“It was one of the best times of my life and it helped me learn so much about myself and the world around me.” 

That was the takeaway of CSU student Nancy Tushar who spent fall 2022 in Korea, studying abroad in a Cleveland State University affiliate program. Why not you?

Options for studying abroad at CSU

Cleveland State’s Center for International Services and Programs (CISP), administers study abroad, managing several different “education away” programs in which students accumulate college credit while traveling the world. Three types of study abroad programs are offered through the university. 

The first option is faculty-led programs abroad (FLPA) which range anywhere from eight days to four weeks. CSU sponsors around eight to 10 of these programs each year. A few of the countries that students have traveled to with FLPA are China, Costa Rica, England, France and Spain. 

This summer, CSU is offering an FLPA to Spain in which students have the chance to study at the Universidade da Coruña for about a month. Unfortunately, applications for this program have already closed.

The second type of education away program is reciprocal exchange, which occurs during the fall and spring semesters. When enrolled in this program, students pay CSU tuition but enroll with a CSU foreign university partner. 

The foreign universities that CSU partners with are the University of Tucuman in Argentina, Altinbas University in Turkey, ESC Clermont-Ferrand in France and Chung Ang University in South Korea.

The third type of study abroad program offered by Cleveland State are affiliate programs. These programs allow students to transfer to a foreign university and CSU will accept the credits earned as transfer credits. 

The CISP staff works one-on-one with students interested in affiliate programs to find the best fit for each individual’s financial and academic needs. Many countries have options available for students to transfer to in an affiliate program, including Greece, Iceland and Japan. 

Prior to studying abroad, there are necessary steps that must be completed long before leaving the country.

“Research, read, and reflect.” CISP’s website says. “Education Away is a big decision. Any student considering this should start researching their options at least 6 months in advance.”

Regardless of the type of program, there are guidelines that must be met to be eligible to participate in an education away program and students must be approved prior to applying for admission to their desired program. 

The general guidelines require students to be in good academic and conduct standing at CSU, have completed at least one semester at CSU if they are a transfer student or two semesters if they are a first-year student, be in good standing with the Bursar’s Office and they must be enrolled full-time at CSU in the semester prior to and during the trip.

What's next if you want to study abroad?

Tushar said that her study abroad adviser set her up with a University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) to act as “a mediator” between her home university and her host university.

Tushar credited the USAC for making the requirement process a lot smoother.

“The process was very detailed especially due to covid requirements and restrictions still in place in Korea at the time,” Tushar said. “However, the USAC program made the process much smoother by setting deadlines and informing me of all the little details in a way that made the process less overwhelming.”

Depending on the program, additional guidelines and requirements may need to be met in order to apply. Additional information on the general and program specific guidelines can be found on the CISP website.

If you are looking to study abroad, there are many great reasons to do so. CISP mentions a few of these reasons, including the opportunity to receive real-word engaged learning, master a new language, gain global perspective, and make lifelong connections with new friends. 

It is also valuable to discuss this big step with your inner circle and gain their perspective on studying abroad.

“We advise talking first to your friends, family, and professors to get their advice and to gain their support,” CISP’s website says. 

Tushar said the process can seem daunting at first, but that it is very worthwhile in the long run.

“I would say to just go for it,” Tushar said. “It's not easy and the process may seem long, but it will be very rewarding, perhaps even life-changing. Something that I wish I had done sooner was study the language more beforehand. It would have made life a little easier, however, sometimes we just need to be thrown in.”
More information and all of the requirements to study abroad can be found on CSU’s Center for International Services and Programs’ education away page.