Study Abroad

learning beyond classroom

Study abroad is often one of the most meaningful experiences students have during their education, combining learning with travel, personal growth, and real-world discovery. Whether you already study a Central or East European language, are considering adding one to your degree, or are simply exploring international opportunities, these experiences can offer far more than time abroad. They can mean hearing another language in everyday life, experiencing local culture from the inside, building confidence in new environments, and gaining perspectives that complement and deepen what students learn in the classroom. This page will help you explore the many forms study abroad can take, why students choose it, what they often gain from the experience, and how scholarships, exchanges, internships, and immersive programs may be more accessible than you think.

🎞️ explore the options

Study abroad today can take many different forms. This short video highlights the range of opportunities available: from short-term faculty-led programs and summer language courses to internships, semester exchanges, and year-long immersion experiences that students can shape around their goals, interests, and schedule.

You’ve just explored some of the key options related to study abroad. As you look through the brief overview below one more time, think about which opportunities feel most relevant to your goals, schedule, interests, and the kind of experience you would like to have abroad. Then continue to the checklist that follows to see which study abroad path may fit you best.

check what matters to you

Choose the statement that sounds most like you. Then explore what that path could look like.

💭 I want a short experience

↳ I want an international experience that fits into a busy schedule.

↳ You may want to explore: faculty-led travel courses, Maymester, short summer programs.

💭 I want language immersion

↳ I want to improve my language while experiencing local culture.

↳ You may want to explore: summer institutes, immersion programs, host-family experiences.

💭 I want career experience

↳ I want international experience that also strengthens my resume.

↳ You may want to explore: internships abroad, research placements, NGO programs.

💭 I want a semester abroad

↳ I want to live abroad for a semester or longer.

↳ You may want to explore: exchange programs, direct enrollment, year-long study.

💭 I want to compare options

↳ I want to compare options and build the best fit for my goals.

↳ You may want to explore: advisor consultations, scholarships, cross-university programs.

🎞️ WHY STUDY ABROAD

Many students begin by thinking of study abroad as travel or a chance to earn credits in another country. This video looks at what often makes the experience truly meaningful: the confidence students build, the independence they develop, the connections they make, and the broader perspective they bring back with them.

You’ve just explored why so many students choose to study abroad and why the experience often becomes far more meaningful than they first expect. What may begin as travel, language learning, or academic progress can also lead to greater confidence, stronger independence, intercultural understanding, new friendships, broader perspectives, and personal growth that continues long after students return home. As you review the key ideas below, think about which of these outcomes feel most meaningful to you, then continue to the checklist that follows.

check what matters to you

As you think about your future, which of these possible outcomes feel most valuable?

✔︎ building greater confidence in new situations

✔︎ becoming more independent and self-reliant

✔︎ improving language skills through real-world use

✔︎ developing intercultural understanding

✔︎ gaining experience valued by employers

✔︎ learning to adapt in unfamiliar environments

✔︎ making international friendships and connections

✔︎ broadening your perspective on the world

✔︎ creating meaningful memories through experience

✔︎ discovering new strengths in yourself

❗ If several of these stand out to you, study abroad may offer much more than travel. It can become a powerful step in personal growth, global awareness, and future opportunity.

summer STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS

The list below is intended as a quick glance at selected university-sponsored summer programs rather than a complete directory. For more detailed and up-to-date information—and to explore many additional opportunities offered directly in target countries, including language institutes, cultural programs, scholarships, and other study options—please visit your chosen language(s) in the Languages section of this website. There you can discover both university pathways and local opportunities available abroad.