Seven vast continents hold an abundance of culture, education and excitement. For Sun Devils, that adventure is easily attainable through the numerous possibilities presented in studying abroad.
ASU houses over 300 programs across 65 countries to help students find the right fit.
Programs can be determined through length, majors, finance, scholarships, etc. The best way to find the perfect fit is to understand everything about the programs.
Program types define what kind of experience you will ultimately get out of studying abroad. When it comes to choosing a program type, there are four main options: faculty-directed, partnership, exchange and Global Intensive Experience.
Two programs are considered short-term. Faculty-directed programs, which last 2–8 weeks and are offered only in the summer, are focused on certain academic fields led by ASU faculty. Global Intensive Experiences are courses of 1 or 3 credits that last 7–12 days over academic breaks.
Both partnership and exchange programs are considered long-term. Partnership programs present the opportunity to learn abroad with other ASU students and faculty and can range from a semester, a summer, an A or B session or a year.
Exchange programs, where students exchange with international students and take classes with foreign faculty can last for a semester, summer or year.
International internships may be offered in certain study abroad programs based on the option a student chooses. Virtual internships may also be offered, allowing students to work with international companies while still being in the U.S.
"Living with the host families in Argentina and Japan ... was a really great experience," said Wyatt Henderson, a junior studying aerospace management technologies who studied abroad last semester. "In Argentina, we took a class where the teacher only spoke Spanish, there was no English involved, and (I was) living with a host family and being immersed in the language and the culture."
Finding the right study abroad program is also dependent on majors and credits. The Global Education Office offers a major map to find a travel course that fits a student's academic needs and credits.
Recently, the Global Education Office launched Global Flex, a program allowing students to continue any degree path online while experiencing culture abroad.
"For students who have typical degree programs that are really tight, there's an opportunity for them to still study abroad," said Lindsay Lohr, a graduate student studying digital audience strategy and a marketing coordinator at the Global Education Office.
Students with majors that require them to stay on campus and have limited opportunities to travel have the ability to use Global Flex or take a program within their degree over the summer.
Traveling across the world or just to a neighboring country can be expensive without funding from the University.
Programs showcase all of the expenses, including program fees, local transportation, and airfare costs. ASU also gives their students the chance to compare their semester cost in Arizona to the semester cost abroad through the Global Education website.
The University helps with scholarships and financial aid when it comes to studying abroad. Certain scholarships apply to program and tuition costs.
Anna Montoya-Gaxiola, a junior studying journalism and mass communication, took the opportunity to attend a summer program hosted by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication called Media, Culture and Society in Cuba.
"One thing that was so memorable and insane was that this trip was all completely paid for from Cronkite," Montoya-Gaxiola said. "To think that I was one of the 15 students that had the opportunity was something I don't think I'll ever take for granted."
According to the Global Education Office, both the New American University Scholarship and the Obama Scholarship apply to long-term and short-term study abroad experiences during the school year. ASU's tuition waiver covers summer exchange programs but does not apply to the Partnership programs.
Pell/University Grants and loans are accessible to all programs offered by ASU.
ASU has several financial aid workshops to assist students who may find it difficult to pay for the expensive costs of studying abroad. The Global Education Office holds financing workshops in person or over Zoom every other Tuesday from 2–3 p.m.
Along with aid programs, student outreach is available to anyone. Appointments can be made with student recruiters who have studied abroad before.
"I was in the USAC Leone program, which was a year-long program, and I went my sophomore year," said Amelie Land, a recruiter for the Global Education Office and a senior majoring in French. "The entire thing was at a French intensive language school where we just took all of our classes learning about the French language, culture, everything like that."
Recruiters have the ability to aid anyone with questions and share their own experiences. Through the Global Education Office website students can plug specific information, such as program type and costs, to find the right program.
The diversity of all the programs ASU has to offer provides students with several opportunities to study abroad and make the experience their own.
"There's so many options for the short-term programs and long-term programs. You're not going to regret doing it at all, it's probably going to make you want to go on more," Land said. "So just go out, see the world and have fun. There's a lot of opportunities out there."
Edited by Katrina Michalak, Sadie Buggle and Caera Learmonth.
Reach the reporter at sjames51@asu.edu and follow @sennajames_ on X.
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