Study Abroad: Program Overview
Overview
The opportunity to understand and appreciate diverse cultures is an integral part of a Guilford education. Guilford's study abroad programs take students around the globe, where they play an active role in their host communities. More than a third of the Guilford main campus student body participate in international study.
All the programs on this website have been approved for Guilford academic credit. While most of the programs closely match the equivalent cost of a full residential semester at Guilford plus airfare, a few of the programs require a petition process and have an additional fee. This is noted with the description of the program.
Each Guilford Semester Abroad has its own unique academic character and lifestyle. A careful balance is maintained between formal study and opportunities for cross-cultural encounters. The courses taught by Guilford colleagues around the world provide the intellectual background and framework for an exciting and enriching program.
The Curriculum
Each Guilford-led program has its own distinctive approach that blends traditional academic and experiential learning. Students in Ghana directly enroll in University of Cape Coast courses and participate in a community development project. London students may choose from a host of business, arts, sociology, and literature courses; each London student also does a professional internship. Programs in Brunnenburg and Munich focus on the history and arts of their particular region, and students in Guadalajara take language courses and others through the University of Guadalajara while participating in community-based learning through an organization called Intercolonias.
Guilford-affiliated programs often allow for direct enrollment in foreign universities, where students have nearly the entire university curriculum available to them. Other programs may focus on a particular area. The School for Field Studies, for example, does environmental science.
Whether your goals include studying in a particular location or fulfilling requirements for your major, Guilford has a study abroad opportunity that will benefit you.
Benefits
Guilford students report overwhelmingly that their study abroad experience has transformed them in very important ways. Learning to negotiate public transportation system in a huge metropolitan city, working with children in a Mexican community, living with a host family in Germany, working on a farm in northern Italy, studying German politics in Munich, conducting experiments in the Australian rain forest-these experiences and many more provide our students with opportunities for growth in knowledge and ability.
In an increasingly global economy, language fluency and experience abroad can make an important difference in one's career. More and more students are studying abroad because they recognize the job-based value of the learning that takes place overseas.
Living and studying abroad, Guilford students gain an entirely different perspective on how those in other countries perceive the United States. A certain openness of mind and a willingness to listen often develops through the study abroad experience, capacities consistent with Guilford's Quaker ethos.
Participation, Cost, and Financial Aid
Guilford-led Programs
Students participating in Guilford-led programs are considered regular Guilford students; therefore all federal, state, and college financial assistance (with the exception of work study) is applicable. The basic cost of the programs is usually the equivalent of a full residential semester at Guilford, plus airfare. Everyone is required to carry a full-time 12 credit-hour load and all course work receives regular letter grades. Detailed program brochures and application materials for these programs may be picked up in the Study Abroad Office.
Guilford has five different semester programs, three in the fall and three in the spring. Students must have special permission from the Study Abroad Director to participate in more than one of these programs. Petitions for exceptions to the one semester rule must be in the Study Abroad Office by February 1 for fall and September 15 for spring programs.
Guilford-affiliated programs
Students participating in Guilford-affiliated programs are also classified as regular Guilford students and the same course-load stipulations and financial aid benefits apply. If the cost of an affiliated program exceeds the allowance amount determined by the College, a student participating in such a program will incur an additional surcharge beyond the cost of a full residential semester at Guilford. As with Guilford-led programs, airfare is the student's responsibility. Please note that most of these programs require a grade point average of “B” (3.0). Students may participate in only one of these programs and must petition to participate in year-long program (with the exception of ICU-Japan). Petitions must be in the Study Abroad Office by February 1 for fall and September 15 for spring programs.
Academic requirements
Various Guilford-affiliated programs have different cumulative GPA requirements. A student must be in academic good standing to be eligible for participation in any Guilford-led or Guilford-affiliated study abroad program.
Selection criteria for participation
Experiential learning, particularly in a non-U.S. setting, is fundamental to the mission of Guilford, and the college strongly encourages its students to study abroad. Students function as representatives of the college when studying abroad, and faculty leaders therefore make careful decisions when choosing participants.
For Guilford-led programs, student participants are chosen by the designated faculty leader through a comprehensive application, interview, and consultation process. Students complete application forms and secure recommendations from advisers, faculty, and resident assistants as appropriate. Designated faculty leaders review all application materials and personally interview student applicants in order to determine their
- interest in the program (particularly its academic and experiential learning components),
- language aptitude (where appropriate),
- academic interest and ability, and
- overall suitability for the particular program.
Because designated faculty leaders (particularly when in residence in the study abroad location) have substantial responsibility for students’ academic, social, and personal well-being, these leaders are granted access to a range of information about students allowable under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (e.g., academic transcripts and campus judicial records) to assist them in making appropriate determinations. Faculty leaders discuss student academic performance with academic advisers and other faculty and behavioral issues with campus life staff in order to garner a fair and complete portrait of the applicant. Operating in the Quaker tradition that honors individual worth, faculty leaders work diligently to assess applicants through an openness to their potential for growth, focusing on their personal attributes and potential contributions to the group. Academic and judicial records are considered within this broader context of the opportunities study abroad presents for student learning and development. All students are genuinely encouraged to pursue study abroad and should direct any questions about their applications to the designated faculty leader or the Study Abroad office.
For Guilford-affiliated programs, students make two applications: one to Guilford’s director of study abroad and one to the sponsoring organization or academic institution. The director of study abroad (or another designated faculty member) interviews all student applicants for affiliated programs to assess suitability, following the same guidelines outlined above for Guilford-led programs.
Final authority for determining eligibility for study abroad programs rests with the designated faculty leader in consultation with the director of study abroad.