Study Abroad For Students

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STUDY ABROAD POLICY FOR STUDENTS AT TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

TSU Education/Study Abroad Policies for Undergraduate Students

Effective – 7-21-2020

Previous Policy – Academic Affairs (AA) 1-24.0

Effective July 31, 2018

PURPOSE

International Education (IE) goals are:

Provide leadership in advocating and promoting excellence in international education

Provide an inclusive environment for all students and engage the faculty and staff through shared experiences, relationship building and intercultural development

Provide students with opportunities to become better global citizens and future international leaders by developing an enhanced worldview to solve real world problems across disciplinary and national boundaries

Expose our students, faculty, staff, and community partners to people, cultures, and viewpoints outside of their comfort zone resulting in respectful engagement of different people cultures, and viewports.

IE has continued to increase the number of students, faculty, staff and community partners participating in IE programs to learn more about themselves, become better global citizens, and continue to progress in their scholarly pursuits.  In essence the participants in the IE programs take actions to live the TSU motto of Think, Work, & Serve!  In past years the focus of our strategy of collaborative experiences with International Institutions, pursuit of learnings along the African Diaspora, assisting our faculty/staff with excellent leadership of study abroad experiences, and allowing our students to tell their/our HBCU story to their peers around the world has allowed us to grow the number of participants without any increasing funding from student fees since 2012.  

POLICIES

  GPA Requirement Policy

The minimum grade point average for participation on an TSU education abroad approved programming is:

  2.0 overall combined for summer or other short term;

  2.5 overall combined for semester/academic year;

Exceptions can be requested using the official petition form submitted through Office of International Affairs (OIA)/International Education (IE) and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.  Consideration is only for participants whose GPA is within range of achieving the minimum GPA prior to the actual departure of the program.

Please note: 

  GPA must be from a college or university

  This must be an established GPA - at least one full semester completed prior to receiving preapproval to a    study abroad program (full semester is 12 credits minimum)

  Transfer students, please see the Transfer Student policy

Dual-Enrollment Student Policy 

OIA/IE does not permit dual-enrollment students to apply for study abroad programs.  Students may study abroad as beginning the summer after their freshman year at TSU.  Dual-enrollment students are not classified as freshman and do not meet the GPA policy that states "at least one full semester [must be] completed prior to receiving preapproval to a study abroad program" as listed in the GPA Policy section of this page. 

Transfer Student Eligibility Policy

Transfer students who have not yet completed a term at TSU who wish to apply for an education abroad program must also meet the following criteria in order to participate:

  Transferred at least 12 credit hours to TSU

  Must complete one full-time semester at TSU prior to studying abroad 

  A transfer GPA of at least a 2.500 for ALL programs

  Applied to TSU and has been accepted as a degree-seeking TSU student

  Does not have a judicial affairs record from transfer institution

First Year Student Policy

First year students who have not yet completed a term at TSU who wish to apply for an education abroad program should set up a meeting with the Director IE – Mark Brinkley-mbrinkley1@tnstate.edu to discuss the limited options. It is highly recommended that students establish an TSU GPA before applying to participate on an education abroad program and many program types actually require it.  IE goals for First Year students are Cultural Competence Assessment and obtaining a US Passport.

 Incorporation of Study Abroad into Degree Plan

OIA/IE does not recommend that students prolong their academic experience to study abroad, but rather encourages them to plan early and accordingly to incorporation education abroad into their degree plan. Students pursuing a secondary degree may be given lower priority in the selection process. Students must demonstrate an academic rationale for participating in more than one official TSU Education Abroad program (in particular semester and year-long programs).  However, students are not permitted to remain a second year on the same academic-year program

Prior Residency in a Foreign Country

OIA/IE will not approve participation in education abroad at locations where students have completed secondary education or where they have lived and/or worked within eight years of matriculation at TSU. Students who wish to take courses at universities in their home countries will be asked to petition the International Educational and Exchange Committee (IEEC).  Students must present a strong academic rationale for the program and address the issue of cultural competency.  Please contact the OIA/IE for more information on the petition process.

Minors Under the Age of 18

OIA/IE does not permit students under the age of 18 or high school students to participate in semester or year-long education abroad programs.  Students under the age of 18 and high school students are also not eligible to participate on winter or summer programs run by an TSU Affiliate (3 rd party provider) (ISA, CIEE, USAC, LAC, KIIS, or CCSA).

For TSU Faculty Lead programs, students must be 18 years of age at the time of participation.  However, students may complete the application process when they are under the age of 18 with the understanding that a parent/guardian signature on application and enrollment forms may be required.  In special cases, students under the age of 18 may participate with the permission of the faculty leader/program director.  OIA/IE does not support the participation of minors and family members on TSU Faculty Lead Programs.

Education Abroad Fee Policy

All Education Abroad participants may be requested to pay a $100 Non-refundable Application Fee per program. This fee contributes to the broad range of services available to the participant before, during, and after the program including but not limited to advising, application processing, orientations, emergency support, and maintaining TSU student status while abroad. Program Fees must be paid according to the fee payment timelines established by the program director.   Once these program fees have been paid for travel and in-country logistic support these fees will only be refunded to participants only if the airlines and in-country logistical organization provide refunds back to the TSU programs.

Travel Advisory/Warning Policy

TSU does not permit travel to countries or portions of countries where the U.S. Department of State and/or CDC currently advises against travel or tourism by US Citizens.  The U.S. Department of State maintains current Travel Warnings on their website.

Transfer Credit Policy

Students participating on semester and academic year education abroad programs typically transfer back a maximum equivalence of 18 U.S. credit hours per semester to TSU.  Students participating on summer education abroad programs typically transfer a maximum equivalence of 12 U.S. credit hours for the entire summer term.  The amount of credit transferred to TSU depends on the international credit transfer conversion for each program.  Students who earn credit that calculates in excess of 18 U.S. credit hours per semester and in excess of 12 U.S. credit hours for the summer term will transfer back all credit earned abroad.  

  Non-TSU Student Policy

The majority of education abroad programs are meant for degree-seeking TSU students.  Any Non-TSU student (including TSU students who will graduate before the program departure) who wants to participate on an education abroad program (academic or non-academic) should speak to Mark Brinkley – Director IE, Holland Hall Suite 100, mbrinkley1@Tnstate.edu regarding possible options.  

If approved by the program director, non-degree seeking and/or non-TSU students must follow the same procedures and policies as degree-seeking TSU students with regards to their education abroad program (i.e. completion of required forms, participation in the pre-departure orientation, etc.) and the program director should assign specific roles and responsibilities in support and enhancement of the education abroad experience.

Non-degree seeking and/or non-TSU students do not qualify for any TSU funding, including OIA grants for TSU faculty-led programs.

Disciplinary Issues Policy

All education abroad participants must follow the same guidelines/policies provided by the TSU Judicial Affairs Office while on-campus.  Any education abroad student who is involved in a disciplinary issue abroad will also face possible sanctions after returning home, including revocation of the Education Abroad Grant or referral of the case to the University’s judicial board depending upon the severity of the charge.  The Program Director /Faculty Leader is responsible for documenting disciplinary issues.  Only written documentation of disciplinary issues will be accepted in Judicial Affairs proceedings.

Excerpt from Judicial Affairs documentation to education abroad participants:

“It means that even when you are not physically on campus we still hold you accountable for your actions.  You are an TSU student no matter where you go or what you do.  You are part of our Big Blue Family community and we expect you to act as such and represent TSU to the very best of your ability. In layman’s terms it means you can get in trouble with TSU if you do anything illegal or violate one of TSU’s policies while you are studying abroad.  Being out of the country does not mean you are no longer accountable for your actions.  Messing up abroad CAN mess up things here and possibly affect your status as a student.”

In addition to GPA criteria, an TSU Judicial Affairs check will be required for each education abroad participant.  The OIA/IE and/or Vice Provost for Academic Affairs can also deny a student’s participation based on behavior reports and removal from a previous education abroad program.

A Judicial Affairs check will be required for each education abroad participant.  OIA/IE and/or Vice Provost for Academic Affairs can also deny a student’s participation based on behavior reports/removal from a previous education abroad program.

REFERENCE

Office of International Affairs – International Education Operational Policies & Procedures, Appendix A-N.

Updated 8/2018

 Please select the following for more options:

Study Abroad Programs
Scholarship and Financial Aid
Steps to Study Abroad
 - 2018 Study Abroad Program for Students

 

 

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STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS

OIA offers TSU students education abroad program options within 20 different countries. While it is quite beneficial for students to have a wide variety of choices, it can also be somewhat overwhelming. Therefore, we highly recommend that students read these brief descriptions below before researching programs to assist with their navigation and understanding.

The minimum grade point average for participation on an TSU education abroad approved programming is:
• 2.0 overall combined for summer or other short term
• 2.5 overall combined for semester/academic year
• Exceptions can be requested from the OIA.  Consideration is only
for participants whose GPA is within range of achieving the minimum GPA prior to the actual departure of the program.

In addition to GPA criteria, a TSU Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs check will be required for each education abroad participant.  OIA can also deny a student’s participation based on behavior reports and /or removal from a previous education abroad program.

All study abroad grants are funded from the $10 International Education Fee students are assessed each academic semester.

TSU Faculty Led Programs

TSU faculty member(s) teach TSU courses which are specifically designed for the overseas location. Each program provides students with an academically enriching experience in the host country while also providing culturally relevant excursions that complement the academic experience. Programs are taught in English (with the exception of language credit programs) and are generally 3-6 credit hours. TSU Faculty Led Programs are available in the summer and are 2-4 weeks in duration, although a few options during spring and fall breaks also exist. While any student can participate in Faculty-Led programs, they work especially well for those who have not traveled abroad previously, are seeking more guidance and structure, and would prefer to travel with a group.

Consortia: TnCIS, Scholar Laureate, and Mid-Continent


TSU is affiliated with three Consortia program options. The Tennessee Consortium of International Studies (TnCIS) is the most popular program with our students. These programs are very similar to Faculty-Led programs in that the courses are taught by the U.S. Consortia member faculty (which sometimes means a TSU professor), are typically 2-4 weeks in duration throughout the summer, provide a good deal of structure and support as a group option, and provide the student with three (3) credit hours.

Other Options:

Program Providers: CIEE, GlobaLinks, ISA, LAC, and USAC


TSU is affiliated with particular third-party provider organizations to supplement the overall portfolio of education abroad options. There are hundreds of third party provider programs in existence. These programs work well for students who want the immersion of attending a foreign university, but are seeking a high level of support both here in the U.S. prior to departure and while abroad. Application procedures and deadlines vary by provider and programs range in length from a few weeks during the summer or winter to a full academic semester or year.

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SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL AID

Numerous scholarships are available to students wishing to study abroad. Additionally, students may be able to use their financial aid while studying abroad. To find out if aid can be used while studying abroad, a student may contact any counselor in the TSU Financial Aid Office.

The following list includes but is not limited to information on existing aid and will assist the students in finding other sources.

 A. TSU’s Study Abroad Grant:
This grant is available to qualified full-time and degree seeking TSU students. This grant could provide up to 50% of your program fee for TnCIS programs, up to 33% of your program fee for CIEE & EF Tour Programs or airfare support (Other).  Additional financial aid may be available so please contact the Office of Financial Aid for details and to confirm potential eligibility.   You will need a PDF file of your transcript and your passport, if you have been previously issued one.  This grant award application opens in November 2 and closes February 11th of the Spring 2021 semester.    

B. Program-specific scholarships
There are various programs offered through the Office of International Affairs (OIA), many of which have their own unique scholarships to help students with expenses abroad. The following websites provide information on possible opportunities and procedures for applying.

ISA:
http://studiesabroad.com/interested/document/scholarships
GlobaLinks (AustraLearn, AsiaLearn, EuroLearn):
http://www.globalinksabroad.org/study_abroad/scholarships/
(Click on Study Abroad, then Scholarships)
USAC:
http://usac.unr.edu/money-matters/financing/scholarships-and-discounts

 C. TSU Financial Aid
It is advisable to search out all scholarship opportunities before using federal loans, however many students take out loans as a safety net in case problems arise abroad. Students may be able to use their financial aid while studying abroad. The TSU Financial Aid Office can counsel students on availability of funding.

D. Gilman scholarship:
This scholarship is awarded to U.S. citizens that are recipients of Pell Grants. The length of study has a minimum of four weeks; students who have never been abroad before and are traveling to non-Western European nations are the most competitive. The application form and current deadlines can be found at www.iie.org/en/programs/gilman-scholarship-program.

E. Boren scholarship:
NSEP (National Security Education program) will award students up to $10,000 for undergraduate students studying in non-traditional (non-Western European) areas. This is a competitive scholarship; application can be found at http://www.borenawards.org/.

F. Fulbright, and other International competitive undergraduate opportunities:
http://www.cies.org/


G. Fund for Education Abroad (FEA):
Scholarships, of up to $5000 are intended to support students planning to participate in a high-quality, rigorous education abroad programs of 4-weeks or longer.
http://www.fundforeducationabroad.org/


H. Diversity Study Abroad Scholarships:
Diversity Abroad partners with dozens of study abroad organizations. Several of these organizations offer diversity study abroad scholarships.
http://www.diversityabroad.com/minority-study-abroad-scholarships


I. General Search Engine for Study Abroad Funding Opportunities:
This valuable funding resource allows students to search by country or subject to find study abroad funding information. It is a comprehensive database of study abroad scholarships, fellowships, and grants can help make any student’s dream of studying abroad a financial possibility and a profound reality.
http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/  or https://lendedu.com/blog/study-abroad-scholarships/

 

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STEPS TO STUDYING ABROAD

The Office of International Affairs provides leadership in advocating and promoting excellence in international education.  Through numerous collaborative partnerships, students and faculty can explore the world by participating in study abroad experiences, research projects, and cultural exchanges.

The steps a student should follow to study abroad are found below:

STEP 1:

The intention of the Global Scholar Online Courses, developed by The Center for Global Education, is to introduce students to the opportunities and challenges inherent in participating in study abroad programs. The courses provide them the opportunity for cross-cultural learning, making better sense of their experiences abroad, and further refining their skills in cross-cultural observation, adaptation, and communication.

Go to http://globalscholar.us/index.asp  to register prior to STEP 2.

 

STEP 2:
Students should register for Course 1 of the Global Scholar Online Courses prior to meeting with a Study Abroad Advisor in the Office of International Affairs (OIA). No reservations required. Appointments can also be made by emailing the Director of International Education-mbrinkley1@tnstate.edu

During this session, the student will be guided through the study abroad process including program research, course options, scholarships, budgeting, and the application procedures. An advising session will be more productive if some research has been conducted online prior to the meeting.

STEP 3:
Student should select the Country, Program, and Course for the study abroad/student exchange experience. Recommended but not limited to the following:

http://www.tncis.org              http://www.ciee.org/study                               

View Countries, Programs, and Course offerings provided by the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS) and other programs available to discover the world

STEP 4:

Student is to complete the application process for the program selected. The applications for individual programs and the OIA-Study Abroad Grant are two distinct processes. Both applications must be completed.

STEP 5:
Student is to complete and submit an application for an Office of International Affairs (OIA)-Study Abroad Grant. Additional financial aid may be available from internal and external sources. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for details and to confirm potential eligibility. Notification of student awards will be made in February.

The Office of International Affairs has an established timeline to ensure students and faculty are adequately prepared for the traditional study abroad season, which could begin as early as Spring Break and end as late Summer II.

August– December

  • ·         Work with the Academic Departments to create awareness of the study abroad/research/cultural exchange opportunities available in the Spring and Summer semesters
  • ·         Share best practices of executing study abroad experiences with Faculty and Staff. 
  • ·         Recruit student participants
  • ·         Train faculty on program changes and student deadlines 
  • ·         Gain alignment with faculty on best practices and reinforce the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad
  • ·         Students to focus on completing the program application  
  • ·         Ensure students and faculty understand deadlines for the study abroad program, grants, and financial aid.   Most applications should be completed and submitted prior to leaving for semester break.

January – March

  • ·         Communicate to students and faculty the deadlines and process to complete the pre-departure requirements for the study abroad program. 
  • ·         Ensure students and faculty understand their program payment deadlines.
  • ·         Ensure the students understand the academic course they need to enroll in prior to departure.  
  • ·         The academic departments must post the study abroad courses to allow students to register for the summer courses. 
  • ·         Summer enrollment begins after Spring break.   
  • ·         Enrollment in the study abroad course is confirmed at the pre-departure briefing. 
  • In-country itineraries and a manifest should be submitted to OIA by the faculty leader prior to the first pre-departure briefing





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