What you gain on your program will likely go beyond friendships, travel savvy, and academic achievement. Study abroad also provides you the unique opportunity to develop intercultural competence, the set of skills required to work and communicate successfully and appropriately with people from other cultures. Here are a few ways you can develop intercultural competence abroad: Be aware of your own cultural orientation and how it impacts your experience of and behavior in your new surroundings. Pay attention to the people in your host city, and try to recognize how their cultures impact their...

Read our Refund Policy to learn about your options should you choose to cancel your participation this term.

According to IES Abroad policy, you must have a working cell phone within a week of your arrival. Students typically opt for one of the following: Use your cell phone from home if your provider offers an international phone plan. Bring an unlocked smartphone and purchase either a physical sim card or e-sim card, if available. This option is recommended. Note that U.S. iPhone 14 models or later do not have a SIM tray, so users can only use eSIMs (if carrier supports eSIM tech) rather than a physical SIM card. Independently purchase or rent a physical cell phone from a local provider after...

Packing Basics Start to follow the local weather and do some research about seasonal temperatures and precipitation. Pack as light as possible! Students often regret that they packed too much. Leave room for the souvenirs you’ll want to bring home with you. Be able to carry your luggage up a flight of stairs on your own (*If you have a physical impairment that affects your ability to do this, please notify your advisor and the on-site center staff). Make sure your luggage will fit inside the trunk of a small taxi. Be aware of airlines’ limits to the weight and number of bags and any fees...

Students are encouraged to carefully consider whether they want IES Abroad-provided housing or to arrange their own. Many colleges and universities have specific policies about independent housing, with some not permitting it due to associated risks. If a student chooses to live independently, they are fully responsible for all aspects of securing, vetting, and managing their housing. IES Abroad cannot assist with independent housing arrangements or housing managers. It is important that we know in advance if a student intends to live in independent housing. Therefore, students requesting...

Our commitment to your health and safety includes international health insurance that covers you from the first day of your program to the last day of your program. Once you have confirmed your place in the program, we will automatically enroll you in Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) international health insurance on your behalf. The mandatory insurance is included in your program cost and cannot be waived unless your school carries the same exact policy through CISI. You will receive an insurance confirmation/registration e-mail prior to departure. The insurance plan is...

To review your housing options, log into the IES Abroad Moodle platform using the same username and password as your MyIESabroad account and navigate to "My Courses." Please note that the housing page may not be available in your Moodle account yet. After choosing your housing preferences on Moodle or Airtable, your specific housing assignment will be sent to you via email from admissions@IESabroad.org approximately three weeks before the program start date. Make sure that emails from this address will not end up in your spam filter by adding it to your trusted sender list. Please note that...

IES Abroad Scholarships & Aid As far as we're concerned, financial limitations shouldn't prevent you from studying abroad with us. That's why we offer more than $7 million in scholarships and aid. Plus, with our High-Impact Aid Commitment, we make sure that the most aid goes to students with the highest need. Remember how easy it was to apply for multiple colleges using the Common App? We took the same approach for our scholarship and aid application, because time is precious! We're all about helping you focus on the adventure you'll have, not just how you'll pay for it. Here’s what you need...

If you have not already done so, apply for your passport immediately! Processing your passport application can take up to 4 to 6 weeks. You can expedite this process by paying an additional fee. You must have a valid passport before you can apply for any other required travel documents. Your passport must be signed and valid for at least six months and up to one year (in some locations) beyond the end date of your program. If it is not valid for at least six months beyond the program end date, you must renew it immediately before applying for any required visa or entry permit. Please be sure...

IES Global Housing Policy At IES Abroad, we’re known for setting the standard in student health and safety, and that goes for student housing as well. In your host city, we have vetted housing options for our students. Housing might be one of the parts of studying abroad that you and your family are most anxious about. We understand that this experience involves a lot of unknowns and want to help you be comfortable with what living like a local will look like. That also means that you’ll need to keep an open mind and understand that things will be different in your host country. If you do, you...