Study Abroad Philosophy 4 Introduction 4 Goals and Program Definitions 4 Undergraduate

Scholarships

Visa Requirements and Passports

Passports

Visas

Students will be responsible for issuing their own visas. Students will also receive an acceptance letter and visa requirement sheet for their specific universities. Visas to most countries will require the following documents:

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  A recent bank statement (not older than three months , and the amount depends on the host university)
  

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  A valid passport
  

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  Acceptance letter from the host university and the visa support letter, i.e., J-1 or I-20 form for U.S. schools and visa support letters from non-U.S. schools
  

Students should begin the application process at least two semesters before their intended date of travel. For example, if you want to study overseas in the fall semester or for an entire academic year, you should start the application process at the beginning of the previous fall. In case you plan to study abroad in the spring semester, you should start the application process during the fall semester. For timeline details, please refer to page 8.

ISSA offers both exchange and study abroad opportunities at more than 60 partner institutions. If you are selected for an exchange opportunity, you would pay your AUC tuition fees for the duration of your exchange program, and your AUC financial aid and most scholarships would apply. If you travel on a study abroad basis, you pay host university tuition fees for the duration of your program, where your AUC financial aid and scholarships will not apply.

You can study abroad for a semester or a year based on the program type.

No, you have to spend your last semester at AUC.

No, you cannot. To apply, you have to be declared by the semester you are applying in, or your declaration result should be out before the AUC online application deadline.

Yes, you can apply. It will show on your unofficial transcript that you are already enrolled in the course.

You have to complete the AUC online application, and submit it along with the required documents mentioned in the application to ISSA before the designated deadline. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

The list of universities is updated every semester on ISSA’s website, so you have to check the website to know available universities, terms of stay and available slots. Please refer to page 26.

You can add up to three exchange universities, and up to two study abroad universities if you are willing to take the study abroad option. You can only choose from the list in the application. If a university is not in the list, this means that there are no available slots at such university.

No, you can only put the list of universities you are interested in, so if you are only interested in exchange opportunities, you don’t have to list the study abroad university choices, and vice versa.

First, you have to check the comment column on the ISSA website list to make sure that your major is not restricted at the host university.

Second, you have to make sure that your major is available and strong at the host university website. You can refer to your academic adviser for more information.

Can I travel to a non-affiliate university? Will ISSA help me out with the procedures?

Yes, you can travel to a non-affiliate university, but only on a study-abroad basis not exchange basis. ISSA will not support any applications to non-affiliate universities. Furthermore, ISSA will not support applications to partner universities that do not go through ISSA application process.

There are two application cycles, one at the beginning of the fall semester and the other one at the beginning of the spring semester. If you miss the fall cycle deadline, you can apply to the spring cycle.

Once your application goes through eligibility screening for GPA, a complete application and a general evaluation of your resume and personal statement, after passing these two stages, ISSA will send you the first acceptance email with your interview time.

The interviewing panel comprises a faculty member from your school and a staff member from the Office of Strategic and International Initiatives.

The panel will evaluate your academic performance, extracurricular activities, resume, and work experience/internships.

You will receive a final acceptance email from the ISSA office that includes your awarded program and university.

No, you cannot. Placements are final and are based on the panel decision.

You will be invited to the PNO, session. Information about the date and time of the session will be sent to you in the final acceptance email. Failure to attend the PNO will result in reviewing your nomination.

Yes, you have a chance to withdraw only before completing the host university application. If you decline the exchange/study abroad opportunity after completing the host university application, you cannot apply to any exchange/study abroad program administered by ISSA during the next academic year. You may request exemption from this rule if you had declined due to force majeure. While you must provide proof of the emergency situation that hindered your travel abroad, the decision to give you an exemption from this rule is at the discretion of ISSA.

Yes, you can apply to the next cycle given that you will not spend your last semester abroad.

First, ISSA will have to nominate you to the host university, and then you will receive an email from ISSA with the host university application and guidelines to follow.

ISSA will help you with the host university application and throughout the process.

No, you cannot. All your inquiries should go through ISSA.

If you are on exchange basis you have to take a number of courses equivalent to 15 credit hours. Please be aware that if you take less credit hours abroad, you will have to pay for 15 credit hours at AUC. If you are on study abroad basis, you have to be a full time student in order to be eligible for the student visa.

You have to check your four-year plan, discuss your study abroad with your academic adviser and then decide on the courses.

You have to review the Registrar guideline on page 21, and schedule an appointment with the Registrar Transfer Unit to discuss the course equivalency.

Yes, you have to visit the Registrar Transfer Unit to confirm the course credits will be transferred.

No, you have to visit the Office of the Registrar to confirm the course credits will be transferred to AUC. The TCE does not have a list of all courses offered at host universities.

No, the TCE does not include all of our partner universities, so you have to schedule an appointment with the Registrar Transfer Unit to check credit transferability.

Yes, you can.

No, you cannot.

You will receive an email from ISSA alerting you to pay your AUC tuition fees. Payment should be made as a whole, as it cannot be divided into installments.

You will pay tuition fees to the host institution by their designated deadline.

This is a partial scholarship available to all AUC students who have been accepted into an affiliate university on study-abroad basis. This scholarship covers the part of tuition fees of the host university in excess of AUC’s tuition fees.

This is a partial scholarship available to exchange or study-abroad students traveling to study at a US university for a semester or year. A set amount is dispensed to finance travel expenses, insurance, or housing fees.

You don’t have to apply for these scholarships. Selection panels will recommend awards to some selected candidates. Final award decisions to receive theses scholarships will be made by ISSA.

No, these scholarships are awarded to exchange or study abroad students only for a semester abroad.

No, you cannot.

Most programs offer choices for living arrangements. These include dormitories, apartments or living with a host family. For more information about living arrangements, please read the program brochure or program website. In practice, most students live in dormitories. This simplifies your adjustment to a foreign country, and you will not have to worry about arranging apartment leases.

You should go to the host university international office or contact ISSA.

ISSA office provides guidance throughout the visa issuance process, and a visa support letter. However, it is the student's responsibility to issue the visa and provide the embassy with all of the required documents.

This varies according to your destination. For information about vaccinations and immunization requirements for specific countries, please visit www.cdc.gov/. Additional information with specific health requirements will be provided by each host university.

Exchange slots are available for specific disciplines, not university wide. Check the list of universities on the ISSA website to find out if your major is available, and at which universities. please refer to page 26.

Students should begin the application process at least two semesters before their intended date of travel. For example, if you want to study overseas in the fall/spring semesters, you should start the application process during the beginning of the previous fall/spring.

You will receive a link for “AUC Graduate Interest Form” from your program adviser, to fill out and submit by a specific deadline. It is recommended that you discuss your university options with your adviser before filling out the form.

The selection process for the exchange opportunity is highly selective. It is carried out by graduate program advisers for their students who have completed “AUC Graduate Interest Form”.

You will have to check the list of universities and confirm that your major is available at the host institution. After discussing your choices with your adviser, make a shortlist of your top three universities.

At the host institution, courses will vary depending upon the program you select. Some programs allow students to enroll in any course for which they are qualified, whereas others limit the selection. On another note, some AUC departments of major allow their students to take core courses only, while others might allow taking electives. It is necessary to check what is required in your program. Your program adviser is the one who will approve the courses you plan take abroad.

The courses taken during an exchange/study-abroad program are transferred as AUC credit if the grade scored in the course is a ‘B’ or above for graduate students without changing your GPA.

Visit the webpage for Graduate Exchange Program

The program length is one semester. A few summer programs are also offered, on a study-abroad/direct enrollment basis, lasting from four to eight weeks (for BUS school only).

Whether you may work or not depends on what type of visa you are issued. In most cases, you may work on your host institution campus. If you want to work overseas, consider an international internship and contact AUC's Career Center.

Most programs offer choices for living arrangements. These include dormitories, apartments or living with a host family. For more information about living arrangements, please read the program brochure or program website.. In practice, most students live in dormitories. This simplifies your adjustment to a foreign country, and you will not have to worry about arranging apartment leases.

This varies according to your destination. For additional information about vaccinations and immunization requirements for specific countries, visit www.cdc.gov/. Additional information on specific health requirements will be provided by each host university.