FAQ's

Travel Course:

• Typically 8 to 14 days of travel
• ISU course with international field trip
• Earn academic credits towards your degree
• Travel takes place during school breaks
• Travel with faculty and friends, class sizes vary from 8-30 students
• Enrich your academic learning through field visits, tours and sightseeing

Learn more about travel courses

Semester Long:

• One semester, one summer or one year options available
• Enroll in courses at a university abroad and transfer those credits back to ISU
• Stay on track for your degree at Iowa State by earning credits abroad
• Step out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in another culture and place
• Two different types of programs
  • Exchange Cost: Pay ISU tuition and fees
  • Semester Long Cost: Pay a program fee

Learn more about semester programs

Individual Internships, Research, or Service-Learning Opportunities

• Typically over the summer or during a semester abroad
• Some internships/service-learning opportunities offer academic credits towards your degree
• Option to participate in ISU and partner university programs or coordinate an experience independently

Learn more about international internships, research, and service-learning

Study USA (Domestic Travel)

• Learn about diverse cultures, food and agriculture systems, natural resources, and life sciences within the U.S.
• ISU course with domestic field trip
• Earn academic credit towards your degree
• Travel with your faculty and friends, class sizes vary from 8-30 students
• Students of any college and major are encouraged to apply for a program

Learn more about Study USA programs

Learn more about any of these opportunities by meeting with a study abroad advisor! 

A travel course may be right for you if...

• You've never traveled before
• You want an introduction to international travel
• You want to travel with other students
• You want a snapshot of the different lifestyles or career paths in another part of the world

A semester or year-long program may be right for you if...

• You are tired of being a tourist and want to truly experience another culture (you want to experience an immense cultural immersion)
• You want to check several countries off of your bucket list
• You are ready to gain new skills and a sense of independence
• You are interested in learning another language

An international internship, research, or service-learning program may be right for you if...

• You have an interest in working in a different country
• You want to be exposed to new skills and technology
• You want an independent internship experience
• You want an outstanding reference on your resume

A Study USA domestic travel course may be right for you if...

• You've never traveled before
• You want to experience a different region of the U.S.
• You don't have a passport
• You want to travel with peers and program directors

Travel Course Steps:

1. Visit: www.agstudyabroad.iastate.edu
2. Click “Programs” and then click on the desired travel course
3. Follow the link “Apply Now!” to the ISUAbroad application website
4. Click “Apply Now”
5. Sign in with your Net ID and password
6. Select the appropriate term and “Apply”

You have officially started your pre-decision application. Now click each of the links on the right-hand side and complete the tasks described to get all of the boxes checked off.

Wait to hear about your acceptance to your desired program and if you are accepted, log back in, click COMMIT, and complete your post decision application. (New checkboxes will appear for you to complete.)

Exchanges and Internships Steps:

1. Stop by our office (0018 Curtiss) or contact the appropriate program director (listed on each program page) to determine what program is right for you!
2. Follow and complete the same application listed above under ‘Travel Course Steps’.

Application deadlines vary for each specific program depending on the departure term and dates. Typically programs traveling in the spring semester will have applications due the previous fall semester, and vice versa. The best way to not miss deadlines is to stay up to date on program offerings or set up a meeting with a study abroad advisor. 

All US citizens must have a passport to travel internationally.  The US Department of State is the US government agency that issues passports for US citizens. Visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html/ and follow the instructions to apply for your passport.

Processing times vary but are usually around 6 – 10 weeks. You will need to prove your US citizenship, submit an application, prove your identity with a government-issued ID and pay a fee for your passport. Your passport will be valid for 10 years.

If you are a student in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, have applied for a study abroad program and are getting a passport for the first time, you are eligible for a passport reimbursement scholarship. Students who have had a minor passport (under the age of 18) are not eligible for a passport reimbursement. Bring your new passport to 0018 Curtiss to claim your scholarship.

Acceptance rates are extremely high for students in good academic standing who choose a study abroad program that match their academic interests and course backgrounds. However, some programs fill quickly so apply early.

Every student studying abroad is automatically enrolled in On Call International travel insurance during their time abroad.

IMPORTANT: Before you study abroad, confirm with your academic advisor how the classes abroad will transfer back for you to Iowa State.

• Transcripts from international institutions are sent to the CALS Study Abroad office if the student was on a CALS program; or to the Study Abroad Center in 281 Parks Library if they were on a non-CALS program. 
• The CALS Study Abroad office sends a certified copy of the original transcript to the Registrar’s office and your academic advisor (or in some cases, the leadership in your college/the college where you will earn your credit through) will determine how the credits transfer back. In some cases, the course will come in as a specific ISU course (e.g., HIST 201); in other cases, the course will come in as a more generic course (e.g., HIST 2T**).   
• This course information is sent to the student in Workday. The student must alert their academic advisor that they have received their transcript otherwise their academic advisor will not know.
• The advisor will then review these courses to see how they might be used in the student’s degree program.
• Students are highly encouraged to save all their coursework and syllabi while they are abroad in case these materials are needed to secure the required approvals. 
• The student picks up their original transcript from their host university in 0018 Curtiss Hall if they were on a CALS program; if they were on a Study Abroad Center program, they need to go to 281 Parks Library to pick up their original transcript.

Every study abroad program will have its own expense but you should be diligent to determine how much your program will cost you. Start budgeting for expenses in the following three categories:

1. Program fees. These will vary depending on a wide-variety of factors. Check the advertised fee for your program and make sure you are clear what is and is not covered in the program fee for the program you pick.
2. Tuition and fees. Most programs are academic programs abroad and those therefore have a cost for the credits you are earning.
3. Out-of-pocket expenses. Includes costs incurred before travel (like immunizations, passport, visas and supplies), during travel (like meals or activities not covered in the program fee, souvenirs and spending money) and after travel (like printing pictures and follow up medical care).

Use these tips to make studying abroad A.F.F.O.R.D.A.B.L.E

Apply for scholarships

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a number of scholarships available for graduate and undergraduate students in the college. Scholarship applications are due November 1 for spring programs, March 1 for summer programs, and May 1 for fall programs. There are also scholarships and grants available through Iowa State University as well as other outside sources (research these opportunities on your own).

Find financial aid

Most financial aid can be applied to the cost of a study abroad program. Financial aid received may help cover the costs of the program fee and tuition applied to your University bill. For more information, contact the Student Financial Aid office, 0210 Beardshear Hall. Phone: (515) 294-2223; or email studyabroadaid@iastate.edu

Focus on saving

Just SAVE your money! A common tip for saving in general is to set aside 10% of your paycheck, so try to do this to save money for your study abroad trip.

Organize your priorities

Put off buying that new car or flat screen TV for a year and put that money towards your study abroad trip. Sure having new things is nice, but nothing can replace the experiences you have in another country!

Request funding from local businesses and organizations

Spend an hour or two writing a letter to businesses and organizations in your hometown to ask them to support your study abroad trip. Be sure to include how this trip applies to your area of study and what you expect to learn from it. Follow-up by sending postcards while you are abroad and providing presentations after you return. Consider writing letters to your local bank, civic groups (Rotary, Lions, or Kiwanis), church, extension office, insurance agent, and any other business that your family frequently works with. Fundraising Resources

Do without birthday and holiday gifts

Instead of asking mom and dad or grandpa and grandma for new clothes or a new smart phone or tablet, consider just asking for money so that you can set this aside for your trip.

Ask neighbors and relatives for support

Let your neighbors and relatives know that you are planning on studying abroad and see if they are interested in helping sponsor your trip. Once again, follow-up by sending postcards from abroad or bringing them back a small gift.

Be creative!

Host a bake sale, wash cars, rake leaves, paint houses- find any odd jobs you can on the weekends to help raise money for your trip!

Look on the Internet

There are numerous scholarship and grant opportunities online for international trips so spend a few hours browsing the web!

Exclude unnecessary purchases

Instead of eating out or making trips to the mall, try to set aside money each week for your trip. Put $15 a week that you spend on pizza in a separate savings account and by the time you take-off you will have money saved to spend on your trip! Or put the $100 a month that you spend on unnecessary purchases at Target, Walmart or the mall in a separate account and you will have even more saved to help cover the cost of you trip!

Created by Melissa (Nasers) Norby