Steps for Your Son/Daughter

The Application & Acceptance Process
Students apply for study abroad approximately 9 months before their program date. Program eligibility and application requirements vary; specifics are listed on each program page. After acceptance, they have three weeks to turn in acceptance materials for our office and for our partners abroad.

Pre-Departure Orientation
The study abroad coordinators send initial information via e-mail during the summer or in January, depending on the program. At the beginning of the semester prior to departure, we hold a required day-long orientation for all students going the next term. Students will also receive weekly emails from a Peer Adviser, a returned student from the program, on cultural topics. Those emails will also have reminders about scholarship deadlines, billing due dates, and how/when to apply for a student visa, if necessary.

During orientation, we encourage students to make a parent folder for you prior to departure. This Study Abroad Folder should have the following in it:

1. Copies of every important document
2. Passport
3. Visa
4. Acceptance letter from CIE/host site
5. Credit & debit cards (front & back)
6. CISI insurance info, copies of claim forms, copy of card
7. All flight information and tickets
8. Lodging information, if leaving early or coming back after the program
9. International Student Identity Card Info (if your student purchased the card)
10. All his/her banking info (including directions of how to transfer $ between savings and checking. We recommend that students have a parent or other trusted person as a co-signer on their accounts.)
11. All his/her financial aid info. A copy of Power of Attorney documents, if granted.
12. Any info someone would need to do his/her taxes in April (if s/he is abroad in spring)
13. A list of phrases/pronunciations in the appropriate language that you could use when calling your student, such as "Is Sara there?" "This is her mother" "This is not an emergency", etc. (Sara’s mother said this was VERY helpful.)
14. His/her phone number/address in the host country
15. phone numbers/email of:
    • His/her travel agent
    • The contact person at his/her site abroad
    • His/her academic adviser
    • The #'s abroad of the people with whom s/he will be traveling and the US numbers of their families
    • 5 people in your hometown fluent in the language of the country of study, whom you could contact in case of emergency

Communication While Abroad & Upon Return
If students are abroad for a semester program, they will receive three newsletters from our office with reminders and updates. They are welcome to contact their program coordinator via e-mail at any time. All students also complete program evaluations prior to coming home.

Once students are back home, the Center for International Education still works with them. We have multiple opportunities for students to be involved. You can see examples in the “Returnee” pages of this Web site.