Preparing for a Semester or Year Abroad
A Checklist
- Plan ahead! Consult with advisers in your residential college and relevant academic departments to create an academic plan that will prepare you for spending a semester or year abroad. Read the Guide to Study Abroad (.pdf) (available in hard copy in the Office of International Programs).
- Review the advice offered by departments and advice offered by certificate programs about how to fit study abroad into your academic plan.
- Attend study abroad information meetings, the Study Abroad Fair, and presentations by program representatives visiting campus. (Consult the Office of International Programs' Calendar for dates, times, and locations.)
- Review the websites of Approved Study Abroad Programs as well as materials in the Office of International Programs. Read evaluations from students who have studied abroad in the past (available in the Office of International Programs) and contact study abroad peer advisers.
- Once you have narrowed your options, make a study abroad advising appointment by calling 8-5524.
- Request application materials for the programs in which you have a strong interest. Applications for all Princeton Programs and most other popular programs are available in the Office of International Programs or on program websites.
- If you are an upperclass student, review program choices with their departmental representative to determine which courses can be counted toward departmental requirements and to make arrangements for the completion of independent work while abroad.
- Submit application materials to the programs and/or foreign universities by their stated deadline at the latest. Since admission is usually on a rolling basis, the earlier you submit your application, the better.
- Complete the three-part Princeton Study Abroad Approval Process and submit all parts with the proper signatures to the Office of International Programs. The approval deadline for studying abroad for the fall term and full academic year is May 1; for the spring term, the deadline is November 1.
- If you are on financial aid, read the Study Abroad Financial Aid Information Sheet and submit the Study Abroad Financial Aid Form and Budget Form to the Office of International Programs. The Information Sheet, Financial Aid Form, and Budget Form are available in "Other Forms" on the Financial Aid for Current Students website.
- Attend the mandatory predeparture meetings convened by the Office of International Programs.
