Study Abroad and Away

SUMMER STUDY ABROAD

• Study Abroad will accept applications for summer study abroad transfer credit any time up until the start of your program (we  have waived the April 1 deadline).
• Students should still plan to apply directly to their desired study program by the stated deadlines.
• In order to ensure that your summer program will be eligible for transfer credit, we still recommend submitting your application for approval before confirming your program participation.
• If you plan to have courses from the summer count towards major, minor, or PLS credit, we recommend that you e-mail with the appropriate advisor to ensure that your classes abroad can count towards a degree requirement.

You should be in contact with your desired study abroad program to verify their plans to run their programs this summer.  We expect that you will make an informed decision about studying away this summer with your family, study abroad provider, and others.   Please let us know if you have any specific questions and we will be in touch again soon.  In the meantime, stay safe and take care.

Study Abroad remains open and essentially fully functional with a virtual presence.  As of Monday, March 16, 2020 we will no longer be holding in-person drop-in hours or in-person events for the foreseeable future.

• Students are encouraged to send an email to studyabroad@clarku.edu, which we will endeavor to answer in one day or less.
• Students may also e-mail to make an appointment to talk to an advisor via one of the following means:
  • Google Hangout
  • Skype
  • Zoom
• We encourage students to follow us on facebook and Instagram for general updates

Students studying abroad in the fall:

• Programs in China and Chile are suspended through Fall, 2020
• Pre-departure orientation for fall students will be postponed and will likely be done in an online format; date will be sent to students by email.

Visit Clark University’s COVID-19 Information page.

Dec. 1, 2020: Deadline to submit an Intent to Study Abroad form for study abroad.  Students planning on studying abroad or away in their Junior year should fill out an Intent Form by Dec. 1 of their sophomore year. Students planning on participating in their Senior year should fill it out by Dec. 1 of their Junior year, etc.

Intent Forms are an online survey designed to help you begin the study abroad process and should be submitted by Dec. 1 of the academic year PRIOR to your desired study abroad or away experience.  Submitting an intent form does NOT commit you to any certain program, semester or even studying abroad at all.  However, it is always easier to fill out your intent form and then decide NOT to study abroad or away than it is to not prepare in advance and try to come late to the process.

Study abroad programs must not only be able to advise and prepare students, but also balance participation between on and off-campus enrollment.  We must be able to accurately know and prepare for, and react to that participation.  The on-campus academic program, housing, and student activities are undermined if, for example, 40 students study abroad in the fall semester and 165 study abroad during the spring.  The top priority at Clark must be the quality of our on-campus academic program.  Additionally, we cannot best support students if they aren’t under the timeline that we have designed specifically around the Clark academic calendar, with our program partners, application and visa deadlines, confirmation forms and pre-departure timelines in mind.  Applications are just the beginning of a long process and students who start late will constantly be playing catch-up.

Therefore, it is important that we properly advise and monitor our applicant pool so that students feel prepared and supported and the overall academic program remains robust for all students.  All students who want to study off-campus must submit an Intent Form by December 1st of the prior year. This application process encompasses off-campus study at any time during the upcoming academic year, including study elsewhere in the United States.  Failure to do so may jeopardize your ability to study abroad during your desired semester.

• All Study Abroad 101’s have been cancelled for the remainder of the semester