More Info
Studying abroad is a rewarding and life-changing experience. Students who incorporate overseas study into their academic careers deepen their knowledge and understanding of international, political, and cultural affairs - as well as of themselves.
For students with physical disabilities who want to study abroad, an additional resource is Mobility International USA (MIUSA)
Begin planning as soon as possible—a year is not too early!
- Speak with your faculty advisor about your interest in studying abroad before you begin to make any arrangements to study abroad.
- Make an appointment with the Study Abroad coordinator by emailing StudyAbroad. You can review any questions you have about studying abroad during the meeting. If you have selected a study abroad program already, have all of the information available.
- Select a study abroad program. Read all of the course descriptions and other relevant information from the program’s website. If you have any questions about a program or the institution that is sponsoring the program, seek additional help from either the study abroad coordinator or your faculty advisor.
- Complete the MMC Study Abroad Application available on the Student Portal. Review the application in its entirety and read the fine print. The Study Abroad Coordinator will process your application and confirm your eligibility to study abroad.
- Meet with your faculty adviser to discuss and review your plans.
- Consult MMC Connect and/or schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Center for Student Services (lower level of Nugent), your academic advisor, or the Study Abroad Coordinator for a review of your academic record. This information will help you select study abroad courses that will apply to your degree program and allow you to graduate on time.
- Apply to the study abroad program and inform the Study Abroad Coordinator of your choice.
- Consult with the Study Abroad Coordinator about the courses you intend to take abroad. Your course of study must be pre-approved to ensure that your courses abroad will be accepted and recorded on your MMC transcript. The Study Abroad Coordinator will facilitate this approval. After you complete the MMC application process and the courses are pre-approved, you will be registered as a study abroad student for the term(s) you are away from MMC.
- If you are currently receiving financial aid and would like to apply it to your study abroad experience, you need to make an appointment with the associate director of financial aid (Center for Student Services, LL, Nugent, 212-517-0481) to discuss funding the cost of your study abroad program.
- Submit the Pre-departure Emergency Contact form, proof of international health insurance, and any vaccinations you have received, and a copy of a medical report or health declaration.
- Enjoy!
Passports
You can obtain an application for a passport at any Post Office including the one on 70th Street (between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue). If you already have a passport, please check that it will not expire for six months beyond your planned stay abroad. If you have to apply for the first time for a passport, please apply early—it could take four to six weeks—even longer during the peak travel season. Please check with the State Department for instructions and an application:
Visas
A visa is an official document granting permission by a foreign government to enter and reside in that country for a specific length of time and for a specific purpose.
Not all countries require student visas, so check with the consulate or embassy of the country you are planning to visit to determine whether or not you will need one. If you plan to study in a country that requires a visa, you may obtain one from the nearest embassy or consulate of the country concerned.
Applications for visas sometimes require a letter from the home college. Some embassies and consulates process visa requests quickly, but many do not. Some consulates accept visa applications by appointment only. During peak travel seasons, it can take two or more months to schedule an appointment.
Please check with the consulate of the country in which you are going to study for visa requirements.
Insurance for Students Going Abroad
Being insured while you are abroad is very important. Health insurance will cover you in case of an illness or accident. Travel insurance will cover your luggage and flight/trip cancellations. Sometimes these types of insurance may be purchased together in a package.
All MMC students going abroad to study must be covered by a health insurance policy that extends coverage overseas and includes coverage for “evacuation and repatriation.” The study abroad program sponsoring your study may include the cost of health insurance in the cost of the program. Or you may have to buy a separate, short-term insurance policy for travelers or purchase a short-term extension (“rider”) to yours or your parents’ regular policy for health and/or travel while you are out of the country. Be sure to have insurance covering “Evacuation and Repatriation.”
U.S. Embassies and Consulates Abroad
If you are a U.S. citizen, you should register with the U.S. State Department before you leave the U.S. This is very important. Should there be an accident, attack, or natural disaster, the Embassy will be able to contact you. This step is meant as a safeguard for you. The study abroad program sponsoring your study may register you with the U.S. State Department.
US State Department Traveler Enrollment
US Embassies and Consulates Abroad
International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
The ISIC offers savings on airfares, trains, buses, accommodations, museums, cultural events, and entertainment for students ages 12 and over who are currently enrolled at an accredited institution and matriculating towards a diploma or degree. Continuing education and language school students are not eligible.
How much do you know about your destination? Are you familiar with the current social and political issues of the country? What are the important issues facing college students in that country? What do you know of the history, literature, and artistic traditions of the country?
Consulates usually have very useful information about their country on their Web sites and the US State Department has overviews.
Contact the Study Abroad Coordinator for assistance while abroad.
You will have to register for classes for the semester following your time abroad. To do so you will need to e-mail your course selection for the next term to your faculty advisor to be cleared for registration. Let your faculty advisor know where you are.
Space in student housing is very tight so do not wait until you return from abroad to apply for housing at MMC.
If you are away in the fall semester and want to live in MMC housing in the spring, Spring Housing applications for MMC Residences will be available as early as November 1, 2023 and are due January 1, 2024.
If you are away in the spring semester and want to live in MMC housing in the fall, Continuing Student Housing applications will open up in March.
For more information, contact the Residence Life Office.
Transcripts
The grades you receive abroad will be calculated in your cumulative MMC grade point average. It is very important for you to arrange to have the transcript of your grades from your study abroad program sent directly to MMC. MMC cannot request your transcripts for you—only you can do this. Please be advised:
- You must pay all of your bills before the school abroad will release your transcripts.
- Without your transcripts MMC cannot process any further financial aid for you.
- If you complete fewer than 12 credits while studying abroad, you may forfeit some financial aid.
- Because courses taken for Pass/Fail will not transfer to MMC transcripts, you may not take any course abroad on a Pass/Fail basis.
MMC needs to receive letter grades from the school abroad. If the school gives grades in some other form (some schools give number grades), ask for an explanation of how to convert the grades to letters. If the MMC registrar does not receive your study abroad transcript within a month of the end of the MMC semester, you will jeopardize your eligibility for financial aid for the following term; your application for financial aid cannot be processed until your grades for study abroad are received and recorded by MMC.
Have the study abroad institution send the official transcript to:
Study Abroad Coordinator, Academic Affairs
Marymount Manhattan College
221 East 71st Street
New York, NY 10021