Study Abroad Pre-Departure

Check out our How To Apply to Study Abroad webpage to see your program-specific application process.

You will get your courses approved prior to your departure using the CGE’s electronic approval process (being implemented for all courses in Fall 2025).

You may seek approval for courses before or after you officially register for your courses (depending on your program’s timeline). Please request approvals for expected coursework and a few extras, just in case. You can request up to 8 approvals in the CGE’s application system.

Course Approval Timeline:

• Before applying to your program, meet with your academic advisor(s) to determine what coursework/major requirements you should look for when researching study abroad programs.
• Once your CGE application has been “accepted,” you’ll get access to video instructions and a step-by-step guide on how to complete the process.
• CGE staff reviews your course approval requests to ensure the correct information has been provided; they’ll “approve” your course and pass it on to the appropriate department chair/dean. This process starts:
  • October 16 for spring semesters abroad
  • March 16 for fall semesters and 3rd party summers
• The appropriate department chairs/deans will review course approval requests and will either approve or deny your request.
• The deadline to complete course approvals is:
  • November 10 for spring semesters abroad
  • April 10 for fall semesters and 3rd party summers

If one of the above dates falls on a weekend or holiday, the process may be delayed until the next business day.

Each semester, the CGE hosts a MANDATORY pre-departure orientation (PDO) for students studying abroad for the following semester or summer. All students going for a summer or semester must attend this meeting. The CGE provides information on how to stay safe abroad and prepare for one of the best semesters of your college career. PDO lasts for 2 hours.

Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) for Spring 2026 programs will be held on Tuesday, November 11 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM in Pharmacy & Health Sciences Building, room 150.

There are NO makeup sessions and NO one-on-one appointments to go through PDO information.

*Students going on summer 3rd Party Provider programs are required to attend our spring PDO; summer faculty-led programs will have their own program-specific PDO and are not required to attend this meeting!

• Submit your university’s or 3rd Party Provider’s required forms
• For students living in on-campus housing, you will register for the full year of on-campus housing via the lottery system and later complete an online Housing Cancellation Form (the link to which can be found on the Housing Portal) by December 1 for the following spring semester or June 1 for the following fall semester for your time abroad. Once the University has confirmed that you are going abroad for the semester, your housing assignment for that semester will be cancelled. Please always refer back to Residence Life’s Housing Policies & Procedures webpage, in case this process and the deadlines are updated.
• Apply for or update your passport, if necessary (your passport must be valid for at least 6 months past the end of your program)
• Inform your parents or guardians of the procedure to get a passport so they have proper travel documents, if necessary
• Make travel arrangements (like flight to/from your host country, airport transportation, etc.), if necessary
• See if you need a visa to study abroad in your host country
• Register with the U.S. State Department via their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
• Check out country-specific information on the U.S. Department of State’s website and the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website (make sure your immunizations are up to date for your study abroad location)
• Make sure you’re covered by health insurance when you are abroad (some countries require a certain amount of coverage to get a visa)
• Talk with your parents or guardians about filling out a Power of Attorney before departure. This grants another person the legal authority or permission to make decisions about your affairs while you are abroad. If interested, you can google for the form and fill it out in front of a notary.
• If you need to store items in the Indianapolis area while you are overseas, renting space through storagesquad.com might be helpful.