Getting Started

What courses or types of courses do you need to take for your plan of study? Are you looking for major-specific credit, courses towards a minor, electives, or a combination? Consider how flexible your academic schedule is, and what classes would "make or break" if a program is feasible for you.

If academics are your top priority - determining this early will help you narrow down and filter out programs that do not meet your academic focus. Not every program will offer every subject and class that Purdue does - some are specialized for a specific academic area while others have just as wide of a variety of classes as you are used to here at Purdue. Knowing what subject areas, types of classes, or specific classes you need will help you pick options that meet your academic focus.

If you don't yet have a good grasp on what types of courses you should look for, speak with your academic advisor for some extra guidance. 

Of course - cost is an important consideration for any student looking to study abroad! 

Study abroad programs can really vary in terms of overall cost, so you'll want to consider your personal budget. What do you pay for a typical semester at Purdue (including tuition, books, housing, food, etc..)? Do you typically receive scholarships or financial aid? Would you need to receive additional financial aid to study abroad? 

Knowing this will help you see how study abroad programs compare to your typical costs.

While study abroad programs have varying costs, there are options available at various budget points as well as scholarship funding and other resources. If cost is holding you back, we encourage you to speak to a study abroad advisor about your options - you may be surprised! While some study abroad options will be more expensive than your typical semester at Purdue, there are also many options that shake out to be very similar to staying on campus (or even a bit cheaper in some cases!) 

Many types of financial aid can be applied to study abroad, and there are even specific scholarships for study abroad as well. Visit our financial resources and scholarships pages for more information. 

For some students, location may be your top priority and you may already know what country or countries you want to study in. For other students, you may be more open to where you go as long as you can take the classes you need. Wherever you fall along this spectrum, determine how important the specific location is to you and what you may be willing to compromise on, if needed.

Besides identifying a specific region or country, there are other reasons to consider location:

• Language(s) spoken
• Climate and weather
• Size of the city 
• Access to transportation options

What do you envision your experience looking like? Is easy access to train stations and airports a must? Would you prefer the hustle and bustle of a large city, or perhaps be more comfortable in a mid-sized city or smaller town? Do you want to escape the Indiana winter for warmer weather? What kinds of activities are you looking to do in your free time? 

Timing can be an important consideration for many students - and often is closely tied to other goals as well. You may have timing constraints due to your academic plan, personal schedule, or other factors as to when and how long you can go for.

If you are considering a semester or full academic year, planning early can help you make sure you have more flexibility in your options. It's never too early to start planning for a term abroad, go ahead and ask your academic advisor to write this into your plan of study. Of course, if you end up not deciding to go you can certainly stay on campus, but planning ahead for it gives you the option if you decide to go for it! 

What term(s) feel like feasible options for studying abroad to you? How long would you like to be gone? Purdue offers options as short as spring break to as long as a year - and you can even do multiple programs if you wish. 

Your academic goals may also play into timing, students looking for certain classes may find there are more options available in a semester rather than a summer. Specific courses may be offered as part of departmental programs in the summer term as well, often making a great option for students with limited flexibility. Depending on your plan of study and the sequencing of classes, your academic advisor may suggest certain terms would work better than others. 

In most cases, going earlier in your academic career will leave you more options of classes to take. While it is possible to study abroad as a senior, your options will be much more limited as you'll have few classes left in your plan of study and planning ahead for this is necessary. Studying abroad as a sophomore or junior gives you more options to fit study abroad into your schedule. 

For students with really tight schedules - or if you do find yourself as a senior wondering if you can still make study abroad work for you - we offer short-term programs such as spring break, winter break, and shorter summer options that mostly take place in the month of May - to help you fit this in where it works best for you. 

Did you know there are multiple program types you can participate on?

This may also be a factor in what kind of program you would prefer to do. The program type can influence the cost, duration, support, and extras available on a program. 

Visit our Program Types page for a breakdown on the program types and their differences! 

While academics may be important to you, you may also be looking to study abroad as a way to boost your professional skills and add to your resume. Studying abroad can certainly make you more marketable and some programs are specifically designed to help students with professional as well as academic development. If this is important to you, look for programs that offer additional opportunities such as:

• Global Internships
• Volunteer or Service-Learning Options
• Certificates 
• Project-based work
• Research
• Leadership Training

Perhaps for you - the overall experience is the most important and it will be a combination of factors that play into your final decision. Other things you may want to consider: 

• Level of support offered by the program
• Level of independence offered by the program
• Being with a group of Purdue students or mostly with international students
• Opportunities to interact with locals
• Accommodation options
• Level of cultural immersion

Consider your ideal situation, and keep an eye out for programs that seem to meet these expectations.

Once you have identified your personal priorities, do a Program Search to investigate possible options. Be aware of the differences (financial, academic, and other) between the types of programs offered.

Talk to other students about their study abroad experience!  Meet with peer advisors, students like you who have already completed a study abroad program.  They can walk you through the entire study abroad process as well as share tales of their adventures, challenges, and benefits they gained from studying abroad. 

Research the website of the program you are interested in to make sure it meets your needs.  Examine the courses offered, housing options, extracurricular activities, and other factors.  Make sure you meet the program’s eligibility requirements. If you have additional questions, read student testimonials, access the program website, or get in touch with previous participants.

If you still have unanswered questions, email them to studyabroad@purdue.edu.

If you plan to study abroad, you will need a passport!

Passport processing times vary, but we encourage you to apply for or renew your passport as soon as you know you are interested in studying abroad.

More information about how to apply for/renew a U.S. passport can be found on our Passport & Visa Information page as well as on this U.S. Department of State website

Students looking at Exchange, Co-Sponsored, or Direct-Enroll options will be asked to select their top 5 program choices as part of the application. Therefore, while doing your research keep this in mind and narrow your options down to 5 choices that fit your goals and needs.

If you need help narrowing down your options, you can also schedule an appointment with a study abroad advisor before submitting your application or can view our How to Pick A Program Video available in the On-Demand Advising Hub. An appointment is NOT required before you submit an application if you do not have any questions.

While applications will be reviewed with your top choice in mind, please be sure to take all your choices seriously as availability of programs may make it necessary to consider you for any of your top choices.

You will receive direct credits for courses taken abroad. These will be recorded on your Purdue academic record and affect your GPA. To ensure you are applying to the program that will allow you to graduate on time, developing a study plan early will help you stay on track. 

The Purdue Study Abroad application asks you for a tentative study plan unless you are applying to a departmental program, so having some idea of what courses you want to take will be helpful to know! While the tentative study plan is not set in stone and you can certainly change your mind later, letting us know your general idea helps us make sure the program will fit your needs. You can tell us specific courses, if known, or more general information as to the types of courses you need. 

Some programs will also request a list of courses shortly after you are accepted, so being ready with this information will help you move through the process.

A study plan does not have to be complicated, you'll simply want to consider the courses you would need to take while abroad, make a list of them, and then do some initial research to see if these types of courses are available on the programs you are interested in. Just like here at Purdue you may find a course is available, but may only be offered once a year, so you'll also want to check if it is available in the term you need it.

For example, you may start with something like this chart below. As you learn more, you will fill in courses at the target study abroad program in the second column that may match your desired requirement. Of course, this is a sample chart to give you an idea, you can be more specific with exact courses or requirements depending on your personal academic plan. 

If you need help developing your study plan, a great first step is to speak with your academic advisor. Some questions you may want to ask to help you get started are:

• What has worked well for previous students in my major? 
• When is the best time for me to study abroad?
• What degree requirements do I have left to complete and do you recommend any of these as better to take while abroad?
• Are there any major/minor/core requirements I should NOT take abroad?
• Are there any sequenced courses I should be aware of? 
• Which courses do I absolutely need to take during the term abroad and which ones do I have more flexibility on when I take them?

If you're wondering where to find course information for a program, you can typically find this information by exploring the Program Search. Most program pages will include a link to the program's specific webpage or additional information in the academic section. You may need to dig around some course catalogs or explore a bit to find exactly what you're looking for - but if you get stuck, reach out to a Study Abroad Advisor for assistance! 

If you are feeling confident that you have made a good choice, go to the webpage of the program you have selected and start the application process. Visit How to Apply for more information.

In addition, visit our On-Demand Advising Hub to watch how-to videos about applying and other topics.