Which Colleges Require Study Abroad?

According to US News and World Report, three colleges reported that 100% of their student body “had the highest percentage of 2017 graduating seniors” participate in a study abroad program sometime during their college career. That is amazing. Most colleges don’t even come close to 100% participation in study abroad. The average is less than 10%.

So, which colleges require study abroad for their students? Goucher College, Soka University of America and Susquehanna University are the only three colleges with 100% of their graduating seniors having participated in study abroad sometime during their college careers.

Goucher College

Goucher College focuses on the importance of understanding the global community and its demands in the 21st century. They believe that an international perspective is important to every student. How better to understand the intricacies of the world community than experience life in Rome, or Paris, or Argentina, or South Africa?

Interestingly, Goucher College’s requirement for study abroad for every student didn’t take place recently. According to their website, “in the fall of 2006, we became the first liberal arts college in the nation to require all of our undergraduates to study abroad at least once before graduation.” In order for the study abroad requirement to be approved, each student must participate in a Goucher College sponsored or approved program that, at minimum, is at least three weeks in length and offers the equivalent of three U.S. units of academic credit.

Goucher College’s enrollment of approximately 1500 undergrads makes the 100% target difficult but not impossible. Most of the students complete their study abroad experience during their junior year.

Educators have always wrestled with a desire to add real-world experience with classroom instruction. Goucher College’s solution offers “more than 60 programs of international studies on six continents and in over 30 countries.”

Goucher College offers a wide variety of study abroad programs that include single semester or year-long terms, an opportunity for what they call intensive courses abroad (ICAS), as well as a sampling of non-Goucher College short term programs.

One example of a Goucher College study abroad experience is titled “USAC Czech Republic: Politics, Culture and Art Studies in Prague.” This program offers an outstanding opportunity to study and live in the medieval city of Prague. Although its location, art, architecture, and culture screams history, its modernity will surprise you. Each new semester offers an introductory one-week intensive Czech language course. Classes are held at the Charles University Foreign Language Center. Charles University is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Courses are available in multiple disciplines and field trips to nearby castles, cities and historic sites add value to the experience.

A few examples of the Intensive Courses Abroad program include opportunities to study Arts, Music, and Culture in Bali,; experience the Influence of Chinese History and Culture on Education; or develop and understanding of Community Development in Ghana.

Many of the alumni contribute the success of the program to the efforts made to help students understand and plan for their study abroad experience. The college offers Study Abroad 101 and Study Abroad 102. These sessions provide all the information for the students to ensure the success of their destination selection, academic and travel preparation, and final …

Soka University of America

Soka University of America (SUA) is located in Aliso Viejo, California. The university is a private, non-profit, four-year liberal arts college and graduate school. The 103-acre campus is located in south Orange County. Similar to Goucher College, Soka University requires 100% of its students to study abroad. Soka’s uniqueness on this point is that their requirement is that

“all students participate in a semester of study abroad during their junior year.” SUA’s enrollment is approximately 400 students.

A unique benefit of SUA’s study abroad program is that additional funds are not necessary to pay for the experience. The cost of the program is already rolled into the regular tuition. This feature alone makes the decision to study abroad much easier. A student can’t use the excuse, “I can’t afford it,” in an attempt to forego the study abroad requirement.

All students study one of four languages during the tenure at the university. Those languages include Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish. The chosen language determines the best study abroad options available to the student. Each participant enjoys the opportunity to use their classroom training as a foundation to become fluent during their time in a foreign country.

I love the university’s mission: “foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life.”

At SUA, the Study Abroad and International Internships Office (SAII) is the place to begin. The university’s website is a great place to begin. It highlights opportunities in Argentina, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, Spain and Taiwan.

One example of a study abroad experience at SUA that will help you satisfy the study abroad requirement is an opportunity to study at the University of Strasbourg, located in Strasbourg, France. The program is offered in the Spring and Fall Semesters. A French language block worth 6 US credits is required. Students enroll at the University of Strasbourg’s French language and culture institute. A French language ability test is required to ascertain your language level. In addition to academic courses, a variety of cultural seminars are offered to improve your French language skills. French cooking, grape harvesting and Alsatian folk dancing are just three of the seminars available in help you practice.

Field Trips are scheduled throughout the semester that include visits to a variety of cultural and historical sites.

Soka students are required to live with a host family located within walking distance of the campus. Host family members are required to speak French so that the student must learn the language

The program in Strasburg is one of many opportunities that help SUA maintain 100% participation level of undergraduates in study abroad programs.

Susquehanna University

Susquehanna University, located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, was founded 1853 as “The Missionary Institute of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.” The name did not change to Susquehanna University until 1895.

The study abroad program is titled GO, which stands for Global Opportunities. In order to assure that every student has an opportunity to participate in a study abroad program, Susquehanna offers a GO Short program with opportunities that last several weeks, a GO Long program that offers semester-long experiences, and GO Your Own Way, a unique program that offers a variety of program durations.

GO Short Study Abroad Programs

Susquehanna’s GO Short study abroad programs last from two to six weeks and are normally scheduled during the summer and winter breaks. Susquehanna faculty and staff lead these intensive programs designed to offer experiential and immersive learning experiences in unfamiliar locations and cultures. A small group of Susquehanna students sign up for a specific host institution. Some students participate in a service-learning based program while others spend time with the locals in a variety of activities offering hands-on experiences.

The Susquehanna University website mentions a variety of GO Short opportunities, and includes destinations that include Australia, Central/South America, Europe, Middle East, and North America.

Go Long Study Abroad Programs

The GO Long program offers more than 80 semester-long study abroad experiences throughout the world in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia. England, Japan, China, Germany, Ireland, Mediterranean, Netherlands, and New Zealand.

One example of a GO Long Study Abroad Program that helps encourage 100% participation in study abroad includes the appropriately titled, “SU in the Mediterranean: Cyprus.” This program

offers classes during the fall and spring semesters at the University of Nicosia. It is there that students are enamored by the unique mixture of Greek and Turkish cultural, historical and architectural influences. The island country offers beautiful beaches, towering mountains and just about everything in between. In order to explore neighboring countries, opportunities to hop over to the mainland are also available.

GO Your Own Way

Go Your Own Way is a self-designed study abroad program that offers a student to pick and choose their own experience that focuses specifically on their interests and goals. The major requirements include a program duration of two weeks or more during the summer or winter break, and the student must be “fully immersed in a cultural setting that’s different from” their own.

The program has initiated a list of steps that help you meet the requirements, including researching potential ideas, meeting with GO Advisors, submitting a proposal, and revising when necessary.

Which Colleges Require Study Abroad?

Goucher College

Soka University of America

Susquehanna University

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