FAQ’s

All students with a GPA of 2.5 or higher are eligible to apply for a semester study abroad program. In addition, students must be in good academic and student conduct standing. First Year students may study abroad after completing their first year at NC State, and Transfer students can study abroad after completing their first semester at NC State. Some competitive programs may have additional eligibility requirements including a higher GPA requirement. To read more, visit the Study Abroad Office’s Eligibility page.

Language requirements vary by institution; there are numerous host universities that teach the majority of their courses in English and therefore, do not have a language requirement.

All students MUST have a valid passport to participate in a study abroad program. The passport should be valid 6 months beyond the end of the program. For example, if a program ends on June 23, 2019, your passport should be valid until at least December 2019. If you do not have a valid passport, we HIGHLY encourage you to begin the process of getting one early, as it normally takes a minimum of two months to receive it. You can obtain a passport right here on NC State’s campus. Please visit go.ncsu.edu/passport-services for more information. Visa requirements vary based on location. To read more, visit the Study Abroad Office’s Visa and Immigration Requirements page.

Academic calendars vary by host university and do not follow the same schedule as NC State. The approximate semester start and end dates can be found on the individual information page for the university.

Students must take at least the host university’s equivalent of 12 NC State credit hours. You can read more about how credits transfer to NC State by visiting the Credit Abroad page on the Study Abroad Office’s website.

Students will fill out a course pre-approval form before leaving for their study abroad experience. This course pre-approval form will list several classes that students are able to take abroad and will also indicate how these courses will transfer back to NC State. Every program offers a different selection of courses for students to take, ranging from major requirements to major electives and GEP’s. Students should review their degree audit to determine the courses they plan to take abroad.

All classes abroad must be taken for a grade, and students must earn a C- or higher for the course to transfer back to NC State. However, no courses taken abroad will affect your GPA. Note: Courses taken in Prague or as part of NC State faculty-led program are NC State Courses will affect your GPA.

Students will determine what program is best for them based on their priorities. Some things to consider are the type of classes offered in the program, the country, language, culture, climate, housing, etc.

Students are able to travel on their own during the program when they do not have classes scheduled. Friends and family are also able to visit you while abroad. All students planning to travel before, during or after the program must submit their travel itinerary to the Study Abroad Office through the PackAbroad Application.

Yes! Studying abroad can have a positive impact on students’ job searches, as companies often look for applicants with global awareness and the skills you develop when studying abroad are very marketable. Although studying abroad develops many transferable skills, it is important to consider the application and recruitment cycles for internships and jobs and how being gone for study abroad might affect the timing.

Eligible students can apply their financial aid towards the cost of any study abroad program if the courses fulfill degree requirements and the student is taking a full course load. To learn more about how financial aid can be used for studying abroad, please visit the Financial Aid page of the Study Abroad Office’s website. In addition, specific questions about how financial aid can be used should be directed to Michelle Thomspson (mthomps4@ncsu.edu) in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

Scholarships are available for study abroad program participants. Students must complete a separate application to be considered for NC State scholarships, including scholarships offered by the Wilson College of Textiles. To learn more about the scholarship process, visit the Study Abroad Office’s Scholarship Information page.

• Application Deadlines:
• Academic Year – February 1
• Fall Semester – February 1
• Summer Semester – February 15
• Spring Semester – September 15 We recommend that students start their application at least one month before the deadline. The first step to studying abroad is to complete the Study Abroad 101 requirement . You can learn more about Study Abroad 101 at go.ncsu.edu/studyabroad101.

To read about this topic, visit the Study Abroad Office’s Withdrawal and Refund Policies page.

• The process for courses to appear on your Degree Auduit may take up to four months from the end of the program.
• The Study Abroad Office will let you know when transcripts have arrived and will forward the transcript to Wilson College. Courses may initially appear as Non-Degree in your Degree Audit and it may take up to 3 weeks for courses to be moved to the appropriate place.
• If you took a course that was not listed on your Course Pre-Approval Form, you will need to submit a syllabus or equivalent to the appropriate college coordinator, along with any relevant e-mail correspondence regarding the equivalency that may have occurred since the course pre-approval form was originally completed. It is not guaranteed that any courses not listed on pre-approval will be approved for credit upon return.

Please visit our How to Apply page for detailed information on the steps of applying!