A Summer Block Away is just what you might expect, a single course, taught by CC faculty, that takes place pretty much anywhere beyond the CC campus and El Paso County.  Colorado College typically offers between 8-14 different destinations each year, ranging from cosmopolitan cities like Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Tokyo, to the rural Himalayas, the Ecuadorian rainforest, or the plains of Castile.  

All coursework is CC coursework, built into our curriculum and requiring no outside transcripts or transfer of credit.  The courses travel, live, and learn with CC faculty and staff, offered with our major and general education program, often offering collegewide graduation requirement options.  

CC Summer Blocks Away are a chance to expand your studies, build towards a minor or major, blend disciplinary knowledge with experiential learning, and dip your toes into the welcoming waters of study abroad, maybe a stepping stone to a semester away someday, maybe just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore.  

The Primary Application Window is the same each year, with applications opening on December 1st and closing on January 15th. 

Global Education always recommends that students apply as early in the application window as possible.  While Aid Awards are not determined until after the January deadline, many programs use rolling admissions and can potentially close before the January 15 deadline.  It is always best to speak with the faculty leader(s) about your interest, and to apply as early in the window as you are able to give yourself the best opportunity to join a given program. While it is possible in some cases to apply after the January 15 deadline, there is a far greater risk of missing out on a program or on aid towards the summer block if you delay your application until after the deadline has passed.  

Once you have a program selected, apply on the Summit online platform (Global Education portal) by January 15 (preferably earlier) to be considered for program approval and a potential financial aid award to help reduce the cost of travel. When you complete the Summit application for the CC Summer Program you are interested in, you are then automatically also reviewed for financial aid eligibility - there is no separate application for summer aid for Blocks Away. Awards can cover up to 90% of the course's program fee as well as the anticipated cost of airfare to get you there.

Applying to Multiple Blocks

It is possible to apply to multiple block away programs at the same time.  Just as with selecting a college, we recommend having a ranking for yourself of the blocks you have applied to.  Once you receive acceptance notifications, you can then determine which block you will join. You should then return to Summit to complete two tasks, first to complete the post-acceptance forms and confirmation for your chosen block, and second, to use the blue "Request Cancellation" button to withdraw from all of the other blocks which you have not chosen.  Failure to withdraw from the other blocks could lead to program fee charges once the Student Commitment & Withdrawal Deadline has passed. 

Participation in Multiple Blocks

It is possible to participate in multiple blocks away (Academic Year or Summer) within the same calendar or academic year, but there are some considerations to take into account.  

• Many summer blocks do not follow the on-campus block dates for Block A or B, so it is very common that what appears to be a Block A program will overlap with another block that is listed as a Block B program.  If you are considering joining 2 blocks in the same summer, you should pay special attention to the dates of each course to ensure that they do not overlap.
  
  
• If you are anticipating Block Away Aid Awards as a means to cover the program fees and airfare costs, you should remember that all students are limited to 2 Block Away awards during their CC careers, so participating in more than 2 individual Blocks Away would require self-funding for the expenses of the trip. 
  
  
• The Wild Card grant, which automatically provides aid to remove the cost of a student's first block of summer tuition, is only valid for that first CC summer course.  Adding a 2nd summer block (in any year) will result in being billed not only the program fee, but also the full summer tuition charge for that 2nd course. 

• While many travelers are able to visit our program destination countries without a visa, this is often limited to a stay of no more than 90 days within any 6 month (180 day) period.  This can produce issues for students who wish to join multiple programs in the same year, or to pair a block away with a semester or half-semester program. Most CC faculty-led programs do not qualify for longer stay student visas, so it may not always be possible to combine block and other programs in the same year due to visa constraints.  If you are considering any combination of programs in the same academic or calendar year, you should speak with Global Education to determine if you may have any visa restrictions that could produce issues for your planned combination of programs.  

A Summer Block Away has three anticipated costs: Tuition, Program Fee, and Airfare.  Various forms of aid can support these different components.  For a full breakdown of summer billing, charges, and available aid, please visit the "Summer Away: Billing & Aid" page. For information on the fees associated with a particular course, you will want to visit the course listing page when our listing of the next summer's offerings is available (typically mid- to late-October). 

Summer programs all have a withdrawal deadline of March 15 (Moving to March 1 in 2025).  Students who withdraw by that date pay no program fee charges and are not penalized for their change of heart.  Withdrawal after this deadline will result in late withdrawal fees.  These fees are outlined on our Summer Away: Billing & Aid page.  Students should be aware that the cost of a late withdrawal does increase as the withdrawal date draws closer to the program's summer departure date, with significant increases in Block 7 and Block 8.  Students who withdraw on the day of departure or after the program has begun should anticipate being billed the full program fee.