Planning & Deadlines

Building international competence is an incremental process that begins for many students before they arrive at Drexel and will hopefully continue throughout their life and career. It is possible to have several study abroad experiences as an undergraduate if students plan well and start early. It's ideal to begin planning 12 - 18 months ahead if possible.

Tips for Getting Started and Thinking Ahead

Maximize resources on this website. The Study Abroad Office has created this website as a guide and resource for future and current study abroad students. Explore and learn more by browsing this site.

Attend Study Abroad Information Session. The Study Abroad Office frequently holds classroom visits, college specific info sessions, and campus wide events. This is a great opportunity to hear an overview of study abroad and begin exploring options.

Take Language Placement Test. Even if you have no intentions of continuing with your previous language, taking the language placement test is strongly recommended. Why? Because students often decide later on to continue the language or may want to apply for a program which has a language pre-requisite. Taking the placement test can help save time down the road!

Inform Academic Advisor and Co-op Coordinator about study abroad intentions. They can help plan your co-op cycle and curriculum sequence accordingly. In some instances, a co-op cycle change may be necessary to best schedule a study abroad term.

Read Dragons Abroad student journals for student perspectives on life in your countries of interest.

Build relationships with Drexel faculty and staff by participating in class, attending office hours, getting involved with extracurricular activities, etc. This will be extremely helpful when it comes time to ask for recommendations for study abroad and scholarship applications. The more active you are both in and outside of the classroom, the stronger your recommendations will be!

Consider short term language intensives or volunteering abroad. Students can maximize their summer vacation term or inter-term breaks for short term international opportunities.

Maximize the Enrichment Option. Students are allowed to take a cumulative total of 9 credits during vacation and/or co-op terms at no cost, as long as the course is personal enrichment and not required for their major. This is a great way for students to advance in their language skills in a shorter time period.

Take courses during co-op term. Drexel also allows students to take 1 course per co-op term at no cost, which can be a requirement or elective course. Taking courses during co-op can allow students to accelerate their language skills or get ahead in required courses, both which can be helpful for studying abroad.

It’s never too early to start saving money. The further ahead students prepare to go abroad, the longer they have to make and save money for their international experience. Students should review the page for creative ideas to save money, as well as exploring scholarships.

Seek internationally themed Drexel student organizations. There are many culturally themed students organization on campus. Involvement can help students learn about other cultures and support the international community at Drexel.

Arrange campus housing. Students should factor study abroad into their housing decisions. Apartments will need to be subletting during study abroad periods, which can affect if and when students sign a lease. Students who sign up for Drexel Housing must complete a Housing Release Form for their term abroad.

General Application Deadlines & Tips

Fall Term: February 1
Winter Term: October 1
Spring Term: November 15
Summer Term: March 1

Some program deadlines may vary. Students should check individual program pages to confirm the exact deadline.

Applications are generally available 1 year in advance. Students should strive to start the application process during a class term because it is easier to obtain signatures while on campus during business hours. Co-op students may need to obtain approvals via email or fax if unable to visit campus.

A few programs have rolling admission, in which case it is best to complete the application in advance. Most programs, including all exchanges, are NOT rolling admission. Those applications are evaluated after the deadline, and the most qualified students are selected. Students should check the program page to determine the admission process.

For Independent Study Abroad programs students must submit Drexel pre-approval requirements before the program provider’s application deadline in order to be approved to study off campus on Drexel's terms.