Examining the world around us, asking questions, and opening our minds to new experiences are all invaluable life skills. If you’ve heard that studying abroad is too expensive, that you won’t get your degree on time, or that your major doesn’t have study abroad options, we encourage you to take a second look. Studying abroad is a unique opportunity with so many advantages – it’s not to be missed!
For UNC Asheville Students
Study Abroad Benefits
Learn about other cultures and your own.
Immersing yourself in a different landscape, cuisine, people, and daily life is an incredible learning experience. It can be easy to forget that there is a world outside of our own, but participating in another way of life also compels us to think about our own culture and perspectives in new ways. And it’s not limited to just one semester – what you experience while studying abroad will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Find your adventurous side.
A change of scenery can inspire you to try new things you may never have considered at home. Ride an elephant, go snow skiing, listen to unfamiliar music, and hike the highest peaks you’ve ever seen. Discover your new favorite pastime – or even what you want to do with your major and your life.
Affordability
Studying abroad doesn’t have to be expensive. If you select a program run by UNC Asheville or the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), you can keep costs about the same as staying in the USA. This way, you can go just about anywhere in the world for little more than the cost of tuition, room, and board at your home school.
Develop your second language skills
You don’t have to be fluent in a foreign language to live and study in another country. In fact, living among native speakers is the best way to immerse yourself in another tongue.
Increase your job opportunities
Whatever your major, you can study abroad. It’s possible for students to study abroad in every discipline–not only in Humanities and Social Sciences, but also in Management, the Arts, and the Natural Sciences. Employers want to hire people with international experience, and graduate schools consider studying abroad a “plus” when reviewing applications.
Graduate on time
Studying abroad can easily fit into your academic plans. You can study abroad at whatever time is most convenient for you. You can even go as early as the summer after your freshman year! If you plan your study abroad properly, you’ll receive full home credit for all courses you take, and these can be planned so that they count toward your major, minor, or elective requirements. Visit UNC Asheville’s Study Abroad Office early to start the process.
Financial Aid
Students participating in UNC Asheville’s Study Abroad programs can expect to apply most types of financial aid for which they qualify, including Federal, State, and UNC Asheville grants and scholarships, as well as loans, to their study abroad experience. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid to review the details.
Scholarships
The UNC Asheville Study Abroad Office is pleased to administer a number of awards for study abroad, made possible by generous donors who value the benefits of international education. All award recipients must be making successful progress towards graduation and must plan to maintain full-time enrollment status while abroad on a UNCA program (equivalency of 6 credit hours in Summer, 12 credit hours during the Fall or Spring Semester). Students will be considered for any award for which they meet the criteria.
The McClinton Scholars Program was established in 2022 with a generous $1 million dollar gift from Susan and Ray McClinton. This program provides substantial financial support to students participating in semester-long study abroad. To be eligible you must:
- be enrolled in a semester-long study abroad program
Awardees will be selected from a range of disciplines, majors, and destinations to engage a diverse range of regional, linguistic, and cultural contexts. Academic merit and financial need will both be considered in selecting McClinton Scholars, with priority given to students who demonstrate both.
Because of a high regard for the UNC Asheville, and a sincere desire to provide study abroad opportunities to students the Gallaher Family established their fund in 2022 to support the provision of an annual need-based award of $2000 to a student seeking to participate in a faculty-led study abroad program. To be
eligible you must:
- be enrolled in a faculty-led study abroad program.
Financial need will be considered in selecting the Gallaher Family scholarship recipient with the person demonstrating the highest need given top priority.
Established to support scholarship awards at UNC Asheville to support international study, Iovacchini Family Scholarships are made available to students on the basis of need and merit for any UNC Asheville Study Abroad program.
Established to support international experience, The Thorunn and David Ivey Study Abroad Scholarship is made available to students on the basis of need and merit for any UNC Asheville Study Abroad program.
The UNC Asheville International Experience Grant was established to provide as many UNC Asheville students as possible with enriching and meaningful international experiences in order to enhance their education through the cultural and academic broadening that comes from completing some of their academic work in an international setting. Through these grants, need-based awards are available to students participating in any UNC Asheville study abroad program.
The links below are other sources of aid you may apply for. Although this is not a comprehensive list, it can help you begin your research and explore multiple resources to fund your study abroad experience.
- Scholarship Finder Search – scholarships available only to students going abroad who meet the requirements
- AATG Study Abroad Scholarship for College Students
- AIFS Study Abroad – scholarships available only to students going abroad with AIFS
- American Association of Teachers of Japanese (Bridging Scholarship)
- Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship (for students already receiving federal Pell Grant funding)
- Boren Scholarship – Program Scholarships and Fellowships focusing on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad
- CPR Certification Institute – The CPR Certification Institute for students with disabilities
- Critical Language Scholarship – The CLS Program is a nationally competed award open to all eligible U.S. undergraduate and graduate students in every field
- CDS International
- DAAD (specific to study in Germany)
- The Diverse International Women of Color Study Abroad Scholarship
- FinAid for Study Abroad Program – information on financial aid for college and tips on how to help ease the burden of college expenses
- Freeman-ASIA Scholarship – scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia
- Fulbright Scholarship – With advance notice, the UNCA Fulbright Committee will be pleased to help in the Fulbright application process for a post-bac experience. For more information on the program, or to request help and feedback in preparing an application, please contact Heidi Kelley (hkelley@unca.edu) and Eric Roubinek (eroubine@unca.edu) for student inquiries. For faculty inquiries, please contact Tiece Ruffin (truffin@unca.edu) and Charlotte Smith (csmith20@unca.edu).
- Fund for Education Abroad – scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study-abroad population. FEA makes life-changing, international experiences accessible to all by supporting students of color, community college, and first-generation college students before, during, and after they participate in education abroad programs
- Gilman-McCain Scholarship – for dependents of active or activated military personnel during the time of application
- IES Study Abroad – Need-based aid, grants, and scholarships available only to students going abroad with IES
- IES Social Impact Scholarship – The Hemera Foundation Summer Social Impact Internship Scholarship was initiated by the Hemera Foundation, whose mission is to foster basic human goodness in individuals and society. This Scholarship, which will be sustained through a foundation collaborative, aims to inspire students to make a social impact through summer internships within philanthropic or direct service/social service organizations. Scholarship available only to students going abroad with IES
- JASSO Scholarship for Study in Japan
- Japan Bridging Scholarships
- NAFSA Resources for Students – links to help with financial aid
- National Science Foundation (focus on social sciences, chemistry, computers, engineering, geosciences, math, physics, psychology, and other related fields)
- PHI KAPPA PHI Abroad Grant – Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grants are designed to help support undergraduates as they seek knowledge and experience in their academic fields by studying abroad. Applicants do not have to be Society members but must attend an institution with an active Phi Kappa Phi chapter
- Robert B. Bailey Scholarship and other CIEE Scholarships – specific to groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in study abroad
- Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships – four different grant types but students must become a Rotary member
- Toshizo Watanabe Study Abroad Scholarship – Study Abroad in Japan
- The William Jefferson Clinton Scholarship at the American University in Dubai
- WorldStrides Study Abroad – scholarships available only to students going abroad with WorldStrides faculty-led programs
The State of North Carolina has arranged affordable health insurance for participants in study abroad programs in UNC-system universities through GeoBlue Insurance Services. UNCA requires that all students studying abroad have this insurance, which includes Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains (ME&RR) coverage. However, if a host country or institution requires that you purchase their insurance, our requirement is waived, except for RR/ME which students must have. (Germany, Australia, and ISEP are examples.)
With GeoBlue, you will be covered in any country you visit, outside the U.S. We suggest that if you are covered under a policy now, keep it. It may be difficult to get reinstated on that insurance after you return, or if you return to the U.S. soil during your study abroad.
GeoBlue Insurance is purchased through the Study Abroad office and charges for the insurance are placed on the student’s account for payment.
Before and After Insurance Coverage
After your study abroad insurance coverage has been submitted, students can enroll and pay for Before & After Coverage by going to Geobluestudents. Please read the instructions on how to apply for Before & After Coverage for assistance. Students will receive a confirmation email once coverage is in place and may print their own ID cards. Students and Faculty have 30 TOTAL DAYS for Before & After coverage. Coverage is the same as the Study Abroad Insurance Policy. For more information, email the Study Abroad Office, ldobson@unca.edu, or call 828-232-5037.
Students will receive a confirmation email once coverage is in place and may print their own ID Cards. Students and Faculty have 30 TOTAL DAYS for Before & After coverage. Coverage is the same as the Study Abroad Insurance Policy. For more information, email the Study Abroad Office, ldobson@unca.edu, or call 828-232-5037.
Transcripts
Transcripts
Where do transcripts need to be sent from my host university?
Once you’ve completed your program, you will need to request that transcripts be sent back to the UNC Asheville Study Abroad office. We now accept electronic transcripts as long as they come directly from the University or associated program (sent to ldobson@unca.edu). If your host university prefers to send a hard copy transcript, please provide them with this address:
UNC Asheville Office of Study Abroad
1 University Heights, CPO#1560
Asheville, NC 28804
USA
UNC Asheville Student Testimonies
Through my exchange program as well as additional travel around Thailand and surrounding countries I was able to meet so many students, backpackers, expats, and people from different countries, backgrounds, and cultures which I would be much less likely to encounter and interact with back home. I made some of my best friends who I can now visit all over the world and got to explore some of the most beautiful and diverse natural landscapes that the earth has to offer.
During my time abroad, I took classes taught in Spanish at Universitat de Barcelona. I primarily took elective courses like art and history taught by local Catalan professors in Spanish. Because Barcelona has such a large international population, I had the opportunity to not only connect with Catalan students but an array of people from across different parts of the world. Walking everywhere throughout the city and navigating the metro from my local neighborhood became an enjoyable part of everyday life that allowed me to explore the city. The accessibility of traveling to other countries within the EU was also a wonderful part of my experience.
Take Your College Experience to the Next Level
100 Ramsey Library, CPO 1560
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804
Office: 828.612-6530
ldobson@unca.edu
Office Hours
Tues and Thurs: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday: Scheduled appointments only