Study Abroad Programs

Non-Exchange Programs

ISEP enrolls you directly into your choice of ISEP Direct program. It is not dependent upon available exchange space at your host institution. The cost of Direct program tuition could be more or less than your home institution’s tuition. It is listed on each program page and appears once you select the semester in which you intend to go abroad. Accommodations and meals vary from program to program. Depending on your home institution, you may be able to use Federal aid for ISEP Direct programs. Set up a meeting with your home institution’s financial aid office to learn the details. Chances of placement for Direct programs is always “Guaranteed” as we are able to guarantee your placement (as long as you meet the minimum academic and program-specific requirements). It is not necessary to list more than one Direct program on your application as we are able to guarantee Direct placements, so long as you meet program requirements. Direct deadlines vary from program to program, and in some cases are open later.

2026 Faculty-Led Programs

Many of our programs repeat bi-annually. In recent years, UNC Asheville faculty have led programs to Greece, Italy, Ecuador, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Berlin. Please contact the Study Abroad Office for more information on Faculty-led opportunities.

Before You Go

The Program Proposal process should begin a year before actually submitting the proposal. Jinhua Li, Coordinator of Faculty-led Programs, is available to help guide you in the planning stages. The Program Proposal must be submitted to the Study Abroad Office by August 5th of the year before you plan on taking a program abroad.

1. Please provide the most recent documents for all program-related expenses, including but not limited to: airfare, lodging, local transportation, meal, admission fees, educational materials, etc. Please explain how the program can still be viable if program costs go up considerably (more than 10%) between now and the program date.
2. Please read over the faculty handbook thoroughly.
3. Review and prepare for using the emergency procedures recommended by the Study Abroad Office, if needed.
4. Update the Study Abroad Office about the communication plan you will use with your students and the Office.
5. Check and confirm the emergency contact information you have shared with the Study Abroad Office and consider informing them of any health concerns you might want them to know about if you experienced a medical emergency while leading your program.

Other important travel-related procedures for you as a faculty member leading study abroad:

UNC Asheville personnel (faculty, staff, visiting scholars, and students) planning to travel abroad need to be mindful of export control laws and regulations. The purpose of the federal government’s export control laws and regulations is (a) to restrict exports of goods and technology that could contribute to the military capabilities of adversaries, (b) prevent disclosure of American trade secrets to foreign competitors, and/or (c) to comply with U.S. trade sanctions (terrorist, UN human rights violators, drug trafficking). To avoid running afoul of these laws and regulations, University personnel should review the Export Control Policy at https://www.unca.edu/storehouse/policies/3010/.

You will need to declare if you intend to take University owned/managed computers and electronic devices overseas. You can access an online declaration of your intent to travel abroad with University electronics/computers. The online form requires you to certify that you understand the requirements for bringing electronic devices overseas. You will also need to print off a copy of your completed Export License Exemption TMP (EAR Part 740.9) pdf file as this provides Customs with documentation that the University has reviewed and approved your temporary export license. Upon your certification and submission of the form, UNC Asheville will receive a notification that will prompt the review of the document against current regulatory oversight. If there are items of interest, you will be notified immediately, and we’ll work to address any concerns. This may include having the University request a formal export license from the appropriate regulatory body or determining not to bring the item(s) overseas.

While Abroad

Emergent issues can be mild, moderate or severe.  Often an emergent issue that starts out mild or moderate can worsen if it repeats itself day after day. A couple of good practices in all risk management, after attending to life-threatening health issues, are:

1. Identifying who is affected as quickly as possible.
2. Communicating to the Study Abroad Emergency Team using your emergency card or contact information provided in the shared folder for your program and allowing them to pull together the team that can help you address your issues as you continue leading the program.
3. Documenting in the moment, you can keep written notes in any word processing format you feel comfortable with and submit what you have documented using the simple online form and/or email them to ldobson@unca.edu.

Please Note: Electronic form and email provide a great way to quickly and officially share volumes of information, and do great documentation, but make sure to also message text/WhatApp or call to let the emergency team know you’re submitting time-sensitive information.  After hours we won’t check our email unless we know there is an emergent situation to address, and we want to provide assistance in a time-sensitive manner. 

If it becomes necessary to remove a student from the program (see handbook for guidelines of qualifications to remove a student), please complete the Removal from Study Abroad Program form.

Tracking Spending While Abroad

Sorting your receipts and labeling them carefully will help everyone when it comes to returning unused funds, completing expense reports and reconciling everything. It is important to think about this as you and highly recommended that one faculty leader keep track of T card payments and receipts and the other the Travel Advance payments and receipts. Either way, all receipts should be labeled as T card; Travel Advance, and credit card or cash:

• T card payments
• Travel Advance payments

In addition, it is essential that when submitting your uploaded pictures of receipts you write on the receipts what type of expense you were paying for:

• Transportation
• Accommodation
• Meals
• Entrance Fees/Tours
• Tips
• Miscellaneous

Since you’re making payments in foreign currency, make sure that the date is on the receipt.  If you’re using local currency to make cash payments, the date you need to document is the date you changed the money from U.S. dollars to local currency.

When You Return

For our programs that return before the end of the fiscal year, we hope to have you return your funds as quickly as possible (in a matter of days not weeks).

Finalizing the budget must be processed through Chrome River.  You do not have to reconcile your accounts in the study abroad office because we will have access to the process through Chrome River as well. Please stop by the Study Abroad Office if you have questions or need assistance with completing your expense report in Chrome River. We are happy to help!

If your purchases are less than the amount of your travel advance, you will owe the remaining amount. In that case, you will give the balance in cash or a check made payable to UNCA for the balance and submit it to the Cashier’s Office.  You will need the receipt that you get from the Cashier’s Office to complete your expense report for your travel advance.  (The first thing you will enter is the exact amount you returned to the school.) Do not overspend the allotted amount from your program fees as there are no funds to cover it and you will not be reimbursed.  You must also turn in your bank account statements/transactions with a zero balance to show the account is closed/completed for the program.

Receipts should be uploaded into Chrome River before your visit to the Study Abroad office when you return.  You may want to keep your receipts until they have all been reconciled in Chrome River in case you need it when you return. If you are giving money to the group for an event or for meal(s), you may create a sheet with the amount given to the student at the top and the student’s signature on the page.  It’s recommended that you prepare a list with student names and print a few to take with you so you can add the amount on the form when you need it. If you think you need to overspend the allotted amount from your program fees, it is best to reach out to the Study Abroad Office to review your budget. We may or may not be able to source the extra funds but we certainly do not want to run negative balances that would end up being paid by future students abroad.

There are two ways to complete an Incident Documentation form (see handbook for guidelines of what qualifies as an incident).  You may print the form complete it and fax or email it to drhein@unca.edu or you may complete the online form. If it becomes necessary to remove a student from the program (see handbook for guidelines of qualifications to remove a student), please complete the Removal from Study Abroad Program form.

Non-Exchange Programs