Application Process

Education abroad applications are opened well in advance of the deadlines and exceptions will not be made for missing them. Should a program meet its capacity before the final deadline, the application for that program will close and no further applications will be accepted. Students with questions about our application timeline or deadlines for specific programs should contact their Education Abroad adviser.

Application Deadlines, Notifications, and Commitments

Term	Application Deadline	Students Notified of Decision	Commitment Deadline
Summer (Internship & Other Exceptions)	January 20*	January 29	February 24*
Summer (Regular Deadline)	February 1*	February 11	February 24
Fall and Academic Year	March 1**	March 11	March 24
Spring (Priority Deadline 1)	May 1***	June 1	October 1
Spring (Priority Deadline 2)	July 15****	July 27	October 1
Spring (Final Deadline)	September 10	September 21	October 1

Applications for summer, fall, and academic year programs typically open in early October. Applications for spring programs typically open in late January.

Summer Deadline Exceptions

*The following summer faculty-led programs have a January 20 application deadline and commitment deadline on February 5:

• Rome, Italy: Architectural Engineering, Dept AE (Summer)
• Como, Italy: Cross-cultural Engagement and Technical Presentation for Engineers (Maymester)
• Dept ENGR: Pforzheim Engineers Made in Germany (Summer)

*The following summer term internship programs have a February 1 application deadline (i.e. they are not due at the January 20 internship program deadline):

• CzechMates: Brno (Summer)
• CELA: Belize (Summer)
• Arcadia STEM Summer Research

*All summer virtual internship programs have a March 1 application deadline. Students applying to a virtual summer internship program who would like to be considered for scholarships must apply by the February 1 deadline.

Fall and Academic Year Deadline Exceptions

**The following programs have an early application deadline of January 20 for the fall and academic year terms due to early partner application deadlines:

• Dept ENGR & EMS: Sendai, Tohoku University
• IES: Nagoya, Nanzan University
• IES: Oxford, St. Catherine's College
  • The January 20 deadline for the IES Oxford program is for the fall, academic year, and spring terms
• Kuala Lumpur: Monash University Malaysia
• Mito: Ibaraki University

Spring Term Deadline Exceptions

Students applying for spring term programs are highly encouraged to apply for one of the priority deadline dates to ensure their best chance of acceptance into their first-choice program.

***Students interested in applying for spring term programs that are competitive in nature should submit their applications by the May 1 deadline. If you are unsure whether or not your program is considered competitive, please consult with the appropriate education abroad adviser.

****Students interested in applying for the following spring term programs should submit their applications by the July 15 deadline due to early partner application deadlines:

• Hong Kong: Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Exchange)
• IES: Amsterdam
• IES: London, University College London
• IES: Nagoya, Nanzan University

Application procedures can vary by program. Students should consult the application instructions available within each application.

1. Select the program to which you will apply, and click the "Apply Now" button available on the program brochure page.
2. Log in using your Penn State access ID and password (WebAccess).
3. Select the desired term or semester.
4. Complete the list of requirements.
   • To complete each requirement of the application, click "Done" and the next item will automatically open.
   • Once you have completed at least one item, a progress circle will appear near the top of the page, tracking your progress towards completion.
5. Request the academic recommendations as listed within your application (most programs require one; some require two). Read more information about recommendations.
6. Students applying to direct enrollment, exchange, or third-party provider programs will be asked to complete another application in addition to the Penn State application. Please follow the instructions listed in the Penn State application in regards to this.
7. Apply for relevant Education Abroad scholarships available within your program application. Be sure to carefully read the eligibility requirements for each scholarship.
8. After all application requirements are complete, and your progress circle has been fully closed, a "Submit" button will appear at the top of the page. You must click the "Submit" button to finalize the submission of your whole application.

Most Penn State Education Abroad programs require an electronic recommendation, which you will request electronically through your Penn State Education Abroad application. Recommendations are an important part of the selection process because a recommendation reflects how a member of the academic community perceives your preparedness to study abroad. It is not necessary to request a formal letter. We will not accept hard-copy recommendations.

Recommendation Guidelines

• Recommendations must be from a Penn State faculty member, instructor, teaching assistant or academic adviser.  If it is a faculty member, instructor or TA completing the recommendation for you, that person must have taught you in a Penn State course.
• If you are applying to a faculty-led program, you should not request the recommendation from and Penn State faculty member, staff member, or teaching assistant who will be leading the program.
• Your recommender should know your academic capabilities and your interest in studying abroad.
• Recommendations cannot be copied across semesters or reused for another application.

Recommendation Instructions

Application procedures can vary by program.  Students should consult the application instructions available within each application.

• Meet with your recommender to discuss your study abroad plans and to confirm that they will be able to complete your electronic recommendation.
• Plan ahead! Allow up to four weeks for a recommender to complete the online form.
• Within your application, select the “Request Electronic Recommendation” link.
• Enter your recommender's PSU ID (i.e. abc123) and click "search."
• Select the correct recommender and click “next.”
• List coursework taken with your recommender, if applicable. If you selected an academic adviser, please indicate that in the text field provided.
• Once you click “save,” your recommendation request will be sent.
• Before the application deadline, verify that the recommendation was received by Education Abroad. If it has not been received, send a brief, polite reminder email to your recommender. If you do not receive a response, contact your education abroad adviser.
• Once the recommendation is complete, send a thank you note to the professor, instructor, or academic adviser who completed the recommendation. Also, if you are ultimately accepted to the program, don’t forget to share the good news!
   

A student's approval for a particular program depends on a variety of factors. Since each program has its own set of academic and admission standards, students should investigate the requirements of their desired programs before applying.

Keep in Mind

• Students may not be able to study abroad while on probation through the Office of Student Conduct
• Applications cannot be deferred. Students must withdraw and reapply to a later semester
• Applications are evaluated on an individual basis. Education Abroad will not guarantee requests to study abroad with friends
• Even if Penn State Education Abroad approves a student's application, this does not guarantee that they will be accepted by the host institution or program 

Program Pre-Requisites

• Minimum GPA
  • Varies by program; generally, 2.5-3.0 minimum cumulative GPA which should be achieved at the time of application
• Minimum Class Standing
  • Based on credits earned
  • Varies by program; generally, Education Abroad requires a minimum of 29 credits of college-level coursework to be completed (or rising sophomore status) prior to the study abroad program start; some programs may have a higher class standing requirement
• Minimum Age Requirement 
  • Students must be 18 years of age by the start of their program arrival date
• Language Requirement
  • Some programs require a certain level of language study
• Department-Specific Programs
  • Some programs are only open to students from specific departments

Other Considerations

• Program Capacity
  • Varies by program
  • Exchange programs have a limited number of spots and are very competitive
• Electronic Recommendations
  • It is important to select a recommender who is familiar with you and knows you plan to study abroad
  • Don’t forget to give your recommender plenty of notice to complete your recommendation – at least 4 weeks
• EA Application Questionnaire
  • Your answers need not be long but should be thoughtful
  • Make sure you convey your desire to study abroad on the program you have specifically chosen