Beloit College
Programme Details
Minimum mark 60%
Level Undergraduate
Language/s English
Agreement Scope University-wide exchange, with priority to History 3+1 students, check with your department regarding compatibility with your degree programme.
Exchange Places 1 full year place for 2024/25
Overview
About:
Beloit College was established in Beloit Wisconsin in 1846, making it the oldest college in Wisconsin. Beloit is historically renowned for both the humanities and the sciences, for its accredited art and anthropology museums, its international education, and integrative first-year program. Beloit’s close-knit community, with a little over 1,200 undergraduates enrolled, means open-door policies, more mentors than mascots, support for people of diverse backgrounds, traditions that run deep, and unexpected connections with people and places beyond campus.
Beloit is situated on a 40-acre campus with 28 buildings of varying styles and ages, of which four are recognised historic buildings. The campus consists of lawns and winding pathways and is situated on river bluffs. The college has over 40 nationalities represented within its student body. Once a year Beloit hosts its Cultural Symposium, allowing students of different backgrounds to share their cultural experiences.
Contact at Beloit:
Programme Coordinator: Shannon Jolly jollysl@beloit.edu
700 College Street, Box 117, Beloit, WI53511, USA
Highlights:
In 2022 the US News ranked Beloit College as No.9 in their Most Innovative College category, and No. 29 in their Best Undergraduate Teaching list. Washington Monthly placed Beloit College at No. 27 in their Best Liberal Arts College list in 2021.
Location:
The city of Beloit, on the southern border of Wisconsin above northern Illinois, is not just the site of Beloit College’s campus. With nearly 40,000 residents, it’s a vibrant community that has changed and redefined itself as much as the college has. Beloit is living history, the legacy of the blue collar workers of the past and present. Some residents can trace their family line back to Fairbanks Morse’s first African American workers during the Great Migration, while others immigrated here as recently as the last decade.
There are also local events and festivals almost constantly: the state’s second-largest open air farmers market during the warmer months, an international film festival in the winter, and revolving student art exhibits at Gallery ABBA downtown—all year round. Beloit is also a close (and affordable) Van Galder bus ride away from Wisconsin’s bigger cities. Janesville, Rockford, and Madison are around an hour away, with Milwaukee and Chicago, IL, being less than two.
Academic information
Courses / Modules:
Students must enrol in a minimum of 4 courses per term at Beloit.
Most courses are worth 4 Beloit credits and each course carries 4 or more teaching hours. Beloit students take four courses ie 16 or more teaching hours. Student should ensure that they take a full credit load of 4 courses per term to ensure that they are taking the equivalent of 120 York credits.
Students should look at the courses listed in the Course Catalogue available in Beloit.
Credit (Full-time Load per semester):
4 courses = 60 York credits
This has been calculated by the University of York and students should not compare it with the requirements of other universities. Taking insufficient credits can lead to students failing the year. Any alteration to credits/modules must be discussed with your department prior to making any changes.
Teaching Periods:
Semester 1: August - December
Semester 2: January - May
Access Beloit College calendar.
Language:
Classes at Beloit are taught in English.
You may be required to provide evidence of your English language ability if English is not your first language.
Student life
Accommodation:
Exchange students live in Beloit College residence halls, which are located on campus. Most often, they live in double rooms due to a limitation in the number of single rooms. However, they may apply to live in a single room as although these are limited there is no extra cost. Details of the housing available to you can be found on their web pages Meal plans are compulsory but there is a choice available.
Support Services:
A range of support services is available at Beloit College including a Wellness Centre and Disability Services. The International Office is the key point of contact for students.
Visas:
Information from Beloit College.
Medical Aid:
International students are required to purchase the student medical insurance offered by Beloit College and may not waive the college health insurance online. Further information about the health care offered can be found here.
Travel insurance:
If you are approved by the University of York to participate in this program, you will be covered by the University's Travel Insurance Policy. This is a complimentary policy to cover you for the duration of your University of York mobility experience. Please refer to the Insurance website for all travel insurance queries. You may be required to obtain health insurance valid during your exchange.
Student experiences
Joseph, History, Year Abroad 2023/24
"I am feeling pretty good and am really enjoying my year abroad in the US. I have gotten quite used to being away from home and although my room is not the biggest I still am happy with where I have been staying for the past months. I do not think I have changed too much apart from a few ways in how I speak and talk to people which is more in line with how Americans speak. There were a few initial challenges with the differences in how the UK and US speak English but I have overcome those. Further, I had to adapt to the changes in workload given out which is quite different to York. I have found the easiest way to meet people through classes and sports but it was also good to meet others at other social events like parties for instance. Money has not been too much of an issue whilst I have been in the US since most of it has gone towards school fees and this also includes food. I have also created a US bank account through a local bank which is how I have had access to money."
Sarah, History, Year Abroad 2017/18
"I am friends with lots of international students as well as Americans so I feel connected to the community but also like I have friends all over the world. I have a host family who I spend time with. They have lived their whole lives in Beloit so have shown me some cool traditions like Maple Tree Tapping and real Wisconsin cheese.
The campus is fairly insular so I have felt like a member of the Beloit College community pretty much since I got there. I have enjoyed how welcoming people have been and as a Londoner being introduced to "Midwestern niceties" was a shock but one that I definitely enjoy."
Top Tips for Studying in the USA
Please note: these tips have been provided by students who have studied abroad in the USA - Global Opportunities recommends that you use these as a guide only and do your own research on what is best for you.
Money and Banking:
'REVOLUT - cannot recommend this enough. Allows for free currency conversions and transfers into US bank accounts. It is cheaper even than Transferwise. The best way to pay bills to the university is to pay Flywire with a domestic US bank transfer through Revolut.'
'I used my UK or French bank accounts and I opened a bank of America account .......'
'I used a Revolut Card which had a really good exchange rates. But I didn't open up a new Bank account.'
Staying Connected:
'I bought a sim from AT&T.....It was a monthly contract that could be cancelled at any time, so it's good for international students. I know some other [students] who either only used WiFi (there's wifi all around campus and it's usually reliable) or who changed their usual contract to an international one.'
'Pretty much every exchange student used Mint Mobile. Not all phones work on US frequencies though, so I bought a Google Pixel 3a which works everywhere.'
'At first, I got a new SIM card but it wasn't compatible with my European phone (due to the software or something). I then borrowed a phone from one of my American relatives.'
Food:
(Drexel University) 'I was on campus and I had a dining plan so I mostly got food in the university's dining facilities.'
(University of Denver) 'A micro fridge is a worthwhile investment for snacks and drinks outside of mealtime!'.
Paperwork and bureaucracy:
'The most tedious thing was getting the visa sorted, but after that most of the paperwork was easy to get done. You might feel like you've forgotten to do some things, but chances are you haven't and they'll send a reminder if you did.'
'Be patient, keep a well labelled folder, email when feeling stressed and your not sure what to do. The main thing is keeping in mind that the paperwork will end and once you arrive at our host country everything is easier face to face.'
'Be meticulous and create checklists. Get all the paperwork necessary for visas etc. before even beginning the process of applying. Flights do not necessarily get more expensive as the travel date gets closer. They can go down too (I booked a flight to NYC to save money before the Philly flight halved in price so I should have just waited).'
What I wished I'd known...:
'Research accommodation a bit more. Expect delays with communication. Expect the mundaneness of normal day to day living- expectation management is a useful skill. All the feelings are very normal!'
'How much it costs! I was happy to pay for the flights even though they're expensive, but having to buy 4-5 books for every module adds up quickly, especially when some of them are $50+ ....... Other things are more expensive too, like clothes, which can cost twice as much as they would here even after converting it.'
Useful links
Contact Global Opportunities
Global Opportunities - Find us in Derwent College
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter :@GoGlobalUOY
Click here to make a virtual appointment to speak to one of our advisors
Videos
Watch this video which was created by Beloit to say goodbye the students on exchange during the 2019/20 academic year. Unfortunately they had to leave early due to the COVID 19 breakout and were unable to attend the usual farewell events. Look out for Harry from York!
You can also view the video below created specifically for international students at Beloit.
