your rationale for the backup.

Students planning to study abroad for a year must select a “Featured” program for at least one of their semesters abroad.

For Spring study, the chance of approval is higher for students applying by the February 1st deadline than students applying by the late deadline of May 1st.

Applications may be accepted after the deadline on a case by case basis if they meet the following criteria:

• There is adequate time remaining to submit an application to the host institution. (GEO cannot request a deadline extension with our host partners; these deadlines cannot be appealed. Note that often you need Beloit approval in order to apply to a partner institution.)
• There is adequate time remaining to complete pre-departure work, whether for credit for not for credit.
• Funding remains in the GEO budget to support the tuition for the host institution. 
• The student has written a clear justification for why the deadline was missed and/or why the next semester is the only opportunity to study abroad.

Students are billed for Beloit College tuition for the semester(s) they study away. Students cover the costs of their airfare, housing, meals, visa costs and personal expenses. In the case of exchanges, students may be billed for Beloit College student activity fees, room and/or board and receive meals and housing from their host institution.

Students approved by GEO for study away earn Beloit College credit for study abroad and domestic off-campus study. The credit value for courses taken during study away vary by host institution. See GEO for credit conversions. 

Students studying off-campus must be full-time students, registered for no fewer than the equivalent of 3 Beloit College course units. Additionally, they must meet the full-time enrollment requirements of the host institution or sponsoring program. The maximum credit a student can receive for a semester of study away is 5 Beloit College course units. Students must make sure they understand the credit system used by the host institution or study abroad provider, as courses may be weighted differently than at Beloit College. GEO staff can help with this. Students must also discuss with their academic advisor how credits will be counted toward their major requirements. 

Students who are studying abroad may register for Beloit-based courses that relate directly to their study abroad experience (e.g. PRAX 209 Global Experience in Action) but not for other Beloit courses or Special Projects unrelated to their study abroad experience. The Global Experience Office must approve registration for all Beloit-based courses.

Students already approved for study at one location may change their study destination. Students must contact the Global Experience Office for instructions on how to submit appropriate materials. Requirements include approval from an academic advisor. 

In the event of changes to program availability or a shift in safety at the original location, an alternative option can be made available. 

If a student wishes to defer their study away plans to a later semester, they must notify the Global Experience Office and the host institution. Placement is not guaranteed. 

Students are responsible for paying any required deposits. Exceptions may apply to some exchange programs. 

Students are expected to have completed the five liberal arts breadth (domain) requirements before studying away as juniors or seniors. Students studying away as sophomores must indicate in their applications how and when they will complete the requirements, whether while off campus or upon return.

Students may apply for a single semester (fall or spring) or an academic year program. Students applying for an academic year program are expected to explain their rationale for choosing to be away for 2 semesters. This may relate to academic, professional, or personal goals. Study away in a single location is restricted to direct enrollment and exchange, unless otherwise authorized. 

Students wishing to participate in 2 semesters abroad, either non-consecutively or through multiple programs, must apply for each program separately by the appropriate application deadline.

Decisions to extend a study away experience from 1 semester to a full year are made on a case-by-case basis. Note that extensions are only for consecutive semesters and in the same program. Students must contact the Global Experience Office as soon as possible. Extensions are not guaranteed. 

• To study away, students must be in good academic and disciplinary standing.
• Cases of academic warning and probation are considered individually.
• Students on disciplinary probation are not permitted to study away.
• Host university/programs may have GPA, language proficiency, and/or subject area background requirements.
• Most students study away for a semester as juniors and seniors, with a few studying away as second semester sophomores. First-year students may study on summer Global Experience Seminars after completing their first year on campus. 

Study abroad fulfills the E requirement as long as you reflect on the experience by either completing the in-country reflection course, PRAX 209: Global Experience in Action, or by presenting about your experiences in the Beloit & Beyond Symposium or Student Symposium. Alternative reflection activities may be proposed to the Global Experience Office. Complete the E Requirement Form to receive your credit on your transcript. 

Financial aid, including Federal and Beloit College scholarships, applies to tuition for study away. Program providers such as CIEE and SIT offer scholarships, students with Pell Grants can apply for the Gilman study abroad scholarship, and Beloit College offers some non-tuition scholarship aid to high-need students to help support travel costs, including Weissberg Study Abroad Equity Scholarships.

Download the off-campus study budget worksheet to estimate the costs for your program.

Students placed in an exchange program are eligible for a $1,500 Exchange Program Scholarship. Students approved by Beloit College for ISEP Exchanges should list a total of four backup options for exchange on their application to ISEP in order to ensure a placement in an exchange program and claim their Exchange Program Scholarship. Students who are placed on ISEP Direct programs would not benefit from this scholarship.  

Grades for study abroad appear on students’ transcripts but are not factored into GPA calculations. Exception: Grades for courses with Beloit College course codes, such as CHNL reflection courses and Global Experience Seminars, are factored into GPA calculations.

Grades received for domestic off-campus study both appear on transcripts and are factored into GPA calculations.

Health insurance is required for all study abroad, and must include coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation. Provider programs (ACM, CIEE, IES, ISEP, SIT, etc) generally mandate a specific insurance plan, and some universities abroad require that students purchase a national insurance plan.

Students with Beloit College health insurance may use this abroad for study abroad options not requiring a specific insurance.

All other students will be enrolled in an iNext Comprehensive Plan with an additional rider for Security Evacuation and Mental Health. The insurance is added to Beloit College semester payment bills. The iNext Comprehensive Plan includes substantial health insurance, medical evacuation and repatriation, and Security Evacuation covers evacuation necessitated by political events and/or natural disasters.

• For off-campus study: During the registration period for the semester a student studies away, they register for 3 units of credit using the appropriate SAB (study abroad) or OFFC (domestic program) course code. The number of credits will be adjusted as appropriate upon receipt of the transcript for the completed off-campus study. Exception: Students taking Cities in Transition courses register for these using an PRAX course code.

• For the semester following study away: Approximately two weeks before registration begins, registration instructions are sent to the Beloit email accounts of study away students. Students should consult their faculty advisors about course choices to registering. On-line registration for study away students typically begins 2-4 days prior to the start of on-line registration for on-campus students. If on-line registration poses challenges because of location or schedule, study away students can send a list of course preferences to registrar@beloit.edu . Staff in the office will register them based on their course preferences.

Beloit College offers Global Experience Seminars, led by faculty members, in the summer. These seminars are offered exclusively to Beloit College students who earn Beloit College credit. Students may elect to take non-Beloit summer study away courses at their own expense for transfer credit.

Beloit College follows the recommendations of the US State Department Travel Advisory system. Study away is encouraged in countries with a rating of 1 or 2. In some circumstances, students may study in countries with a rating of 3, however Gilman scholarships will not apply. No study abroad is permitted in countries assigned a rating of 4.

Students receiving tuition remission or full-tuition scholarships are limited to enrolling in exchange programs unless they are able to pay the tuition charged by the host university/program.

Students may not receive credit toward the Beloit College degree for study abroad taking place during a vacation term. They may, however, earn transfer credit for domestic off-campus study undertaken on a vacation term. Beloit College financial aid, however, will not apply. Furthermore, students should note that the maximum number of course units that can be transferred toward the Beloit College degree is 15, only 2 of which may be earned in the senior year.

Students are responsible for acquiring any visas required to study abroad and/or for residency permits in country. Costs are born by the students.

Students who withdraw from off-campus study before program end should notify the Global Experience Office, Accounting, and Student Financial Services. Refunds of tuition and other payments will depend on host university/organization refund policies and the Beloit College refund schedule.