Frequently Asked Questions

We’re so happy that you’re thinking about studying abroad as a University of Florida student! We have many resources available to help guide you through this process.

A first step would be to watch our 6-minute Virtual Info Session, or attend an in-person info session in the UF International Center. In-person sessions take place every Tuesday and Wednesday of the Fall & Spring semesters from 3:00 – 3:45 pm. Both our virtual and in-person sessions are led by our team of Study Abroad Peer Advisors, and provide a general overview of the different study abroad program types, financing options, and more!

Speaking of our Peer Advisors, they’re here to help you as you get started on your study abroad journey! Visit them at their Office Hours in front of the International Center (9am-4pm), explore their website, or DM them on Instagram @ufsapa.

Finally, our biannual Study Abroad Fair is the ultimate go-to event for learning about study abroad. Our Fair takes place each fall (September) and spring (January) on the Reitz Union North Lawn. The event features tables for nearly 100 different programs, as well as resources like Passport Services, Financial Aid, and the full UF Study Abroad team.

By using our online Program Discovery, you can explore all available study abroad opportunities. Just use the keyword search bar and/or the “Filters” button to search for programs based on your interests. For example, you might type in “health” to pull a list of pre-health study abroad programs, or use the Filters to only display programs happening in Summer A. Once you click on a program within the search, the page will expand to show more information about that specific program, including its location, coursework, and cost.

No, students are not required to participate in a study abroad program within their specific academic college. If you were to participate in a program outside of your major/minor, the coursework earned from that program will typically apply to your general elective credits. We encourage you to participate in whatever program feels right to you – whether it’s in your major or not! That being said, we strongly encourage you to speak with an Academic Advisor in your college to determine how your chosen study abroad coursework will apply to your UF degree.

Each of our Study Abroad Advisors specializes in a specific country or region of the world; therefore, we ask that you please narrow down the country/countries of most interest to you prior to scheduling an advising appointment. You may even have your exact program already chosen (which is great)! Advising appointments can be made here, by finding the Advisor that matches your location of interest. You are welcome to meet with as many of us as you’d like, but we kindly request that you first watch or attend our info session before requesting an appointment with any Advisor. Note that appointments with our team are not required, but can be very helpful in determining the right program fit for you.

Most programs accept students on a rolling basis, however, many also need to hit a minimum number of students before anyone can be formally accepted. Some of our popular programs may also fill before the application deadline listed online. Be sure to speak with your Study Abroad Advisor and/or Program Director about the selection process for your chosen program. We encourage students to start planning for their study abroad experience as early as possible to avoid missing out on any opportunities!

Yes, studying abroad in the summer on a program which offers 6+ credits will fulfill the entire UF Summer Residency Requirement! Even if a program is only 6 credits, it will fulfill the entire 9-credit requirement, as the UF Registrar’s office will waive the remaining 3 credits. Please note that in order to qualify, the program *must* take place during the summer term and *must* offer 6+ credits. Fall and Spring programs are not eligible to fulfill the requirement, nor are summer programs that only offer between 1-5 credits.

We understand that studying abroad is an additional expense that can cause financial stress. We want to make sure you understand your funding options and resources before beginning a study abroad application.

Bright Futures and Florida Prepaid can be applied to the cost of your study abroad program at the same rate they usually are on campus. (Meaning, they would not pay out any more or any less than normal.) However, Bright Futures and most grants and loans require a minimum enrollment of 6+ credits per term in order to pay out, so please keep that in mind while searching our programs. (Florida Prepaid does not have a minimum requirement.) Ultimately, all financial aid eligibility is determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. You should speak with SFA to determine what of your existing financial aid can apply to the costs of your study abroad program, including special awards such as Benaquisto and MFOS.

In addition, the UF International Center offers scholarship awards of varying amounts in order to help as many UF students study abroad as possible. You can explore our scholarship offerings, including application processes and deadlines, on our website.

Within our Program Discovery, each study abroad program has its own webpage with specific information and an “Apply Now” button. If no “Apply Now” button is showing on a webpage, it means that applications are not currently open for that program. That may be because the application cycle as a whole hasn’t opened yet (e.g. if you’re looking too far in advance), or because that program is unfortunately already full.

Unfortunately, no, you cannot. Our application system only permits students to open one study abroad application per term. There are many reasons for this; the primary one being that we need an accurate count of how many students are serious about a program at any given time in order to make the correct preparations.

If you are a first-semester Freshman or a transfer student with no UF GPA yet, you can gain conditional approval to essentially waive our GPA requirement temporarily. This will allow you to continue applying for the program, with the understanding that your GPA will be checked once available to ensure it meets your program’s minimum requirement. Most programs require a 2.5 GPA, but some may be higher. Be sure to speak with your Academic Advisor (and/or Program Director) during the study abroad application process if this situation applies to you.

If you have already been at UF for at least a semester and your UF GPA is below the program’s minimum requirement, you will need to obtain special permission from the Dean of your College to continue applying.

Our Academic Advising Forms (AAFs) are an important part of the study abroad application process, as they require you to speak with your academic department about your study abroad plans. We want to ensure you are aware of how your study abroad coursework will later apply to your UF degree, before going abroad.

Most - but not all – programs require the submission of an Academic Advising Form unique to that program, which can only be found within your study abroad application itself. Depending on your program type, there will be a link to the form in the “Instructions” (UF Sponsored) or the “Offline Requirements” (all others), which allows you to download the form as a fillable PDF.

If you’ve already submitted your form through our Contact Portal, we ask for your patience as we work hard to process these in a timely manner. During our busiest times of year, we can receive hundreds of forms each week. Please rest assured that if your form is entirely and correctly completed, it is considered received on the day you submit it to us. It will be uploaded to your application soon, although it may take a few days.

Most of our applications do not have a “Submit” button, but that’s ok – they do not need one. If you’ve completed all of the outlined requirements in your application portal, rest assured that your application will be reviewed and you will be considered for a spot on the program.

Unfortunately, no, that charge cannot be deferred until a later date. It must be paid during the application process in order for your application to be fully complete and considered for program selection.

Deposits and Administrative Charges are not refundable in a situation where the student withdraws their own application, fails to complete their application in entirety, or changes their mind about studying abroad.

However, students are eligible for a full refund of their Deposit / Administrative Charge under the following circumstances:

• They are not selected for participation in the program they’ve applied for.
• The program they’ve applied for is cancelled (a rare but possible situation).
• They have a documented medical or family emergency which prevents them from participating. In this case, the situation must be documented and evaluated by the UF Study Abroad team.

Learn more about our withdraw and cancellation policies here.

If you change your mind about which program you’re interested in while your application is still in Pending status, or if you are not selected for the program you’ve applied for, the UF Study Abroad team can easily transfer you application (including the paid Deposit / Administrative Charge) to another 

Luckily, UF students can apply for their passport right here on-campus through Mail & Document Services! We strongly advise that you to apply for (or renew) your passport as soon as you know you'd like to study abroad, in order to avoid delays or issues later on.

If you do have a passport, please verify that it is valid until at least six months after your planned return date to the U.S.; this is required for international travel. For example, if your study abroad program ends on July 1, 2026 and your passport expiration date is August 1, 2026 unfortunately that is no longer a valid passport for international travel and you will need to go through the renewal process. For a program that ends on July 1, 2026, the passport would need to expire after January 1, 2027.

This depends entirely on 1) what citizenship you have, 2) what country you’re traveling to, and 3) for how long. For example, the majority of European countries allow U.S. citizens to visit for up to 90 days without a visa or residence permit (although starting mid-2025, you will be required to submit an online European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) application). However, programs longer than 90 days or students with a different nationality than the U.S. likely will be required to obtain a visa. We recommend referencing the U.S. State Department’s website for more information on your host country’s requirements.

Certain countries do require visitors to vaccinate against yellow fever, dengue fever, or get medication to protect against malaria, etc. Please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to research vaccination requirements prior to travel, keeping in mind that some vaccines require multiple doses and may need to be started several months prior to travel. Please speak with a healthcare professional if you have any travel-related medical concerns. The UF Student Health Care Center offers Travel Appointments for anyone in need of assistance to discuss vaccination requirements or obtain required vaccinations.

Generally speaking, students and their families who have the ability to pay their program fees by the listed due date should plan to do so. However, we understand that many students depend on financial aid, loans, and scholarships to finance their study abroad experience. For that reason, we offer a deferment process for all students participating in UF Sponsored programs. This allows you to defer (i.e. postpone) the charges due to us until your financial aid disburses for the semester. Students wishing to utilize this option need to upload the Request to Extend Due Date / Defer Payment form to their application by the due date listed on their invoice. Please also note that although UF Study Abroad does not impose late fees for late payments, a past-due payment (without a Deferment Form on-file) will result in a registration hold being placed on your ONE.UF account.

UFIC strongly encourages all students to purchase supplemental trip insurance that covers cancellation for any reason (CFAR) or interruption for any reason (IFAR). This type of insurance is different than the international health insurance plans included in most study abroad programs. CFAR and IFAR plans help protect your financial investment in study abroad should unexpected circumstances arise affecting your participation. This is especially important if you have to withdraw for medical or financial reasons, but remain financially liable for most or all of your program fee. The last thing you want is to be in a situation where you have to still pay for your program when you can't even go!

An example of this type of insurance is the Worldwide Trip Protector Plans through Travel Insured International. However, you should do your own research and select a provider/plan that is best for you. 

If you are participating on a UF Sponsored study abroad program, there will be a group Pre-Departure meeting (or perhaps more than one) for all participants prior to traveling together. You will be notified when this meeting is by your Program Director and/or Study Abroad Advisor. If you are participating on a UF Exchange or Non-UF program, your Study Abroad Advisor will host a regional pre-departure meeting for all students traveling to the same country or region as you.

All students are also required to complete our series of online Pre-Departure Modules in order to prepare for their time abroad. This series consists of five sections – Travel Preparation and Logistics, Academics Abroad, Staying Healthy Abroad, Safety Abroad, and Cultural Adjustment and Identity Abroad – each of which have a corresponding quiz that must be passed.

Yes, students are welcome to use any free time on their program to visit other cities or countries. However, you are expected to attend and participate in all classes, assignments, labs, recitations, and field trips as scheduled by your program director and/or host institution. Please remember that this is a study abroad experience above all else, not a vacation.

The UF Registrar requires that all students submit an official transcript from all institutions attended during their enrollment at UF. Failure to declare attendance at another institution, including a study abroad, can invalidate any UF credits or degrees earned. As a result, all study abroad coursework and grades earned at an accredited overseas institution must be reported to UF at the end of your program. If you find yourself struggling in one of your courses, please reach out to your Study Abroad Advisor.

The health insurance that the UF International Center provides to all study abroad students is through the company Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI). A few days before your program begins, you should receive a copy of a personal CISI ID card via email. We highly encourage you to print this and keep it somewhere safe with you while traveling. If you never received your ID card or need it re-sent, please contact your Study Abroad Advisor. You can also contact an Advisor if you need a letter indicating proof of your health insurance coverage for a visa application.

A copy of our overall CISI policy and coverage details is also available. Please note that at most healthcare facilities abroad, you will need to pay medical expenses out-of-pocket and then submit a CISI claim for reimbursement.

Depending on what type of study abroad program you participated in, and what type of credit you earned (UF GPA vs. Transfer), your coursework may appear on your UF record at varying times.

For any UF faculty-taught courses, your grades should be posted shortly after the end of your program. If you participated in a UF Exchange program, or earned any transfer credit abroad, we must wait for your official transcript to arrive. This can take several weeks, or even months, so please be patient with the UF Study Abroad office. We cannot proceed with processing your coursework until an official transcript is received. Once we do receive it, we will process it as quickly as possible before sending it to the Registrar for final posting to your UF record.

Once your study abroad transcript is fully processed by the UF Study Abroad office, we will remove the 4IN hold from your account. If you know for certain that all of your study abroad coursework has been processed, but the hold remains, please contact your Study Abroad Advisor.

Once you’ve studied abroad, you may find re-assimilating to American life and culture unexpectedly challenging. This phenomenon is known as Reverse Culture Shock. Some of the ways you can navigate your transition back home include:

• Sharing your feelings and experiences abroad with close family and friends
• Staying connected with your host city or culture, including staying in touch with your new study abroad friends, professors, and/or host family
• Joining our team of Study Abroad Peer Advisors, a UF student organization that mentors prospective study abroad students and helps at UF International Center events
• Joining NaviGators International, to connect with UF international students from other countries
• Joining the International Scholars Program, to pair your study abroad experience with international coursework and on-campus events
• Speaking with the UF Counseling & Wellness Center, if you’re experiencing frustration, sadness, or anxiety upon returning home and want to discuss these feelings
• Speaking with the UF Career Connections Center, to learn how to incorporate your experiences abroad into your resume, cover letter, or in an interview
• Submit your photos to the UFIC Global Photo Contest