Predeparture Planning

Congratulations on deciding to spend a block, a partial semester, a full semester or a full year studying off-campus! We think you'll find it to be a stimulating, challenging, and rewarding experience. We hope that your sojourn away from our beautiful Colorado campus becomes one of many to all corners of the world, and that you choose to continue your study of other cultures and languages when you return to Colorado College.

The process of preparing for a time off-campus goes beyond just packing. There are logistical things to be taken care of on campus, as well as preparation for cultural and language learning.

CC Global Education has created a thorough and complete Canvas course providing all the resources you need in one place, to answer almost every question we have heard from students getting ready to study away. This self-guided, non-password-protected course can be accessed here: Canvas Predeparture Orientation Course.

We strongly encourage every student to work through the sections of this orientation, as you prepare for departure, in addition to any program-specific materials your faculty or study abroad program provides to you, specific to your location. We welcome any feedback if there is something you were curious to learn on the Canvas orientation but didn't see listed, and we will be happy to add to it if there is something we missed!

It is important that you know what visa requirements will apply to you so that you can prepare for this well in advance. Many consulates, for instance, now require that students appear in person to apply for their visa. Some students even take these visa requirements into consideration when choosing the country where they want to go when spending a summer, semester, or year abroad.


If you need a student visa, applying for it can be an involved process that requires your careful attention. You should begin to do research about the student visa requirements for the country or countries you will be visiting and living in even before you know you have been accepted to your program. Gathering the required documentation for your student visa can take as much or more time than your study abroad application itself. 


Passports Are the First Step in International Travel and Applying for Entry!

In order to apply for entry into another country, you must have a passport in your possession which is valid for 3, 6, or even 12 months beyond your return date. The standard requirement CC proposes for its faculty-led programs is a 6-month cushion between the end of the program and the expiration of the passport, but you should always verify this for the specific country's passport you will be traveling on and the country where you will be going.

If you do not currently have a passport with adequate validity, you should apply for a new passport immediately.  It can take several months to obtain a new or renewed passport, so an early start on this process is essential. 


Applying for an Entry Visa is an Independent Process

While most travelers on individual CC Block Away programs can enter the destination countries without an entry visa, using their passport alone for up to 90 days, this is not always true for international students studying at CC, and is often not adequate for longer programs.  It is important that you do thorough, early research to determine if a visa is required in your specific case.


If you will be studying abroad through a program provider (such as IES, Syracuse, etc), typically they (or the host institution abroad) will provide you with the documentation and information you need in order to obtain your student visa, in most cases. It is important that you carefully and thoroughly read all information available to you about this process, deadlines, and what is expected of you. If your program offers a group visa processing service, we highly suggest that you utilize this.


The Center for Global Education at Colorado College is not responsible for obtaining student visas nor can we be responsible for visa complications, delays, or visa denials. Unfortunately, Colorado College does not have the ability to change visa requirements, nor does it help if we call consulates or embassies on your behalf. Though we're happy to help you in whatever way we can, the decision to issue you a visa rests solely with the consulate or embassy.


ENTRY REQUIREMENTS CAN CHANGE AT ANY TIME. We advise that you pay close attention to consular updates, as you are responsible for knowing and addressing the requirements for your host country and study abroad program. All students must obtain an appropriate visa if required of their host country, in order to participate in their program. Failure to obtain a visa will result in you not attending the program. 


STUDENTS PLANNING ON MULTIPLE STUDY AWAY PROGRAMS WITHIN A GIVEN ACADEMIC OR CALENDAR YEAR

Students who are enrolling in multiple programs, whether individual blocks or longer programs, within the same calendar or academic year should meet with Global Education BEFORE CONFIRMATION OF ENROLLMENT to ensure that additional visas are not required.  Even in countries which allow entry without a visa, the entry period is often limited to a 90-day visit within any 6-month span.  When enrolling in multiple programs, the duration of stay may exceed 90 days, which creates a visa concern.  Since most CC-led study away programming is not eligible for longer stay student visas as they are not located at local universities, it may not be possible for a student to complete multiple CC-led programs within the same year due to the limited duration of the tourist visa (entry with passport).  


INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS & ENTRY VISAS

International (non-U.S.-citizen) students at Colorado College may have additional costs and requirements related to studying abroad which are not common for U.S. citizens. 

  • You may be required to obtain a visa to enter the program’s host country when U.S. citizens do not. Visas commonly require paying a fee.
  • You may need to schedule visa appointments through consular offices outside of Colorado and travel independently to these appointments.
  • If your program is a CC faculty-led program, you will likely need a letter from Colorado College to support your visa application. Please allow at least two weeks for these letters to be issued before your visa appointment; waiting until the last minute to request these may mean that we do not have time to issue them to you.
  • You may need to apply well in advance to obtain a visa appointment.  Do not wait until the final weeks before departure to begin this process. We recommend beginning the visa process as soon as is allowed (for example, Schengen visa applications can now be initiated 180 days/6 months before program departure, rather than the previous 90 days).

CC Financial Aid does not cover these costs connected to applying for visas for any CC block abroad programs. If you believe you will need financial support in order to obtain the necessary visa for a program to which you have been accepted, please contact CC Global Education.  Funds are available (on a limited basis) from Global Education.

In the event a student utilized CC funds in order to obtain their visa for study abroad only to later withdraw from the program, that student may be billed for the visa expenses as these are only supported by CC when the visa leads to participation in study abroad.  It is important that students understand the financial implications of a late withdrawal from a study abroad program.  


Please be aware that the visa application process for some countries may require students to surrender their passport for several weeks or months prior to the start of the study abroad program. These consular requirements may impact students' independent travel plans. Visa requirements should be investigated and considered by all applicants prior to planning independent travel (including travel over breaks or arriving early to your program site). All students are required to be in possession of the proper visa documentation in order to participate in our program.


Country-specific visa instructions and resources are available, and students should investigate requirements well in advance. You can find your host country's embassy webpage through the U.S. Department of State's webpage. You should ALWAYS refer to the visa instructions on your host country's embassy webpage, as information and deadlines can change with no advance notice.

Students participating in a CC Semester (4 blocks, led by CC) or a CC Half-Semester (2 blocks, led by CC) program abroad will have their round-trip airfare covered by the program, and specific information on how to book through our partnership with StudentUniverse will be sent directly to you by email when that booking process opens up for your group.

Student participating in a single CC Block Away during the academic year or a CC Summer program away are responsible to purchase their airfare on their own. Students participating in most semester partner programs (through another university or third-party organization) will also purchase airfare on their own in almost all cases; check with your specific program for any details on this or exceptions.

In all cases, all students are strongly encouraged to book travel insurance on your flights, to protect you from any unexpected cancellations or need to withdraw from the program, to preserve some or all of the value of your ticket from loss.

AIRFARE BOOKING BY DEPOSIT DOWN 

If you are taking part in a program where airfare is your independent responsibility to purchase, and you receive need-based financial aid, we understand that it is often best to purchase airfare for your study abroad program earlier than the funds from your anticipated financial aid are available.  If you are unable to purchase airfare without the support of the financial aid awarded, we believe we have a solution for you.   

CC has an arrangement with StudentUniverse, a travel organization focusing on student travel which CC uses for our group bookings. In many cases, Student Universe can offer a booking that requires only a small deposit up front and then payment close to the date of departure, after the aid has been disbursed.  This is not possible with all airlines, but with many of the larger carriers there are seats that can be purchased using the deposit system.  

If you wish to use the StudentUniverse deposit program, please submit your travel request via the Colorado College Airfare Deposit Program form, and let them know you are interested in the option to purchase airfare with only a small deposit up front, if possible, for flights to your program destination.  The remaining amount of your ticket may be payable after your financial aid disburses, closer to program departure.

European Union flag

The European Union has instituted a new a travel authorization required of anyone from one of the global nations which do not require a visa to enter EU nations. It is essentially a "no visa needed travel authorization", called ETIAS for short. ETIAS travel authorisation is an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals traveling to any of these 30 European countries. It is linked to a traveller’s passport. It is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. If you get a new passport, you need to get a new ETIAS travel authorization.

With a valid ETIAS travel authorisation, travelers can enter the territory of these European countries as often as you want for short-term stays - normally for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. However, it does not guarantee entry. When you arrive, a border guard will ask to see your passport and other documents and verify that you meet the entry conditions.
The ETIAS will be required for all short-term (90 days or less) travel to Europe for those traveling with passports from countries that do not require a visa for entry.  That list includes:
  • United States of America
  • Canada
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Peru
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • and many more.  
To see if your passport requires an ETIAS authorization, visit the ETIAS website here.
If the country whose passport you use is not on this list, that means that you are required to obtain an entry visa, a process which may require significantly longer to process and may necessitate a trip to your destination country's embassy or consulate in another city in the USA.
Those who require a visa to enter EU nations will not need to purchase the ETIAS authorization, but will be expected to seek out and acquire the appropriate entry visa (often the Schengen Visa) in order to enter the EU. 

The ETIAS will have a €7 fee (as of 2024) and will be completed online.
It will require information about your travel which you can obtain from the faculty leading your program, as well as some passport information and you will have to answer some questions about past travel or felony violations of the law.  
Once you have an ETIAS authorization for your passport, it is valid for 3 years or until your passport expires (whichever comes first). If you obtain a new passport before you travel, you will need to purchase a new ETIAS authorization. 
Traveling and experiencing new places can be an exhilarating and transformative experience, but it can also be stressful, both to your body and your mind. Travel rarely goes exactly as planned, and with so many new experiences, climates, foods, and living conditions, it is possible to throw your body and your mind off its usual rhythms. The following are recommendations for you to consider before you travel to help you best plan for the inherent stresses that travel places on you. 

MEDICATIONS
If you regularly take any medications, prescription or otherwise, it is advisable to plan well for your travels by considering the following options to maximize consistent care. 
  • Be sure to travel with enough of your required medications for the full duration of your program.
  • Always pack your medications in carry-on luggage to avoid potential loss.
  • Always pack medications in the original bottles and never mixed together.
  • Bring along a copy of any prescriptions with the full chemical name of the medication, not the brand name, as those can change region to region.
  • Never alter, reduce, or go off of prescription medications that you normally take while traveling.  

MENTAL SELF CARE

Before you travel, take some time to consider the coping mechanisms that you most often and most successfully use to help you deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative feelings.  Travel can be quite stressful and you want to ensure that you have strategies in place to help you cope with difficult times.  It is especially important that you consider what strategies will be available to you while you are away from home and to "pack" those strategies with you. 


DISCUSS BEFORE YOU GO

If you regularly work with medical or mental health care professionals at home, be sure to speak with them before you travel to discuss strategies and recommendations to maximize your wellbeing while you are in a new, often challenging, environment.  This may include discussion of current treatments and medications, recommendations based on the location, inoculations which might be recommended, and any strategies to help you better cope with the insecurities and stressors of travel. 

Colorado College Staff and Faculty will never require any inoculations or preventative medications (ex. anti-malarials) unless proof of inoculation is required for entry to the program's destination country.  All decisions about which, if any, preventative treatments a student should acquire are decisions between the students and their physicians.  

We do, however, recommend that you visit the Centers for Disease Control travel health advisory pages for all countries you will be visiting and discuss the information found there with your physician to develop a plan for illness prevention that works for you. 

 

Students traveling on CC Blocks, Half-Semesters, or Full-Semester programs often opt to extend their travel during breaks prior to or following the official CC program.  When students opt to do this, they should be aware of the following understandings:

Colorado College is not responsible for travel assistance for students who are traveling independently outside of the dates of a CC Group program.  All arrangements for travel, lodging, meals, and wellbeing are the responsibility of the student.  Students participating in a partner-led program should also confirm with the provider any policies related to independent travel that they may hold as part of the agreement with the student. 

The travel and health insurance included with all CC-led study away programs provides coverage for the duration of the program as well as 24 hours on either side of the official program dates. Students traveling outside of these dates are encouraged to purchase their own short-term travel and international health insurance. 

While CC's coverage through International SOS is limited to the program dates of each study away program, students can always access the informational resources of International SOS, even while traveling on their own. 

 

The following are trusted travel information resources which you might wish to consult before embarking on a study away program, either through Colorado College or one of our approved partner organizations:

VISAS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

TRAVEL HEALTH

TRAVEL SAFETY

  • International SOS: The organization CC uses for travel advisories and support.  Requires log-in with CC Membership ID (11BSGC000027).
  • Worldpackers: 15 Travel Safety Tips Everyone Should Know. 
  • Penn State U.:  They have put together a very nice, concise package of advice for student travelers

TRAVELING WITH CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

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Report an issue - Last updated: 06/03/2024