Study Abroad: everything a student needs to know

February 28, 2022February 28, 2022 Andrew Anderson 859 Views

After a long pause due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Study Abroad programs are once again open for UWT students.

According to statistical data provided by UW Tacoma’s Office of Global Affairs (OGA), from early fall 2018 through summer 2019 there were 155 UW Tacoma students that studied abroad. With the rise of COVID-19 the Study Abroad programs were put on halt, but UW has now reopened the programs and are accepting students.

The Study Abroad program is run through the Office of Global Affairs and provides students with an opportunity to study programs of their choice in different countries and cultures. Some of the programs, such as the one to Spain dealing with business, focus on specific majors and require prerequisites.

Current programs accepting students are to India, Spain, Brazil and Germany, focusing on programs such as Global Health, Global Economy and pre-approved School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences courses. Students typically earn between 24-30 UW quarter credits per semester of the program, but those participating in the exchange program must be of sophomore standing or above and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.

Students having any worries about payment can look into the scholarships and fellowships offered by the OGA that aid in covering the costs. Students can also contact the program at uwtintl@uw.edu anytime in order to learn more information on payment or can work with their Academic Advisors or the Financial Aid Office.

While applications for some programs have already closed, the early fall programs to India and Spain have received an extended application deadline of March 15, with Brazil and Germany still taking applicants as well.

Those wishing to be approved must submit an application, details of which can be found at www.tacoma.uw.edu/oga/study-abroad-application-guide. The website guides students on how to start an application, achieve a recommendation letter through a faculty or staff member, and how to write their three short essays that are required. The essays are focused on why the program would be a good fit, a student’s adaptability and their group dynamics.

To keep up-to-date on the Study Abroad program students can follow their social media handles at www.facebook.com/UWTStudyAbroad/ and www.instagram.com/uwtstudyabroad/.