Where can I study?

KU offers programs in approximately 70 countries throughout the world. Students can study in countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, or Europe except those countries currently on the U.S. State Department Travel Warning List.

What can I study?

Some programs focus on a particular field of study while others offer a general curriculum. Most students are able to fulfill graduation requirements and maintain progress toward their degree while studying abroad.

Discipline-specific programs include those for anthropology, architecture, biology, chemistry, classics, communication studies, education, engineering, English, European studies, fine arts, history, history of art, honors, indigenous studies, international business and economics, journalism, language and culture, law, physics, religious studies, social welfare, sociology, theater and film, and humanities and Western civilization.

Courses are taught in over 20 different languages and many semester and academic year programs allow qualified students with demonstrated language proficiency to choose from regular university course offerings at the overseas institution. Instructional offerings in English are also plentiful and incorporate a wide variety of disciplines.

Students who cannot meet their academic objectives through an existing KU study abroad program may, with academic approval, develop their own programs or go on a Student Initiated Program through another US Institution or Study Abroad Program provider (for more information click on the Useful Links tab under the Prospective Students tab of this website.

When can I study abroad?

You can participate in many programs as soon as the summer after your freshman year. Programs are available for both undergraduate and graduate students.  Degree seeking transfer students must have completed at least one semester of KU course work before they can study abroad.

Can International Students study abroad?

Yes, International students must be degree seeking at KU and can study abroad except in countries on the U.S. Travel Warning List and the country of their citizenship.  International students must also have completed at least one semester of KU course work in their degree program before they can study abroad.

Is there a GPA requirement?

Can I study abroad if I do not meet the GPA requirement?

How is credit awarded?

Through the Office of Study Abroad, students remain enrolled at KU and receive resident KU credit. Grades earned while studying abroad are calculated into your KU GPA. You may earn credit toward your major, general education credit, or elective credit. Students work with an academic advisor in conjunction with a study abroad advisor to ensure continued progress toward a degree.

What does it cost?

Individual program costs vary, but studying abroad does not have to be prohibitively expensive. The University of Kansas Office of Study Abroad strives to keep costs down while maintaining high-quality programs that are available to as many students as possible. For instance, KU exchange agreements with universities in Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong, and with the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) provide study abroad opportunities of great value at tuition, room and board costs close to those of staying on the Lawrence campus.

Can I apply my Financial Aid and Scholarships to Study Abroad?

Federal financial aid is applicable to study abroad programs, and in most cases KU scholarships and grants apply to study abroad. Limited scholarships from the Office of Study Abroad are available to qualified applicants, and a number of departments offer scholarships for study abroad.

A broad range of national scholarships is available to students as well. Scholarships that KU students have been awarded recently include the National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarship, the Freeman-ASIA Scholarship and the Gilman International Scholarship.

How do I apply?

To begin a search for a study abroad program, students are encouraged to visit with a Peer Advisor in the Office of Study Abroad, complete the advising questionnaire, then schedule a meeting with a study abroad Coordinator to identify the program that best fits their objectives. Early planning generally affords more options.

Once you are certain which program you will apply to, visit the study abroad website, click on the Programs tab and search for your program.  You can apply to the program by clicking on the "Apply Now" button that accompanies the program brochure. KU students will then enter their KU online ID and password (Non-KU students will be prompted to answer some questions before receiving an online ID and password). The application will prompt you to select the term for which you are applying.  After you arrive at your application home page, you will have several areas to complete (Questionnaires, Material Submissions, Electronic Recommendation Requests, Electronic Signature Documents).

Application deadlines are March 1 for the following fall, academic year, or summer, and October 1 for the following spring. Early application is encouraged, as programs often fill early and it will take some time to complete the electronic documents and will allow more time for references to complete the recommendation requests.