Resources for Advisors

Hi advisors! We're so glad you're here and supporting your students in their education abroad goals. We've tried to include all the resources that might be helpful in starting the students on their way before they come to us, but please always feel free to reach out to us ([email protected]) with questions. We're here to help every step of the way!

General Tips

Students in any major or minor can study abroad. However, students with more sequential academics may find that a short-term program works best. You can learn more about program types on our Program Details page. 

Courses taken abroad will be considered resident credit and will be posted to a student’s UMD record. Grades earned abroad will impact their UMD GPA.

Students can participate in study, internship, or community engagement programs and receive academic credit.

Encourage students to attend Study Abroad 101. This is a required first step for all students.

Recommend that your advisees start planning early. We encourage students to start planning at least a year before they will go abroad.

Help identify the best term(s) for an advisee to go abroad based on their academic requirements and/or goals.

If you have questions about anything, contact us at [email protected]. 

Academics Basics 

  • While students can take a multitude of courses towards their degree abroad, liberal education courses can be the easiest option to take abroad. For almost all programs, students will satisfy the Global Perspectives lib ed.
  • Highlight any courses students could (or should not) take while abroad.
  • In addition to graduation requirements, students can take study abroad courses that could be helpful for research, graduate school, career opportunities, and personal growth.
  • It is highly recommended that students take a course about the host country/culture while abroad; often these courses can count as a lib ed too!

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Coursework

Regardless of location, most programs offer coursework in English, unless the focus is on language and culture. Students should follow the course evaluation process outlined in the Education Abroad Course Evaluation Guide. Students can choose to focus on requirements for their major or minor, liberal education requirements, or general credits (which count towards the minimum 120 credits needed to graduate from UMD). Courses taken from approved study abroad programs will:

  • be recorded as resident credit at UMD, and
  • be used to calculate a student’s cumulative UMD GPA

Posting study abroad grades typically takes ~2-4 months longer than a traditional term at UMD. 

If permitted by the UMD department, students may study abroad their final semester, but 

  • it may delay their official graduation significantly (due to transcript delays)
  • it may impact grad school applications, if applicable
  • if certain coursework is required during that term, it cannot be guaranteed

Learn more about education abroad academics on our website!

Course Evaluation

Course evaluation is not needed for Instructor-led programs, as students enroll in a UMD course directly. For other programs:

  1. Before a student applies to a program, they should complete the course evaluation process. Upon receiving course review results, students should complete the Education Abroad Academic Planning Form with the assistance of their professional or academic advisor. Students should select first choice classes and backups.
  2. To complete this form, students should refer to the program’s course offering list (for the term they will be abroad) and the Study Abroad Course Database to see if the course has already been reviewed. If not, the student will need to get the course reviewed. If a student does not get a course reviewed, it will count as general credit.
  3. Once a student identifies if their selected program has enough courses that will work for them, they can apply to the program. Application instructions are posted on the specific UMD program page. Students will work with UMD Education Abroad and the foreign university/education abroad provider (if applicable) to prepare for their education abroad experience.
  4. Education Abroad will inform students how to register for their education abroad program (closer to the term they will go abroad)

UMD department heads or designated faculty reviewers will review education abroad classes to count one of the following ways:

  • Direct equivalent - course is substantially similar to an existing UMD course. (e.g. PSY10050 Intro to Psychology Abroad = PSY 1003 General Psychology)
  • Major or minor requirement - (lower/upper-division electives or requirements for major or minor; e.g. MKTG 3xxx)
  • General elective - the course is not substantially similar to any UMD existing courses.(e.g. FORS 1xxx)

Existing course reviews are recorded in the Study Abroad Course Database. Not every course taught abroad has been reviewed. Students should ensure that any courses they hope to take are offered during the particular term they’ll be abroad. 

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial Aid is applicable when studying abroad and most aid can be applied towards an education abroad program. Students simply need to complete their FAFSA applications as normal to be eligible. 

Additionally, scholarships are available to students. Students should check out scholarships early in the process to ensure they meet application deadlines. 

Students will be billed a program fee in lieu of UMD tuition following standard UMD dates and deadlines for their term(s) abroad. They will be directly billed for the program fee and UMD international insurance. 

Students can compare the cost of education abroad programs to UMD’s cost of attendance for an academic year by viewing the Education Abroad Program Cost Estimates. 

Additional Resources

There are a variety of resources to help students (and you) identify which education abroad programs could be a good fit: