IES Onwards | IES Abroad

About IES Onwards

Travel with purpose, learn with passion!

Remember the feeling of studying abroad? Exploring a new city, making friends, and discovering a new you? Well, it doesn’t have to be just a memory—now’s your chance to do it again!

Designed with academic integrity, our programs uphold excellence and honor our responsibility to learners, partners, and the communities we serve. Built on IES Abroad’s mission to turn students into global citizens, IES Onwards Programs give alumni and friends the chance to dive back into adventure. You’ll explore a meaningful topic at one of our Centers abroad through a mix of hands-on experiences, inspiring classes, and real cultural immersion. It’s learning—but with a passport and a whole lot of unforgettable moments.

IES Onwards Interest Form

Why Join an IES Onwards Program?

Via short-term learning journeys, the IES Onwards Program offers lifelong learners the chance to engage deeply with a specific subject through a blend of experiential development, instruction, and cultural immersion.

Grounded in the IES Abroad mission to educate students to become global citizens through premier study abroad programs that deliver the highest quality experiential learning, the guiding principle of Onwards programs is to educate and transform, rather than merely entertain.

Designed with academic integrity, our programs uphold excellence and honor our responsibility to learners, partners, and the communities we serve.

Learning Goals

Engage in Experiential Learning

Enhance Cultural Understanding

Foster Intellectual Curiosity, Personal Growth and Creativity

Provide Opportunities for Social Connections

FAQs

General Information

What is the schedule of events?

How much does it cost to attend?

What is included in the registration fee?

4-Star hotel accommodations
Transportation to/from hotel accommodations from/to the airport
Daily breakfast
Group lunches or dinners on select days
Daily readings to familiarize yourself with content-based excursions
Guided walking tours and orientations in your city
On-site lectures
Access to qualified IES Abroad faculty members and content area experts
Local transportation passes where applicable
Day trip(s)
Free time to explore your city on your own
Cultural Events
CISI Insurance

For additional inclusions, visit the program page for your desired location.

What is NOT included in my registration fee?

What travel documents are required for entry?

A valid passport: Your passport needs to be valid for at least three months beyond your intended stay. Therefore, if you plan on departing September 26th, 2026, your passport needs to be valid until December 26th, 2026. You can confirm the latest requirements on the U.S. Department of State website.
Your location may require an additional travel document. Please visit your program page for more details.

Who do I contact for more information?

Registration

If I’m having trouble registering, what do I do?

When is the last day to register?

To secure your spot, we  strongly recommend registering early.

The final day to register for Fall 2026 programs is May 1, 2026, provided there are still spots available.

Registration will close sooner if we reach the capacity of 25 participants.

If registration is closed, you will be able to add your name to our waitlist. If you cannot add your name to a waitlist via the registration page, please email onwards@IESabroad.org and a team member will be happy to assist you.

Who can attend? Can I bring my family and friends?

You can register a family member or friend! However, we can only host 25 participants per program, including guests. We ask that you bring a maximum of one guest. Your guest will need to register themselves on the registration website, or alternatively, you can register your guest on the registration website. There is space on the registration page for you and your guest to note that you are traveling as a pair on the program.

If I am no longer able to attend, can I cancel my registration?

Accommodations & Transportation

Will there be hotel accommodation?

Local accommodation will be provided for you and your guest in double- or single-occupancy hotel rooms.

If you would like to stay in a different hotel, you are responsible for making your own arrangements including securing your own hotel reservations and transportation to/from the local IES Abroad Center.

There will be no reduction in your registration fee should you decide to stay in a different hotel instead of the IES Abroad-arranged accommodation. The double occupancy rate will remain, with the option for single-occupancy add-on fee.

What else do I need to know about the accommodation?

Participants will stay in four-star hotel accommodations. Daily breakfast is included. Specific room layout varies by hotel.

If traveling as an individual, you will not be assigned a roommate. You will have the room to yourself. Select the single occupancy rate if traveling as an individual during registration.

If traveling with a registered guest, you will share a room with your guest.

There is a difference in price per person between those who are traveling individually and staying in a room alone (single occupancy rate) and those who are traveling as a pair (double-occupancy rate applied for each person staying in the room). If you are sharing a room you are required to pay the double-occupancy rate. Your guest will also be required to pay the double-occupancy rate. If you would like a single room you are required to pay the single occupancy rate.

Everyone who stays at IES Abroad-arranged accommodation must be registered to participate in the Onwards program, either selecting the double occupancy or the single occupancy rate at the time of registration.

Can we extend our stay in the hotel?

Will there be transportation provided?

Transportation varies by city. For example, local LEAP transportation cards will be provided for Dublin Onwards participants, but no local transportation cards will be provided for Siena Onwards participants, as private transportation will be provided.

Participants will be met in the hotel lobby by an IES Abroad team member and will either walk or take public transportation to the local IES Abroad Center or daily meeting spot.

Coach bus transportation will be provided for any excursion outside the city limits.

Should you choose to stay in accommodations not arranged by IES Abroad, you are responsible for securing your own transportation to and from daily activities.

Transportation will be provided to/from most excursions, however due to limited entry in certain parts of each excursion location, not all will be door-to-door. Once on-site, you will likely be walking from place-to-place.

Is parking available at the hotel?

Health & Safety

What COVID-19 policies will be in place?

Are there childcare resources available?

What if I have special needs?

What should I wear?

What is included in the international health insurance (CISI)?

Your Onwards registration fee includes international health insurance for the duration of your Onwards program through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI). The policy is specially designed for international travel, and it includes coverage for physical and mental health concerns, counseling, medical and other forms of evacuation, specific trip delay benefits, a bed-side benefit for hospitalization for more than three days (which pays to fly family members to your bedside), and more. Additional components include comprehensive accident and sickness insurance, assistance services, claim administration, 24-hour multilingual phone support, and online tools.

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