Options for studying abroad — during a pandemic
According to the Office of Global Engagement at Utah State University, approximately 500 students participate in study abroad programs each semester.
Although this number has gone down due to the pandemic, students and faculty are excited to start traveling again.
“We’re still hoping that travel will be possible,” said Monika Galvydis, the director of the study abroad program. “The pandemic has been unpredictable but we’re continuing to prepare students should travel be possible. We’re hoping that one day very, very soon we’ll be sending out the same number of students that we did in the past.”
The pandemic has offered an interesting challenge to the Office of Global Engagement, putting a halt to many student’s plans and making travel extremely difficult.
University Policy 536 prohibits travel into countries with a high travel risk or restricted travel, as determined by the U.S. Department of State. Level-four countries are considered high risk.
According to the state department’s website of travel advisories, many of the most popular study abroad sites are level four, including France, Germany, Spain and the U.K.
Under normal circumstances, these are locations that would normally fall under level one or two.
Galvydis said there were some countries shut down just last week, disrupting study abroad plans already in place.
“USU wants to protect our travelers, so we are very careful at looking at each program in each destination,” said Janis Boettinger, the vice provost for global engagement.
Through all of this, USU has still been able to host international students.
Approximately 450 are studying in Utah on different campuses throughout the state. Close to 50% of these students are undergraduates.
According to Shelly Ortiz, a staff member for International Student and Scholar Services, this provides a wonderful opportunity to students who are waiting to be able to travel again.“We have a lot of international student organizations that are doing activities and events on campus,” Ortiz said. “So even though students aren’t able to go abroad, we host several exchange students and actually talking to someone from that institution where they’re interested in going is a great way to prepare for when COVID is over and we are allowed to travel again.”
Bonny Lu came to USU in 2018 as an exchange student from Taiwan. Since graduating, she has returned as a degree-seeking international student to earn her masters in exercise science.
“I am usually very cautious about all new things,” Lu said. “But studying abroad has made me willing to try new things, and when I’m scared or something I know that I can do it. I don’t think I would be myself right now if I didn’t come to USU to study, even if it was only for one semester. It really transformed in a whole different way.”
USU also hosts virtual study abroad programs, where students can earn credits from institutions across the world from home.
This is an option for those who are not able to afford traditional study abroad programs. However, studying abroad might be more affordable than one might assume.
There are several common misconceptions about study abroad programs that might discourage people from going, including the cost. However, most financial aid can be used to pay for study abroad programs.
For many of the offered programs, students pay normal tuition plus travel and housing fees.
There are three different types of programs offered to USU students — faculty-led, direct programs and exchange programs.
Faculty-led programs are often shorter, lasting anywhere from 10 days to six weeks. Direct programs are facilitated through a USU affiliated third party, and tuition is not based on USU costs. These programs often last about a semester.
There are also exchange programs. Students pay USU tuition and fees and exchange places with a student from a foreign university. Students can choose to study abroad for a semester or a year.
For more information, learn more at USU’s Office of Global Engagement website.
-Maggie.Erekson@usu.edu