Common Questions About Study Abroad

Why study abroad?
When can I study abroad?
How long can I study abroad?
Where can I go?
How much does it cost?
Are scholarships available?
Can I use financial aid?
Where would I live?
What are the requirements and/or restrictions?
How do I apply?
Do I need to know another language?
How does credit work?
Will courses taken abroad fulfill graduation requirements?
Will I graduate on time?
Where can I get more information?
What are the next steps?

Why study abroad?
The benefits to study abroad academically, professionally and personally are enormous. Study abroad encourages cross-cultural communication, understanding and acceptance. Your flexibility and openness to new languages, cultures, and ideas will increase. You will enjoy academic and experiential learning, and become a more independent thinker. Your intellectual maturity and self-confidence will increase. Finally, it will help build your resume. Prospective employers realize how invaluable international experience is in today's global marketplace.

When can I study abroad?
Traditionally, most students have gone as juniors, though an increase in participation among sophomores and seniors has been noted. Students may elect to study abroad as early as the summer immediately following their freshman year and anytime after. In any case, it is advisable for students to meet with an advisor in their major department to discuss their plans and to determine the best time to go.

How long can I study abroad?
Students may participate in short term (2-4 weeks), summer (4-8 weeks), semester or academic year-long programs. Most go for a semester. Occasionally, there are some participants who study abroad multiple times.

Where can I go?
Binghamton University offers some 28 programs. Many take place in the United Kingdom. Other locations include Australia, Austria, China, Costa Rica, Germany, Morocco, Spain, and Turkey, and others. In addition, the schools in the SUNY system work together to facilitate participation on programs offered by any SUNY campus. Altogether, SUNY programs number over 400 in some 50 countries. Students may also choose to study on a program outside the System.

How much does it cost?
It depends. The cost of studying abroad varies greatly from program to program and according to the destination. Some factors that influence costs include instructional costs, cost-of-living, and airfare.

Are scholarships available?
Yes. The Office of International Programs administers several scholarship programs. Most scholarship programs offer competitions twice per year, once for students studying abroad during the spring semester, and again for those going during the summer, fall, or academic year. Multiple awards are given out each competition cycle. In addition, many Binghamton students have been successful in winning national scholarships.

Can I use financial aid?
Federal and New York State Financial Aid may be applied to the costs of Binghamton and other SUNY study abroad programs. It is recommended that you speak to your financial aid advisor once you have an idea of what program(s) interest you in order to get a general idea of how much aid you may expect. Bring program cost information with you to the financial aid advising appointment. Then, once you have been admitted to a program, your financial aid award will need to be re-determined.

Where would I live?
There are several choices, depending upon the program, including campus residential halls where you may be staying with other American students, international students or students from the host campus, home-stay situations, or various types of off-campus apartments or residences.

What are the requirements and/or restrictions?
There are very few requirements or restrictions. For most programs, there’s a GPA requirement, which may range from a 2.0 to a 3.5. Programs in non-English-speaking countries may have a language requirement and some programs are restricted to juniors or seniors. The vast majority of programs are open to all students, regardless of major.

How do I apply?
The application process is quite simple. First, be sure you meet the program eligibility requirements. Then, obtain a standard SUNY study abroad application from any SUNY campus or online. The application consists of sections for biographical information, a study statement, and letters of academic reference. Transcripts from all colleges or universities where you have studied are also required. Applications are usually submitted directly to the SUNY campus offering the program. Deadlines for submission fall during the middle part of semester before you wish to go.

Do I need to know another language?
No, not necessarily. For example, participants may go to Spain or Italy without any background in Spanish or Italian and take all courses in English. Alternatively, students may take regular university courses in the language of the host country. There are also options with some courses taught in the host language and some courses taught in English.

How does credit work?
It depends on the program sponsor campus. Credit works differently when you study abroad in a Binghamton sponsored program than it does when you go on a program administered by another SUNY campus. Credit recognition for non-SUNY programs differs from both Binghamton and other-SUNY programs. See the Credit Recognition section for explanations.

Will courses taken abroad fulfill graduation requirements?
Yes, they can. Regardless of whether your program is offered by Binghamton, another SUNY or a non-SUNY school, credit toward the requirements of a major or minor is determined by the appropriate department.

Will I graduate on time?
Most often, study abroad participants take courses that fulfill major, minor, and/or general education requirements while abroad so there is no problem with graduating on time, even if abroad for an academic year or longer.

Where can I get more information?
You may start by visiting the international programs office on your campus. Most offices have a variety of planning guides and program brochures that will help get you started in the planning process. At Binghamton, we also offer general information sessions for anyone interested in studying abroad. These sessions are typically offered twice per week. We encourage interested students to take full advantage of individual study abroad advising services offered by Binghamton’s Office of International Programs.

What are the next steps?
Attend a general information session in the Office of International Programs to learn about programs, get practical tips, and understand the procedures.
Research options in the Resource Center of the Office of International Programs or online, specifically the SUNY programs directory.

Make an appointment with a study abroad advisor in the Office of International Programs if you would like to discuss the details of program choice, discuss ways to “internationalize your Binghamton degree, or have other academic and practical planning issues for which some discussion would be useful.

Ask specific questions about your program from the program sponsor, a faculty director or department, the office of international programs at your institution, or the international programs office of the sponsoring campus.
Consult with the appropriate department for credit toward major, minor or general education requirements.

Consult with the academic advising office of your college for approval of credit toward general degree requirements or for approval of transfer credit from a non-SUNY program.

Look at the cost of each individual program you are considering.

Consult with the financial aid office before applying to a program so that you have a general sense of how financial aid will work for you.

Apply for the program early the semester before you wish to go, preferably in advance of the deadline. If you are caught in the predicament of last minute planning, contact the sponsor to see if a late application is feasible.

As soon as you are accepted to a program:
For Binghamton programs, plan to come to the pre-departure meeting and follow the instructions in your acceptance packet.

For SUNY and non-SUNY programs, return to the OIP to pick up an administrative packet. Follow the steps in our checklist for students who have been admitted to a program.