Butler Overseas Parent Guide

What is the ROI of a global degree? 

In an increasingly difficult job market, having a resume with distinctive features upon graduation is nearly critical. Butler Overseas students will graduate with a resume that will stand out from their peers in ways that demonstrate skills and competencies that employers or graduate programs are looking for.

Butler Overseas students graduate with more than memories of a unique college experience—they’ll also step into the workforce with leadership skills shaped by years of multicultural, multilingual living and learning.

Multiple studies conducted by sources such as the Forum for Education Abroad and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) have found that graduates with global education stand out in today’s competitive job market. Graduates tend to find employment faster than their peers without study abroad experience and even earn higher salaries on average.

Pair these outcomes with Butler’s commitment to 1:1 career mentorship and professional development—beginning students’ first year—and Butler Overseas students are positioned to enter their first job or graduate school with confidence.

Lastly, Butler University’s traditional programs have a 98 percent placement rate within six months of graduation, a testament to the University’s rigorous academics and professional preparation.

Butler Overseas students are curious, adaptable, and eager to make the world a better place. Your child may be an excellent fit if they want to… 

• Travel as they prioritize their education
• Pursue a degree in either Environmental Studies or International Business 
• Complete their college degree in as little as three years 
• Explore new perspectives while critically examining their own
• Practice independence while enjoying a close-knit community during college
• Develop an adventurous, adaptable, and resilient mindset 
• Influence change through an unmatched international experience

Below are some sample questions you might ask your student if they are considering Butler Overseas:

• Depending on the semester, you’ll be either cooking your own meals or eating the local cuisine your host family makes. Are you ready for that?
• Are you passionate about environmental justice, international economic trends, and exploring global issues? 
• Do you get excited when thinking about exploring a new city every semester? How do you feel about change or meeting people with a different worldview or language than you? 

If your student has friends who would also be an excellent fit for Butler Overseas, you can nominate a prospective student here.

The Butler Overseas curriculum integrates the rigorous liberal arts education Butler is known for with technical and professional education rooted in each country’s unique identity. The program is the first global degree model that uses hybrid instruction, blending best practices in online learning with place-based learning alongside local faculty. 

During fall and spring semesters abroad, students’ coursework will combine online instruction from Butler faculty with in-person classes taught by trusted IFSA faculty at local IFSA centers. This place-based learning maximizes the cultural, historical, and environmental richness of each location. In the summers, students return to Butler’s campus for in-person classes and immersive learning experiences throughout the city of Indianapolis.

Students who major in Environmental Studies will minor in International Business—and vice versa—for a highly integrated academic experience.

Yes—students will work with their career mentor, advisor, and the Butler Overseas team to secure their required internships both in Indianapolis and abroad. 

While students are responsible for determining how to balance their internship schedule and in-person courses, Butler Overseas will also provide professional preparation such as job shadowing, assistance with résumés, portfolio development, interview strategies, career fairs, and connections to international organizations in addition to assistance with internship placements.

Butler Overseas combines the well-established site infrastructure from the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) with Butler’s whole-student support system to provide you and your student with peace of mind at every stage of the experience.

IFSA sites prioritizes student safety by:

• Leveraging the expertise of onsite local staff who have robust knowledge of their region, the language, and culture
• Hosting detailed safety orientations and neighborhood tours so your student knows how to confidently navigate transportation, housing, dining, in-person class attendance, and other aspects of daily life
• Offering 24/7 emergency response assistance and predetermined crisis protocols through IFSA’s dedicated Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team

In addition to onsite support, Butler and IFSA monitor each location’s physical and cultural climate with guidance from organizations such as the U.S. Department of State, U.S. embassies and consulates, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), and the broader international education community.

This allows the program to both foster independence and surround students with a strong network of support as they study abroad.

College is an ideal time for young adults to grow in self-advocacy, but no matter where they are around the globe, your student will never be far from support.

Through IFSA, there are standing relationships with general practitioners, specialists, mental health professionals, and hospitals to provide support in every location. In addition, Butler’s on-campus team will help connect students to appropriate resources while abroad. 

Whether your student has dietary restrictions, a disability or preexisting health condition, mental health needs, religious accommodations, or other unique considerations, we work closely with families to create the conditions they need to thrive.  

Inclusion and accessibility are core values of both Butler and IFSA, which is why we prepare robust resources to support students’ needs and identities while they navigate the diverse political, cultural, linguistic, religious, and historical contexts of each destination.

Students in homestays are placed with carefully screened families in safe neighborhoods, many of whom have been hosting IFSA students for years. 

These families may host up to two Butler Overseas students at a time. For many students, homestays become one of the most transformative parts of the experience, offering daily opportunities to build relationships, practice language skills, and experience local culture firsthand.

Host families vary widely and may include retirees, multi-generational households, and other family structures. Many students keep in touch with their host families long after returning home.

Your student can expect a furnished private bedroom, access to laundry facilities, and either a private or shared bathroom. As with many parts of the world, amenities such as air conditioning may differ from what students are accustomed to in the United States.

We encourage families to have conversations with their students about independence if this program is of interest to them. While all young adults eventually learn meal prepping, grocery shopping, and cooking, Butler Overseas students often develop these life skills more quickly as part of their immersive experience abroad.

All students will arrange their travel to Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana for the first summer start date. From there, the students will be booked in a group to their first international location for the first Fall semester in London, England. The cost of this flight will be added to the student’s account.

After that, students will typically be given the start dates for each semester and can book their own flights to arrive on time. This will allow students the flexibility to make their own arrangements, which could include travel home during the program breaks. All flights are the financial responsibility of the student.

Life happens—there may be many reasons why a fully overseas experience may no longer work for your students’ lifestyle or career goals. In these cases, they would have the option to take a leave from the program or transfer to one of Butler’s Indianapolis campus-based programs. If they choose to continue in their Butler Overseas major, they will still be right on track for graduation while receiving guidance on the best path forward.