Semester & Year Away Overview
While Colorado College's innovative Block Plan provides opportunities for students to enroll in a single course that travels to other parts of the world, sometimes a more immersive, longer-duration, multi-subject semester or year abroad is more aligned with student interests and academic goals. This is why CC, in addition to its Block Away offerings, also maintains a pre-approved pool of over 120 different half-semester, full semester, and full academic year opportunities around the world. This pool includes CC faculty-led half-semester & semester programs as well as university exchanges and direct enrollment programs which allow students to spend a semester immersed in the life of a renowned global university; single-subject immersive semesters in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Environmental Sciences, or language immersion; and multi-subject semester programs designed specifically for students at U.S. colleges and universities.
Students who opt to join a semester or year away program will pay standard CC tuition for their time away (and can transfer all their credits earned back towards their CC degree progress, with proper approvals) and all billing for other semester away charges (lodging, for example) will be billed through CC. This allows the college to provide financial aid just as it would for an on-campus semester, ensuring that a semester away is offered at a cost comparable to a semester on campus, reducing the financial barrier for students to participate in both semester and year abroad opportunities.
For any CC-led program, courses are part of the Colorado College curriculum and are enrolled directly through CC, while for partner-sponsored programs, credit is treated as transfer credit and the Global Education Office maintains a course transfer database, making it easy for students to select courses and know the CC equivalencies before they depart. Students can sign up for courses on our partner programs and know in advance that the credit is transferable and applicable to their CC degree.
The process of selecting a semester or year off-campus program is different for every student, depending on academic goals, major and minor, language ability, and other considerations. Here are things to do to help you decide which program below is a good fit:
Once you have talked with your academic advisor and have a sense of your academic goals, if you have additional questions, you may also email question and/or schedule an appointment with the Assistant Director of Global Education, Heather Powell Browne.
Colorado College regularly offers seven different semester or half-semester programs, each with its own academic focus. Several of the 4-block full semesters also allow for an option in which students enroll in half of the semester for a 2-block experience, while others may choose the full 4-block program. These include options in Fall, Spring, or the final two blocks of Spring.
BLOCKS 1-4 (Fall)
BLOCKS 5-8 (Spring)
BLOCKS 7-8 (Late Spring Half-Semester)
EXPLORE THE FULL LIST OF SEMESTER & YEAR ABROAD OPTIONS HERE
In addition to the CC Faculty-led semester programs, the Global Education team maintains a pre-approved list of 150+ partner-sponsored semester and year away programs, all preaproved to align with Colorado College's goals for a high quality liberal arts education in the global context. These come in various forms, to meet many different student goals and needs.
DIRECT ENROLL & EXCHANGE:
Students fully immerse themselves into a new campus, such as our exchanges in Canada, France, Finland, and Germany, or university programs such as our year abroad at the London School of Economics or semester programs at Kansai Gandai (Japan) or Hebrew University (Israel).
TOPIC OR THEME PROGRAMS
There are also a range of topic-specific programs tailored to focus primarily on one discipline, for example the Budapest Semester in Mathematics program, the ISDSI International Sustainability & Development Studies Institute in Thailand, or the School for International Training (SIT) whose thematic semesters each focus on a specific Critical Global Issue.
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY STUDY AWAY PROGRAMS
Finally, there are many programs designed specifically for the enrollment of students from U.S. colleges. These programs often offer courses across many disciplines, opportunities to study with a mix of U.S.-based and local faculty, and customized excursion and field opportunities. Courses may be taught at a program center, at a local partner univerity, or a hybrid of both. Examples of this final type of semester away include the programs offered by the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA), IES Abroad, College Year in Athens, DIS, or the School for Field Studies.
Whatever the model, wherever the location, these programs are thoroughly vetted by Colorado College for academic rigor and quality of student care. Courses are pre-approved via our internal Summit application system for study abroad for transfer back to Colorado College, so that students know that their coursework from studying away will move them towards their degree from CC.
As with all semester programs, students work with the Global Education staff and their campus academic advisors to ensure that they are prepared for departure, that the courses selected are good choices for their academic goals, and that the timing of their experience does not disrupt their 4-year graduation plan. We are happy to assist students with their interest in any of the semester and year away programs.
Finally, if a student feels that a program not in our pre-approved pool is the best option for them, Global Education has a petition process which allows students to request access for them to participate in a different program, and for that program to be treated just as we would one of the programs in our pool, financially, for aid, and for credit transfer.
EXPLORE THE FULL LIST OF SEMESTER & YEAR ABROAD OPTIONS HERE
We continue to regularly monitor and communicate with each of our partner programs and CC faculty on the plans to offer and support semester and year-long study abroad program options, in conjunction with U.S. State Department and CDC travel restrictions and guidance. Students may apply to study abroad, agreeing to work closely with us as current global health conditions change. It is beneficial to apply early, as we will be in close communication with all study abroad applicants as we have more information, on a program-by-program basis. Any questions about study abroad semester planning and COVID-19 contingencies or deferrals can be directed to Heather Powell Browne.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DEADLINES
_____________________________
December 1: Applications for Block 7-8 half-semester programs due.
Complete the Summit applications for Block 7-8 programs (CC in China, CC in Bishkek, CC France Blocks 7-8, and CC Italian 203-204 in Italy) by this date to receive consideration for approval.
_____________________________
December 1: Deadline to Confirm Spring Semester Away Participation
All students who have been approved for a spring semester away program (CC-led or Partner-led) must complete the Summit documents and confirmation process by December 1st.
_____________________________
March 15: Applications for all 2024 fall semesters and 2024-2025 Academic years away due.
Complete the CC Internal Application (or the application for TREE Semester, CC in Berlin, or CC in Latin America) by this date to receive consideration for approval. Late applications are not accepted.
______________________________
May 1: Deadline to Confirm Fall Semester or Academic Year Away Participation
All students who have been approved for a fall semester or full year away program (CC-led or Partner-led) must complete the Summit documents and confirmation process by May 1st.
UPCOMING SEMESTER & YEAR STUDY AWAY EVENTS
2024-2025 SEMESTER AWAY FAIR
2024-2025 SEMESTER & BLOCK AWAY FAIR
show all / hide all