To be a part of UW is to be a part of a global community - students, staff, and faculty in the Humanities are true global citizens whose work goes far beyond the confines of campus.
The UW Study Abroad office should be a student's first stop in learning about global opportunities for their UW experience, but the HAS advising team can help students understand how study abroad will sync up with their specific major or minor requirements.
Overview
Some departments will offer study abroad programs in conjunction with the UW Study Abroad office. The steps involved for students will include learning about the Study Abroad basics, planning out a budget, finding an appropriate program, and submitting an application.
Before students go on their study abroad experience, they will be enrolled in FSTUDY 300 as placeholder course for that quarter by the Study Abroad office. Upon return, students need to work with their adviser to convert the work they did into recognized UW courses. The Study Abroad office has an equivalency database available here. Students must do this, as they will not be allowed to graduate if they still have FSTUDY 300 on their transcript. We recommend that the credit conversion process be completed by the end of the quarter following a student’s study abroad experience.
FAQs on study abroad credit are available here.
How we support students
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Identify programs types that align with a student's interests and preferences
- Explore and pre-evaluate courses students enroll in that can apply towards degree requirements
- Provide suggestions for when students participate in a study abroad program
- Evaluating their study abroad credits after they return from their program
Types of Study Abroad Programs
Faculty-led Programs —These are programs that are designed and led by UW faculty, and typically have pre-defined courses attached, so you know exactly what kind of credit you'll be receiving. Program length can vary from 10 days up to a whole quarter.
Exchange Programs —You will work with the UW study abroad office to set up an educational experience at one of our partner universities; perfect for an immersive experience. While studying on exchange, you'll be able to register for courses offered by the host institution, giving you flexibility on what you'll study.
Partner programs—Programs run by third party study abroad providers that the UW has vetted for safety and academic rigor. Partner programs allow UW to expand offering options to cover locations and subjects that might not have otherwise been available.
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Pre-departure preparation ensures that students have a successful, productive and safe experience abroad. There's a lot to consider, from picking a program and applying to securing financing and thinking about how their study abroad classes will apply to their UW degree. Typically, how far ahead they need to plan depends on the length of program they'll be participating on - shorter programs (e.g., programs that are a quarter, semester, or shorter) should involve planning about 6 months out. Longer programs may need up to a year of advance planning.
The Study Abroad office has a pre-departure checklist that can act as a great place for students to start thinking about the finer details, from registration to medical care and insurance.
One of the important pre-departure conversations students can have is with their major adviser - we can help students plan the courses they take while they are abroad so that they will apply to their degree in the way that they hope when they return home.
Major advisers can help with study abroad planning so students don't choose study abroad classes that won't apply to their major, but it is important to note that pre-departure credit evaluations are not a guarantee of credit that will be received - departments and faculty have the final say on what coursework from study abroad converts to in terms of UW credit from their curricula.
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Yes, there are options dedicated to helping students fund study abroad work! UW Study Abroad Scholarships are intended to support students participating in programs run through UW Study Abroad. The goal of the UWSA Scholarship program is to promote accessibility to international opportunities for UW students.
The UW Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards also has a searchable database - on the right hand side near the bottom of the filter/sort list, one option to filter by what kind of experiences a scholarship supports. "Supports Study Abroad" is the option you'll want to use here.
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A lot of students will have questions about how their study abroad work can be applied to their UW degree. To learn more about the credit conversion process and what's needed, start here. This resource will also provide information on how to incorporate their study abroad experience into their academic, professional, and personal endeavors.
As long as they complete all courses while abroad and completed the registration materials prior to their departure, they were most likely enrolled by the UW Study Abroad office in a placeholder course that shows up on their transcript as 12 credits of FSTDY 300. Once students have their grades and transcripts ready for the courses they took during study abroad, when they return, they'll be able to start the process for converting these FSTDY 300 placeholder courses into regular UW resident credits. Once converted, their study abroad work will be itemized, and will reflect UW course names and credit amounts can be applied to their UW degree.
Learn more about how study abroad credit conversion at UW works here.