Study Abroad
Options
In fulfillment of the International Educational Experience requirement, students may participate in:
- short-term programs led by UNF faculty, or
- semester-long programs at institutions with which UNF maintains exchange agreements.
Subject to approval by the director of International Studies, students may also:
- enroll as transient students in study abroad programs run by other colleges and universities in the United States (including programs offered by other Florida institutions, through the Florida Shines program);
- enroll directly as foreign students universities outside the US;
- participate in programs coordinated by third-party study-abroad providers (who generally charge significant fees); or
- pursue an internship with an international focus, in the US or abroad (see Internships)
For more information, see the official policy regarding the International Educational Experience requirement.
Getting Help
The International Center can assist students interested in all types of study abroad opportunities.
Approvals and Paperwork
You must register for the 0-credit course INS3950 during the semester in which you will be studying abroad. For details, see the programs and courses page.
Note Regarding Language Coursework Taken Abroad*
Students who intend to do foreign language coursework abroad, or to take literature or culture courses that they would like to apply to UNF programs of study in foreign languages (the minor in Chinese, French or Spanish, or the majors in French Studies and Spanish) or International Studies must contact Dr. Greg Helmick, chair of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, prior to making such arrangements.
Students seeking to receive academic credit at UNF for language coursework completed abroad should be aware that such credit can only be earned through coursework undertaken at (or through) universities or other institutions of higher learning, in the US or abroad, that can provide an academic transcript. Credit cannot be awarded for courses taken at language schools or academies, including those run by governmental entities.
Students should be aware that when pursuing language study at many non-UNF programs abroad, they will be asked to take a placement test upon arrival. If a student places at a lower level than they anticipated, they may be placed into courses that do not match those mapped out prior to departure on the concurrent enrollment/use of credits form. This may, in turn, impact how courses are brought back as transfer credits and counted (or not counted) toward requirements for major or minor programs of study at UNF.
Students who begin language study abroad in a language other than those that are consistently taught at UNF through the intermediate level (Chinese, French and Spanish) will need to make their own arrangements to finish coursework through Intermediate II in that language at an institution or institutions other than UNF, and have the respective credits transferred back. Such students must meet with the chair of Languages, Literatures and Cultures for guidance and approval prior to pursuing any such coursework. They must also complete and submit the document titled "Request for Permission to Fulfill International Studies Language Requirement with a Language Other than Chinese, French or Spanish" found on the Forms page of the International Studies Program website prior to beginning such language study.
*Does not apply to students participating in summer programs led by faculty from the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
Financial Aid and Study Abroad
If you are planning a study abroad experience, you are strongly encouraged to call or email One-Stop Student Services to make an appointment to meet with the Office of Student Financial Aid to discuss how your plans may impact your financial aid situation, particularly with regard to Cost of Attendance limitations and minimum credit-hour enrollment requirements. This is especially important if you plan on applying for, or have been awarded, any study abroad scholarships, or if your program is receiving Transformational Learning Opportunity (TLO) funds, which are paid out through the accounts of participating students as financial aid, and are thus subject to Cost of Attendance limitations, as well as possibly other restrictions.
Be prepared to explain at this meeting the specifics of your trip, including start and end dates, the number of credit hours in which you'll be enrolling, the type of experience (UNF faculty-led, UNF exchange, third-party provider or direct enrollment at a foreign institution) and the dollar amounts of any sizable expenses involved, including, most importantly, the cost of your airfare. If you are participating in a faculty-led trip for which airfare or other large expenses are included in the program fee, you may need to consult with your faculty leader to determine those amounts before meeting with the Office of Financial Aid.
Please realize that financial aid calculations are based on a variety of factors that will differ between any two given students, and it is critical that you personally review your own circumstances in consultation with the Office of Financial Aid.
The director of the International Studies Program cannot provide assistance on specific matters related to the financial aid situation of individual students, but he is available to provide general guidance as needed.
Funding
SAILS and TLO
SAILS and TLO are the primary sources of funding available to International Studies students for study abroad.
The Student Affairs International Learning Scholarship (SAILS) offers $1,500 for short-term (10 weeks or fewer) and $2,500 for long-term (more than 10 weeks) experiences abroad. There are three deadlines per year (for the fall, spring and summer semesters). The International Center offers workshops to help students prepare high-quality applications, which is key to securing this funding. SAILS is generously funded by the University, and assists a significant number of students each year to study abroad.
Many UNF study abroad programs are supported by Transformation Learning Opportunity (TLO) funds. Like SAILS, TLO is an institutional program that provides support to many students to study abroad. These funds are awarded to the programs/courses themselves, however, and distributed as scholarships automatically to eligible program participants (students cannot apply for them directly). Students who receive TLO money through a study abroad program cannot apply SAILS funding for that same study abroad experience, as the two funding programs are exclusive of one another.
Other Funding Sources
- The James Van Vleck Study Abroad Scholarship is made possible through the generosity of local philanthropist and honorary UNF alumnus Mr. James Van Vleck. This scholarship is awarded annually to one student majoring or minoring in International Studies. For more information, please contact the director of the International Studies Program.
- The Gray Study Abroad Scholarship offers awards of up to $2,000 to a small number of students majoring or minoring in Art History, English, Fine Arts, French Studies, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Spanish. Applications are due in the fall semester (generally early November).
- The Falloon Study Abroad Scholarship offers an award of $1,000 annually to one student in a major within the College of Arts and Sciences, to study in a country where English is not the primary language.
- The World Affairs Council of Jacksonville sponsors the annual Ambassador Marilyn McAfee Scholarship Program, which makes merit-based awards to help undergraduate and graduate students in the local area study abroad or undertake internships outside the U.S.
- The International Center maintains a list of other study abroad scholarships.
- The College of Arts and Sciences also offers a variety of scholarships to qualified students.
- Separate funding for study abroad is available to students enrolled in the Hicks Honors College, involving up to $3,000 for semester-long experiences.
- A student's regular financial aid should generally be applicable when paying for coursework taught by UNF professors as part of faculty-led programs. The same applies to students participating in UNF exchange programs, who pay their tuition at UNF, not at the host institution. For clarification on a case-by-case basis, please consult with a One-Stop Student Services coordinator. The International Center can also provide assistance.
Promoting Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs
-
A Word document containing the following information (in this order, please):
- Name of program
- Primary destination(s) (city and country)
- Travel dates (starting and ending)
- Faculty leaders (names and academic/professional titles)
- Description (250 words max.)
- Semester for which students register
- Course(s) for which students register (course code, title and number of credits)
- Can these courses count toward the major or minor in International Studies? (The director of the International Studies Program will answer this one.)
- Toward what other degree programs (majors and minors) can these courses count? (Faculty leader should please answer this. Keep in mind that International Studies students are able to double-count some courses, and all have minors or pursue double majors/dual degrees.)
- Prerequisite courses (course code and title, if applicable)
- Estimated program cost (and indicate whether airfare is included here)
- Estimated out-of-pocket costs (please indicate what that number includes)
- Will accepted students received TLO funds? If yes, indicate dollar amount per student
- Application deadline
- Deadline for initial payment
- Deadline for final payment
- Address of website or social media for program (if applicable)
- Contact person for more information (name, title and email address)
- Captions for all photos in #2, indicating at least the date and place where they were taken
- At least one, but preferably several, photographs that relate to the program. These should be files in an image format (.jpg, .png, etc.), not embedded in the above Word doc (unless you want to also embed them there to show which caption goes with each photo). Please send original, full size images, not images that have been reduced in size or pulled from a .pdf.
- Syllabi for any courses for which students will register. This allows us to determine, and indicate to students, whether the coursework involved can serve as major electives for the International Studies major. Syllabi from a prior year are fine, as long as course content will not vary in significant ways. If this is a new program, draft syllabi are acceptable.
- Any additional publicity materials (brochures, etc.) that you would like students to review (in .pdf format, please).
These materials can be sent via email to the director of the International Studies Program.