Guidelines

Students participating in a semester-long study abroad program must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours in order to be eligible for financial aid.

Students participating in a summer study abroad program must be enrolled for a minimum of six credit hours in order to be eligible for summer financial aid.

Federal, state, and Lander financial aid will transfer to cover study abroad costs as long as the student is receiving academic credit during the study away semester and Lander University has a signed, approved agreement for the study away program. Lander grants, however, cannot be transferred.

The study abroad courses students take at their host institution must count toward the student's graduation requirements to qualify for federal, state or institutional assistance. The student should notify the Director of Study Abroad and Lander University's Financial Aid Office immediately if the student changes any courses being taken at the host institution from what was reported on the Transfer of International Credit form.

Grades for all courses at all institutions-including those taken abroad-are calculated into Lander's Overall GPA and Transfer GPA. Any courses that are taken abroad but do not transfer back to Lander are taken out of the calculation for the LIFE Scholarship. In a nutshell, students have four GPAs:

1. Lander GPA (Lander coursework only);
2. Transfer GPA (non-Lander coursework only, including approved study abroad coursework);
3. Overall GPA = Lander + Transfer GPA (Lander and non-Lander coursework, including approved study abroad coursework);
4. LIFE Scholarship GPA (Lander and non-Lander coursework, including approved study abroad coursework but not including non-approved study abroad coursework, and not including coursework from any continuing education courses, non-degree credit courses for an associate degree or higher, or remedial/developmental courses).

Scholarship renewal currently depends on one of two GPAs: the Overall GPA for everything but the LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships, and the LIFE Scholarship GPA for the LIFE Scholarship.

Students on Lander programs (partner, exchange, or affiliate) will receive grades for all approved courses taken while abroad, and credits for courses passed with a "C" or better. Study abroad grades will not be counted in the student's Lander GPA, but they will affect the student's Overall GPA.

When computing a Transfer GPA, Lander's policy is to match the grades from other schools, so + and - grades do have different quality points. Lander will assign quality points based on how the overseas institution assigns them.

A grade of "C" or better is required in a course for that credit to transfer to Lander.

Lander University is committed to students' health and safety while studying abroad. Students must be in good disciplinary standing to be eligible for study abroad and must maintain this standing throughout duration of their experience. As part of its admissions procedure, students will be asked to sign a release and the Office of Student Conduct will disclose students' disciplinary standing to the study abroad liaison. Should a student's standing at the University change, admission into the program will be reconsidered. The Provost may suspend or terminate a student's participation in the overseas program in the event that the student fails to comply with the conditions of participation or believes the student's participation poses a risk of danger to themselves or others. Students who lose eligibility for a study abroad program for any of the above reasons may be held liable for any costs paid on their behalf by Lander, up to the total program cost.

Lander students who participate in study abroad programs are held to the academic and social policies of the Lander University Student Handbook, as well as to the policies of the host institution or program. In most instances these policies will be similar. While abroad, students are expected to behave in a responsible and professional manner. Failure to uphold the Lander Student Code of Conduct while abroad is likely to result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal from the program and loss of associated financial expense.

Students with disabilities are encouraged to disclose their disabilities early in the process of planning a study abroad experience. This will allow students sufficient time to investigate a number of options for programs that meet their academic interests and to explore the availability of accommodations prior to making a program selection.

It is important to remember that the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are not in force outside of the United States. It is the student's responsibility to disclose any disability that requires accommodation and to make plans for fulfilling those accommodations.

Accommodations that represent a fundamental alteration of the program or that create an undue hardship will not be provided. All decisions regarding accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis. If accommodations are needed and not available at a particular site, then students may not be qualified to participate in that specific program.

If additional accommodation needs arise while the student is abroad, students must discuss these needs with Lander's Office of Disabilities and the program site to determine whether the additional accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

If a student chooses to not disclose disability-related needs prior to arrival at the host institution, the Office of Study Abroad, Office of Disabilities, and the host institution will determine if accommodations are possible. It may not be feasible to make arrangements for accommodations requested too close to the departure date or once on site.

Students may participate in study abroad programs multiple times. However, students may apply to only one program (per semester) at a time. This applies to summer and semester programs. Early academic planning is essential for success!

A non-Lander program is one that is not affiliated with Lander University through an agreement. Lander typically requires students to attend Lander-vetted study abroad programs, but may approve study abroad at a non-Lander program if there is a compelling academic reason.

If you participate in a semester or year-long non-approved program, you will not be considered a Lander student for the duration of the program, and this may have a significant impact on your financial aid. As long as you intend to re-enroll at Lander afterwards, you may request an official temporary leave. Such a leave may be granted for one or two semesters if the student was in good standing at the end of the last term completed at Lander. For more details, consult the Lander University Student Handbook section on Temporary Leave.

We strongly encourage you to consider the many programs offered by Lander before pursuing the non-approved study abroad program process.

Success in any study abroad endeavor depends greatly on appropriate preparation. At Lander, pre-departure orientation and preparation occur in the months before a program starts. Accordingly, any student applying to participate in a study abroad program must be enrolled full-time at Lander for the semester which precedes the off-campus term. Students applying for Summer or Fall programs must be enrolled at Lander for the preceding Spring semester; students applying for Spring programs must be enrolled at Lander for the preceding Fall semester. This policy applies to all programs, including Lander-administered Partner programs, third-party Affiliated programs, and Exchange programs.

Payment

Study abroad program costs are billed through your Lander student account and are due at the same time as regular semester fees. Costs vary from program to program. You can refer to the budget sheet on your program website to determine the cost of your program.

 

Cancellation

Cancellations must be submitted in writing to the Director of Study Abroad. If there are any approved refunds, they will be processed through the Business Office. Refunds will only be made to the person who made the payment. If payment was made by cash or check, you must call the Business Office to request a refund check; otherwise, the funds will remain on your student account. Students who cancel or who lose eligibility for a study abroad program may be held liable for any other costs paid on their behalf by Lander, up to the total program cost.

No request for refund will be considered after the program abroad has begun.

Third-party providers typically have a deadline for refunds due to withdrawal from the program, and this deadline may be several weeks or even months before the beginning of the program. Students who withdraw from a program after the deadline may still be responsible for paying full program costs. It is up to the student to know program deadlines and the consequences of missing those deadlines.

 

Pre-departure Preparation

A successful semester away is dependent upon adequate preparation. Students will enroll in IDSA 201 Preparing to Study Abroad the semester before departure. This one-credit hour asynchronous online course will address matters of academic, cultural, logistical, financial, and personal preparation, as well as health and safety.

Payment

• Full payment (less deposit) is due by the posted deadline.
• Costs vary from program to program. Refer to the budget sheet on your program website to determine the cost of your program.
• While rare, costs may change due to currency fluctuation, vendor costs, and/or the number of students enrolled.

 

Cancellation

The $400 deposit paid upon approval becomes non-refundable on the day that the Study Tour leader begins to spend program funds for program costs (e.g. on reservations, transportation, etc.). Students who cancel on or after this date may also be held liable for any other costs paid on their behalf by Lander, up to the total program cost. If there is an outstanding balance on your student account, the refund amount will first be applied to the outstanding balance.

Approved refunds of the deposit will be processed through the Business Office. Refunds will only be made to the person who paid the deposit. Payments and refunds will be made exclusively through TouchNet.

If you are not accepted into a program, your deposit will automatically be refunded.

No request for refund will be considered after the program abroad has begun.

 

Flight Deviations

Students on Lander Study Tour programs travel together as a group. In rare cases, students studying on Study Tour programs may be granted a flight deviation to travel separately from the group.

Flight deviations will not be granted in the following cases:

• Student wants to use air miles or thinks s/he can find a cheaper ticket individually.
• Student wants to join the program late or leave early.

Students who think they may qualify for a flight deviation must contact the Director of Study Abroad for information about the flight deviation request process before group tickets for the Study Tour are purchased.