LULA BURKE, News Editor—

With more than 250 Denison-accepted off-campus study programs to choose from, and the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine, students are once again able to study abroad. Though the process remains largely the same, a few changes have been made in regard to the tuition and financial aid merit involved in living off-campus. 

Interested students should begin the application process in the fall semester of their sophomore year if they are planning to study abroad during either semester of their junior year, which is typical. In the “advising phase,” applications need to be opened by Oct. 24, an OCS group advising meeting must be attended by Oct. 29, and the application must be submitted by Nov. 8. 

Final program applications are due Dec 8, and those applications are reviewed by the Center for Global Programs beginning in January. 

Students who end up studying abroad have their transcript reported from the program or partner school they choose to work with, and those credits are posted to their Denison academic record. 

Katy Crossley- Frolick, the Executive Director of the Center for Global Programs, said that those grades are “not factored into the Denison cumulative grade point average, but it is important to note that they could be factored into a composite grade point average should a student pursue graduate or professional school after graduating from Denison.”

A few changes have been made to the way that students pay for their time abroad. Currently, students pay all of the off-campus study fees (tuition, housing, etc.) on their own and only need-based aid applies. However, beginning in 2022-2023, students will be charged Denison tuition, housing and meal costs. 

“Students are billed according to the regular billing cycle, and keep all awarded financial aid [merit and need-based aid], except work-study. Denison then pays the program providers’ direct expenses. This includes tuition and other costs that are mandatory parts of the program (e.g. housing and meals, mandatory excursion fees, insurance, etc.,),” Crossley-Frolick said. 

She said that the overall interest for studying abroad has increased this semester. 

“There are fewer overall [students], but there is a lot of pent up demand and we are seeing a slow return to more “normal”,” she said. 

Heather Hanley ‘24 is a sophomore global commerce major and French minor, and has been working on her applications hoping to go to Nantes, France or Brussels, Belgium. She said that she is glad that the study abroad programs have opened back up, and that the process thus far has been simple. She urges other students who are hesitant to check out the website. 

“The study abroad process so far has been an easy, fun and exciting process. I liked going through all of the different programs and finding ones that fit with what I’m interested in. I’m very excited to figure out which program I get accepted into and where I’ll be living part of my junior year!” she said. 

Interested students can find more information at globaltools.denison.edu.