How to Commit

Congratulations on your approval to participate in an education abroad program with Penn State! Once you have received this approval from Penn State, the next step is to consider either accepting that approval (commitment) or declining by the commitment deadline. You should take your time to review the legally binding commitment documents in your Penn State application portal and education abroad policies before electronically signing these documents. 

Signing the commitment documents in the education abroad application is a legally binding procedure. By signing these documents, you are financially committing to participating in your program and agree that you have read each document closely and understand the policies within them. There are financial implications if you decide to withdraw your application after commitment. Please take a moment to review the withdrawal policies on our website.

How to Commit to Your Program

When you've made your decision to commit to participating in an education abroad program, you will follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your Penn State Education Abroad application portal
  2. Carefully read and electronically sign the following three (3) commitment documents:
    • COMMIT - 1. Education Abroad Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
    • COMMIT - 2. Education Abroad MOA Appendix A: Conditions for Enrollment and Academics
    • COMMIT - 3. Education Abroad MOA Appendix B: Travel Health and Safety

You will not be considered fully committed to your program until you have read and electronically signed all three (3) documents in your application.

How to Decline Your Approval

If you have decided not to study abroad you can also decline your approval at this time with no penalty.

Deferring Approval

You may not defer your approval to a different semester.  If you are offered a place in a program for which you have applied and you can no longer participate in that particular program/semester, you will need to complete a new application for another semester. You are encouraged to decline your approval if you are no longer able to attend for the semester to which you applied.  If you choose to commit to going on the education abroad program and later want to decline, financial penalties may apply depending on the time of withdrawal.

 

Please note that the processes described on this page do not apply to students participating in embedded programs.