Academic Advisors Frequently Asked Questions

We hold Education Abroad 101 information sessions most Wednesdays in the Lory Student Center.

See our calendar for additional information and other promotional events.

The following websites are also great resources: Start Here and Education Abroad Advising.

An education abroad is considered a high impact practice that has been shown to increase graduation rates, can be a similar cost as a semester on campus, and does not need to interfere with graduation timelines. These programs offer a unique and experiential way for students to supplement their coursework on campus; develop soft skills such as adaptability and flexibility; learn how to communicate across cultures; and are often regarded as a highlight of a student’s higher education experience.

OIP-EA is always looking for new ways to connect with students. We present in classes, especially first-year seminars, campus-wide scholarship presentations, have postering campaigns, the annual Education Abroad Fair each fall, and program specific promotion events.

Faculty and staff can also request an Education Abroad classroom presentation. 

Here are some promotional materials you are welcome to share with your networks:

• Education Abroad General Flyer
• Education Abroad Financial Aid Flyer
• First Year Seminar Abroad Program Flyer
• Recommended Programs Abroad Flyer
• Education Abroad General Digital Screen
• First Year Seminar Digital Screen

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have new ideas for collaboration.

OIP-EA has three program models: Sponsored, Affiliated and Unaffiliated.

CSU Sponsored programs are broken into two areas:

1. Faculty and Staff Led Programs (SFLP). Most typically these are short term (summer, winter break) programs that travel with CSU faculty or staff and other CSU students, earning CSU credit. There are also semester-length faculty-led programs with some transfer credit.
2. CSU Sponsored Exchange and Direct Enroll universities. CSU partners with over a dozen universities abroad where students are immersed at a foreign university, pay a similar tuition as on campus (minus COF/WUE), and earn transfer credit.

Affiliated programs run the gamut on length and structure, but all award transfer credit. These partners are vetted by OIP-EA for quality, support and academics, and work with institutions of higher education across the US to bring students to a variety of locations abroad. These programs are various lengths and design (e.g. some are based at a host university, while others are field programs; some are high touch with significant support on site, while others might better fit a more independent student)

Semester at Sea is an Affiliate program, but as our academic partner we see a large cohort of CSU students, staff and faculty on each voyage. This partnership also provides significant funding for students to help offset the cost of the program.

OIP-EA also offers international internships and research opportunities – both full and part time – through both Sponsored and Affiliate programs.

Finally, if these programs do not fulfill what a student is looking for, they are able to participate in an Unaffiliated or Direct Enroll program. This path necessitates additional advising.

Find all short-term SFLP programs listed on our staff and faculty led page.

Navigate to our recommended programs page and select your specific department to view both short-term and semester-length programs for your department.

Yes, if the available programs do not meet a student’s goals or interests, they can participate in an Unaffiliated or Direct Enroll program. This can present challenges (e.g. the ability to transfer credit, use financial aid, risk management considerations, etc.) and students are highly encouraged to connect with OIP-EA before making any commitments.

Departments and advisors may receive emails from 3rd party providers advertising programming abroad. We ask that you do not forward these emails to students without first consulting with OIP-EA. This is because these programs may not be for credit, may not meet our risk management expectations, or may be ineligible for financial aid. We are happy to help vet them together (contact [email protected]).

This program model first ran in 2022 and is gaining popularity as it is a way for students to study abroad, build community, and familiarize themselves with CSU resources, all before they officially start their studies on campus. More information is available via the first year seminars abroad page. 

Currently, AUCC 1C is fulfilled by students completing a minimum of 3 credit education abroad. This is not a waiver and does not contribute to the minimum number of credits needed for degree completion – it is a fulfillment of the AUCC 1C requirement.

SA482 is a placeholder course required for students earning transfer credit so as to maintain their enrollment and facilitate the use of financial aid. Students will not receive an SA482 override until all application items in the CSU MyEdAbroad Portal are completed. Students then need to register for SA482 in RamWeb. SA482 defaults to 12 credits in the semester. If a student earns more than 12 credits abroad, the record will be adjusted when the Registrar receives the transcript. In the summer, SA482 is variable, meaning the student should adjust the amount based on how many credits they plan to receive.

Note that SA482 is not required for programs issuing CSU credit.

Students earning transfer credit will need to complete a Transfer Credit Form (TCF). This is primarily applicable to Affiliate programs or Exchange programs, with some exceptions. Most Affiliates list coursework, and include syllabi, on their website. Sometimes students will need to email them for additional information. The syllabi for exchange programs can be found linked on the program brochure page on our website, and/or by working with OIP-EA to request this information from our exchange partners. The relevant EA advisor will help students find this information, but how these courses fit into their graduation plan is decided entirely via the TCF.

Students submit courses of interest and syllabi to the Registrar’s Office. They will evaluate course prefix, course level (e.g. POLS3++) and credit amount. The relevant department is able to reassess that evaluation into a course equivalency or substitution (e.g. now evaluated as POLS374). All of these assessments need to be documented on the TCF. Once complete it is submitted to OIP-EA. The TCF is an agreement for how courses will transfer back to CSU – it is not course registration, and enrollment in those courses in is not guaranteed, so students should have many backup courses evaluated in advance.

Evaluating coursework from abroad can be imprecise. If an Academic Advisor or faculty member feels that the course is at a different level, or a better fit in a different prefix, these evaluations can be revisited. Departmental and student advocacy is encouraged.

After a student has submitted one TCF they can use They need to include their full name, CSUID & the course title and course description. It is best practice to loop in their major advisor and [email protected]

Students should consult with the relevant language department before departure. The Registrar will always evaluate foreign language courses as +++ meaning that the level cannot be determined until students take the actual course. Students are asked to bring all course assignments and tests back to CSU so that the relevant language instructor can determine at what level the course was, and if the student increased their language proficiency.

Yes! The majority of scholarships, grants and loans that students receive on campus can transfer to EA. The primary exceptions are COF and WUE. Students have access to additional aid through the Education Abroad Common Scholarship, nationally-competitive scholarships, and funding from their host organization/university (where applicable).

There are two Financial Aid Advisors who work specifically with Education Abroad Students – their contact information is on the EA Contact Us Website and students are able to schedule appointments via Navigate with them.

See the Financial Aid & Scholarships page for more information.

Note: OIP-EA facilitates the awarding of over $600,000 in scholarships each year!

In 2023, the estimated cost of attendance for CO residents on campus at CSU is $16,220 per semester. OIP-EA offers many semester-length programs that are comparable in cost, especially in countries with lower cost of living than Fort Collins, and/or where higher education is heavily subsidized. Students who pay out of state tuition, especially, can often find programs abroad that are lower in cost than CSU. Exchange program fees are based on CSU tuition rates; short-term programs often have an accessible price point. All said, with planning and access to financial aid, Education Abroad programs are not inherently cost prohibitive.

Approximately 25% of students are awarded funding through the Common Scholarship Application.

With support from our partners, OIP-EA funds dozens of first-time passport applicants each year through our passport scholarship.

We also have a passport acceptance facility located right on campus at Laurel Hall.

The primary responsibility is to help students, and subsequently the EA office, understand (1) what coursework remains in the student’s graduation plan and (2) once courses abroad are selected, how those courses will contribute to the student’s graduation plan.

Ideally, students will have a basic understanding of their coursework needs early in the EA advising process. This is because if students have more electives or AUCCs available in their graduation plan, as opposed to specific course requirements, they have much more flexibility in where they can study abroad, and which program model might/might not be the best fit.

After a student selects a program, Advisors are a key part of helping the student map EA coursework to their graduation plan. For programs with CSU credit this is a quick process. For programs with transfer credit, and the Transfer Evaluation Form, advisors are an integral part of the course evaluation and degree mapping process.

Finally, please point students to the start here page to access most of the information they will need on this process.

OIP-EA starts by supporting students in identifying their motivations for participating in EA and which programs will help them meet these goals. Students are advised throughout the process, including program preparation, credit awarding and financial aid, emergency response while abroad, and re-entry programming.

See Education Abroad Fee page for more information.

We welcome your thoughts on the preparedness to participate in a program abroad. Note that this is very brief form, designed in the format of a Likert survey, and does not require an extended written letter of support.

OIP-EA is dedicated to building access to education abroad. To that end, we work closely with students to help identify how to have a safe and successful experience abroad, and what resources and support our office can offer. We also help students to think proactively about the environmental, social and academic differences they may encounter while abroad, which can vary in significance from country to country and program to program. This work includes partnerships with CSU’s Cultural Resource Centers, the Health Network, and Case Management. We will work closely with any student who wants to have an education abroad experience to help them reach that goal.

Access our pre-departure guide for additional guidance.

Similar to other campuses with a large international footprint CSU has a dedicated health and safety team, led by an International Risk Manager. They are tasked with monitoring and responding to events globally. OIP-EA works with known and experienced partners on site and is part of a far-reaching field of professionals dedicated to facilitating safe and successful student experiences. We are constantly watching and responding to world events that may impact student programming. Notably, just like on campus, a significant part of student safety is the responsibility of that individual, and to this end OIP-EA actively prepares students before departure with resources, skills and tools to mitigate and respond to emergency situations abroad.

At the minimum, students must not be on Loss of Good Standing and have over a 2.0 GPA.

The specifics depend on the program model. For Sponsored programs, students need to meet required deadlines and GPA requirements. Some programs can be competitive. Affiliate programs have their own deadlines and GPA requirements, but these are usually flexible.

Generally speaking, applying to an EA program is much easier than applying to college, and students should be confident in their application. While rare, if there are GPA, timeline, or capacity concerns, they will be advised by OIP-EA accordingly.

Access our Education Abroad Advising page to see current hours and options to meet with an EA advisor.

OIP-EA offers courses over the semester, academic year, fall break, winter break, spring break and summer. There is programming available in all continents (truly! One goes to Antarctica) and most countries. CSU maintains a list of higher risk destinations that requires a petition for students to complete prior to approval for study abroad.

This depends largely on their graduation plan, so we defer to their academic advisor.

Yes, this is allowed from a policy perspective: 30 of the 42 upper division credits required for graduation must be completed “in residence” at CSU, and enrolled in SA482 constitutes “in residence.” However, students will need to be extra careful that the program will not delay their graduation plans. They may be abroad during graduation ceremonies. It takes several months for CSU to receive transcripts from abroad, and for them to be evaluated and added to a student’s academic record, which can complicate immediate post-graduation plans (especially graduate school). All this to say, intentional advising is needed.

Colorado State University partners with 17 universities around the world in reciprocal exchange. Students from these partner institutions are typically in their second or third year of study at their home institutions and are admitted to CSU for a semester/year to take undergraduate level classes. They return to their home institution to finish their degree after their studies at CSU. Incoming exchange students do not earn a degree from CSU like traditional international students do.

CSU International Programs is the first point of contact for incoming exchange students, providing support through the application, visa, and class registration processes, as well as, arrival and orientation, and ongoing programming and support throughout their time at CSU. Incoming exchange students are widely supported by a number of offices on campus including admissions, housing, CSU Health Network, all academic departments, and more.

Registering for classes is a cumbersome process for our incoming exchange students.  
 
Officially, the coordinator for incoming exchange is the academic advisor for these students, however they rely on the expertise of advisors and ASCs across campus to share the best academic information to incoming exchange students. Because exchange students are not earning a degree at CSU, their previous coursework is not integrated into the CSU system like a degree-seeking or recent transfer student. The coordinator for incoming exchange helps incoming exchange students identify who the appropriate folks are in each academic department to consider overrides into classes. Exchange students must have their home university transcript reviewed by the appropriate person(s) in each academic unit before they can enroll in many 200-400 classes or classes with any major/minor/other restrictions.  
 
We have developed and continue to enhance existing resources and worksheets to make the registration process as smooth as possible for both academic units and students, and we sincerely appreciate the collaboration of all academic units on this process.