Plan

As a Study Abroad student, it is your responsibility to:

• Discuss with the Director of Study Abroad how your program courses fit into your graduation requirements.
• Review your major program and graduation requirements with your academic advisor(s).
• Take an appropriate combination of courses and semester hours abroad to maintain progress toward completing your degree.
• Select back-up course options in case your first choices are unavailable at the host program.
• Meet any Lander and host program course prerequisites that may apply.

• Grades count and affect your overall GPA, which means grades affect your Financial Aid eligibility.
• Failure to attend class, without formally/officially withdrawing from a course, will normally result in a penalty applied to your grade.
• If you ever decide to apply to graduate school, any graduate program is likely to ask for your study abroad transcripts and will evaluate those grades alongside your other Lander grades.

• Your course grade will probably be determined by very few assessments throughout the term, in contrast to the typical Lander course. It may, in fact, depend on how you do on only one exam or one term paper.
• Teaching methods and professors' expectations overseas will differ from what you are used to here in the US. You will need excellent study habits, adaptability, and abundant self motivation to succeed academically.
• Not every course provides a detailed syllabus.
• Professors may not keep office hours.
• There may be no attendance policy. Alternately, there may be a strictly enforced attendance policy.
• You may experience less in-class discussion.
• Many systems around the world expect students to spend more time studying outside of class in proportion to in-class "contact hours" than what is the norm at Lander.
• Exam periods at the end of a semester may take place over a two- to three-week period.
• If your performance on a final exam or term paper is subpar, you may be granted an opportunity to redo it. If this happens, make sure you take advantage of the opportunity! Otherwise you will not pass that course.
• Classroom interactions and decorum may be more formal or less formal than you have experienced on campus at Lander.
• Notions of what is considered academic dishonesty-cheating and plagiarism-may differ dramatically from what is practiced at Lander.
• Universities and programs abroad may not have the same grade appeal process that you have on the Lander campus. There may be no grade appeal process at all.

• The number of classes you take overseas and the transfer credit for each class will vary from country to country and program to program.
• Depending on the overseas program, students may take 3, 4, 5 or 6 courses in one semester. Courses abroad do not automatically correspond to Lander's standard 3 credit hours. For example, students who study at Stirling take three 5-credit hour classes, while students who study at Winchester take four 4-credit hour classes, and students at the Florence University of the Arts take classes that may count for 1, 3, 4 or 6 credit hours.
• Students should not expect special consideration for rescheduling class assessments, assignments, or exams because of personal travel or because family members are visiting them abroad. For example, do not expect to take a final exam early because you booked a flight home that departs before the scheduled exam takes place.
• Considerations for missing class or for religious holidays should be established between the host program and the Lander student prior to the start of classes.
• Students who experience disruptions to study or exams due to strikes, demonstrations, pandemics, or other disturbances on campus should contact the Director of Study Abroad immediately for consultation and support. Accommodations will be made in accord with the policies of the host institution.

Most credit from semester and summer overseas programs is transferred to Lander from other institutions. In order to ensure that credit transfers in correctly, you will need to complete a Transfer of International Credit form. All courses on Lander partner, affiliate, and exchange programs must be approved through the process below before you leave for your study abroad program.

• Ensure that you have an updated graduation plan. Your academic advisor will help you update your plan.
• Review the course offerings for your overseas program on the host program's website. If the courses for your term away are not yet posted, base your selections on the most recent information. Be sure that you are looking at courses offered in the correct semester; offerings abroad vary between fall and spring and especially summer, just as they do here on campus.
• Complete a Transfer of International Credit form for each Lander academic department into which you wish to transfer credit. Read the instructions on the form carefully. Please be sure to put both your first choices and backups on the form. Secure the necessary signatures on the form, and turn it in at the Registrar's Office. 
• You must earn at least a "C" in a course taken overseas for its credit to transfer to Lander.

Study Tours do not normally carry academic credit. It is the student’s responsibility to register for any classes that may be a prerequisite for the Study Tour.

You can apply Lander scholarships and any federal and state aid toward an approved Lander program. If a program is a non-Lander program, you cannot use any Lander University grants or scholarships toward it.

Semester Programs
Average Cost: varies by program

Costs are broken down into three categories:

• What students pay to Lander (typically program tuition and fees, sometimes also room and/or board);
• What students pay to the host institution (sometimes room and/or board are paid directly to the host rather than to Lander);
• Additional student cost estimates (including items like airfare, passport, visa, books, in-country transportation, emergency medical and trip insurance, medications/vaccines, and personal spending money).

Some semester programs abroad may be similar in cost to what a student would spend for a semester at Lander. 

 

Summer Programs
Average Cost: varies by program

Program costs typically include tuition and fees, accommodations abroad, all transportation, entrance fees associated with course events, some meals (where indicated).

Students are responsible for all flight arrangements, all meals abroad that are not part of the program, medications/vaccines, emergency medical and trip insurance, and personal travel and spending money. 

 

Study Tours
Average Cost: from $2500 to $4000

Includes: Roundtrip international airfare, shared accommodations, all transportation while abroad, entrance fees, mandatory international accident and health insurance, and some meals (where indicated).

Students are responsible for domestic flight arrangements if they are flying from home to the departure airport, for baggage fees, all meals abroad that are not included in the program cost, medications/vaccines, and personal spending money. See program-specific information for details on what is not included on a particular program.

It is very important you create a realistic budget for your study abroad experience. The first step in setting up your budget for your time away will be to determine how much money you will have available, including personal savings, support from your family, and financial aid such as scholarships, loans, and grants.

Then you will need to determine the estimated cost for the program. You will be able to get program budget pages from the Director of Study Abroad. These budget sheets include costs that will be billed to you by Lander and estimates of other costs you will pay in the US before departure or once you have arrived on-site for airfare, meals, books, travel documents, local transportation, entertainment, personal travel, and other activities.

More information on Budgeting can be found on the Prepare page.

Whether you already receive financial aid or you are applying for the first time, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can file the FAFSA on-line at www.fafsa.gov.

In order to be considered for further loans because of higher study abroad costs, contact the Office of Financial Aid for an appointment. Bring a copy of the semester, summer, or Study Tour cost information for your program when you meet. Federal and state limitations apply.

A $500 deposit is due within 7 days of approval for any Lander Study Tour. At that point, an application cannot move forward until the deposit is paid.

Deposits and payments may be made online through TouchNet only. Deposits may be refundable if the student withdraws from the Study Tour.

The principal reason that study abroad is affordable at Lander is that federal and state financial aid as well as Lander scholarships can be applied toward approved Lander study abroad programs.

In addition to the financial aid that you already receive, Lander offers several scholarships exclusively for study abroad students.

• The Office of Study Abroad provides a modest scholarship to every student who participates in a semester abroad program. Students who take at least six credit hours during a summer program are eligible for an Office of Study Abroad scholarship as well.
• The Carolyn and DeWitt Stone Study Abroad Fund offers assistance for students with financial need.
• Honors College students are eligible for Global Scholars funding.

There are also many outside scholarships available for study abroad. You will not be eligible for all of them, but there is no doubt that you will be able to find several for which you can apply. These links will take you to to sites that categorize and list hundreds of scholarships.

• https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/study-abroad-scholarships/ (Check out the categories of scholarships as you scroll down the page.)
• https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/study-abroad-scholarships-grants
• https://fundforeducationabroad.org/scholarships/ (A good list from a very good provider.)
• https://www.studyabroad.com/study-abroad-scholarships (Another big list.)
• https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/ (A prestigious award for Pell Grant recipients only.)

It will take some time to go through the lists, but there is a lot of money out there that never is used, so you should be able to find good sources.

For more information, you can consult the Financial Aid section of the FAQ page and the webpage of the Lander University Office of Financial Aid.