FAQ

Yes! All students need a passport in order to leave the United States and enter another country. Students who are U.S. citizens will need a U.S. passport, given by the Department of State. If you need to obtain a new passport, you are encourage to apply for your passport early as it can take 6-8 weeks for normal processing. Please visit the U.S. Department of State website for more details. Citizens of others countries will need passports from their respective countries.

Students are required to complete at least one semester of coursework as a UCCS student prior to traveling unless stated otherwise on the program page. Please note that some programs will require advanced standing for consideration.

Studying abroad can range anywhere from one week to an academic year (two semesters). The typical time frames to go abroad are 1-2 weeks on a UCCS short-term program, 1-4 weeks on a summer program, 1-2 weeks for a winter or spring break program, 1 semester either during the spring or fall, or 1 academic year (academic year programs are generally both fall and spring semesters).

Each program has different coursework that a student can take. Most program pages in our program search database have information on the areas of study available at that program and links to look at coursework. As part of your education abroad application process you will need to work with your academic adviser and/or your department chair and faculty to review course syllabi from the host university for official approval. All coursework planned to be taken during education abroad must be approved prior to departure.

Yes, as long as your scholarships and aid do not have a stipulation that you have to be on-campus at UCCS for them to apply. Otherwise, as long as you maintain full-time status while abroad, have a current FAFSA on file, and take courses that help you make progress toward your UCCS degree in some way, your aid can transfer with you regardless of the type of program you choose. International Affairs works closely with Financial Aid to make sure you meet all requirements for your financial aid and applicable scholarships be dispersed when you are studying abroad. It is always recommended that you speak with the Financial Aid and Scholarship office to determine your options for education abroad.

Yes! All students will need to go through a course pre-approval process involving International Affairs and your academic advisor to make sure that the coursework you plan on taking abroad will transfer back.

There are many external scholarships that we advise on that are applicable to either several types of programs or specific programs abroad. Visit our Scholarships page to learn more!

A visa is permission from the government of another country to enter and/or reside in that country for a specific time period and purpose. Most programs shorter than 90 days will not require a visa. Those studying on a semester program or longer will likely require a student visa. During your application process you will be informed about your specific visa requirements for your program.

No, most programs do not require prior language ability. Some higher level language programs may have a specific requirement of previous academic language studies, but also offer entry level language tracks that do not have this requirement.

You can study pretty much anywhere! UCCS has programs in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and all over Europe. The rule of thumb is that while you may not be able to study everything everywhere, you can study something everywhere! Locations that have Department of State Level 3 or 4 warnings are not eligible for study abroad.

The cost of studying abroad varies by program selected and considerations such as location, duration and what is included. Please check your chosen program page for details on cost.