The Study Abroad Office Fees allow the Study Abroad Office to provide a full range of advising and support services to students, faculty, and staff and is necessary because Study Abroad is only partially supported by state-appropriated funds. These fees support over 40% of staff salaries and 100% of operational expenses.
The Study Abroad Office provides the following services:
- advising throughout the study abroad process, including application, preparation to go abroad, while overseas, and upon return
- developing and presenting student predeparture orientation conferences and workshops
- developing study abroad handbooks
- facilitating course approval process ensuring credit transfer upon return from study abroad
- scheduling courses and registering students in credit-bearing study abroad courses
- coordinating academic course approvals for NC State group programs
- ensuring correct transcript notation acknowledging and verifying study abroad participation
- consulting with Disability Resource Office to serve needs of students with disabilities and provide accommodations whenever possible
- collaborating with Office of Student Conduct to review student conduct records
- assisting program directors or on-site program staff with students who have disabilities or conduct records
- supporting international exchange students coming to NC State
- assistance with application process and preparation to arrive in the US
- orientation upon arrival
- course and housing registration
- advising during their time on campus
- events and activities to facilitate acclimation to NC State and immersion into campus community
- providing study abroad scholarship opportunities
- collaborating with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, allowing students to apply aid to study abroad costs
- maintaining exchange agreements and managing exchange balances
*receiving incoming students allows outgoing NC State students to study at a foreign university while paying their regular NC State tuition
- developing new programs and new program models
- administering group summer and short-term programs
- creating a program director handbook, and both standard and customized faculty forms online
- assisting with the development of, as well as reviewing and approving site safety assessments
- maintaining and distributing a detailed finance guide based on University guidelines and policies
- providing financial training
- assisting in creating program budgets that meet University guidelines
- coordinating workshops that address trends and issues pertaining to leading study abroad programs
- providing marketing support (full website, Fair, flyers, budget supplements)
- hiring program directors, arranging for payments of salary and other compensation
- securing travel authorizations and distributing travel advance funds
- processing expense reconciliations with Travel Accounting; advocating for faculty in culturally unique situations
- making program-related payments to on-site vendors
- creating on-line applications for each program type which comply with all higher education regulations (FERPA, ADA, etc.)
- assessing program enrollments and budgets, and evaluating the sustainability of programs
- Study Abroad Office staff are on-call 24 hours of the day, 365 days a year
- processing insurance for students and group program directors and staff
- providing risk management and crisis response training for program directors
- monitoring U.S. State Department advisories and world news to assess program location safety
- monitoring Center for Disease Control advisories for health-related issues impacting travelers
- managing petition process for intended travel to Restricted Travel Areas
- managing International Travel Gateway registry
- responding to student incidents, including coordinating medical care with insurance provider and on-site physicians
- supporting on-site program directors when incidents occur, providing campus-based support network
- coordinating crisis and emergency response
- collaborating with colleges and departments to
- identify the most relevant study abroad programs for particular majors
- identify the best time to study abroad
- develop course mapping/approved courses
- collaborating with Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity to identify ways to increase minority student participation in study abroad
- developing special courses to enhance learning outcomes for study abroad participants