Stan State students have the opportunity to study abroad in several different countries. The Office of International Education helps many students get the opportunity to study abroad in a country of their choosing. According to International Admission and Services Coordinator Brittany Fentress, 13 Stan State students will study abroad this upcoming Spring.

The study abroad program works with 3 different programs which send students to study abroad: The University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC), Stan State Exchange and CSU International Programs. Most of the programs offer either an academic year or a calendar year; academic year programs run from August through May, whereas a calendar year program runs from January to December.

Students who want to study abroad also have the opportunity to apply for scholarships. Different programs require a certain GPA for applying.

USAC is the most popular; it offers multiple program options, from a semester long, summer, winter, and year long study abroad trips. USAC is the most requested by students at Stan State. USAC accepts federal financial aid grants as payment. The USAC program is offered in over 26 countries, with 51 different programs.

Stan State Exchange is strictly for Stan State students. The program accepts federal and state grants as payment. It is a new study abroad program; students traveling in the spring with Stan State Exchange will be the first. The cost for studying abroad will be the same as normal Stan State tuition, and there is no application fee for the program. Stan State Exchange is offered in 4 countries but is expected to continue growing. 

CSU International Programs offers a year long study abroad opportunity for students throughout all the CSUs. The program accepts federal and state grants for costs, with no application fee. CSU International Program is offered in 18 countries, and includes 62 programs within those countries.

The number of Stan State students who choose to study abroad is fairly small compared to the overall campus population. Fentress said, “We average about 37 students annually to study abroad.”

Students have various reasons for wanting to study abroad. Study Abroad Ambassador Juliana Aguiar (junior, International Business) said, “I have always dreamed of traveling and studying abroad, but the staff at CSU Stanislaus were a huge help in actually getting me abroad. I chose to study abroad in Valencia, Spain for the Spring 2018 semester because of the business and Spanish courses offered, its location on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and the ability to easily travel to other European countries on the weekends. While abroad, I traveled to 7 different countries including Morocco, Germany, and Belgium and explored all over Spain.” 

The variety of places that students can go to for studying abroad is endless. Many students want to study abroad to get a grasp of freedom. When deciding on a place to study, most have a dream place they would love to go to.

Fred Douglas (sophomore, Music) said, “I love going to new places especially out of the country. Seeing the various educational systems flourish really excite me. I really want to travel to London, England because the culture is similar to American culture of both speaking English.”

When studying abroad students may face a language barrier in their country. Various countries in the study abroad program are non-English speaking. 

“Sometimes, students will be nervous about this aspect and will not want to pursue studying abroad because of it, but many of our programs offer beginner language courses and the on-site staff are great at assisting students who need help translating in any way,” said Aguiar. “Instead, think of the language barrier as a learning experience because living in a different country is the best way to learn another language.”

The Office of International Education takes applications year-round, depending on how long you want to go abroad for. Many programs offer a semester, a year or winter and summer long study abroad trips with differing application deadlines.

Dejandra Garrett (senior, English) said, “I would love to travel to Brazil and South Korea. Right now I’m a Portuguese minor so I would adore being submerged in a culture that’s native tongue is the language I love to study. I also chose South Korea because I just have a huge heart for this country. I plan to study abroad this summer 2019 and Fall/Spring 2019-2020, God willing. I don’t believe I have anything that may actually stop me from studying abroad but I do have things that make me nervous about being overseas and so far away from everyone I’m used to being around.”

If you’re interested in studying abroad, the first step to the trip of a lifetime is to visit one of the Office of International Education’s numerous Study Abroad Information Sessions. The next session will be held Nov. 15 at 12 p.m. in the Student Services Building room 128.
For more information about studying abroad, visit the Office of International Education‘s website or stop by their office in MSR 180.