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There is a lot to get done before the adventure begins! In addition to completing your pre and post-acceptance application materials for CCCU GlobalEd, you’ll need to coordinate with your own campus to make sure that you have approval for academic credit and off-campus study participation. Read the FAQs below to find out what you may need to do on your campus in order to study-off campus!

How do I get campus approval?

Most students who participate in a CCCU GlobalEd program will be enrolled with a home institution (ex: Palm Beach Atlantic University, Westmont College, etc.). In order to participate, the student’s home institution must grant approval for studying off-campus. Independent students seeking academic credit will need to communicate with a CCCU GlobalEd Admissions Coordinator on a case-by-case basis.

Each school has a different procedure for approving off-campus study. The best place to find out the details of that process is the Study Abroad or Off-Campus Study office/contact on campus. The student may need to complete additional paperwork or have an interview on campus before their school officially approves them to apply to a CCCU GlobalEd program. 

The home campus must verify that the student is approved to participate in a CCCU GlobalEd program through the Off-Campus Study Approval Recommendation form. Instructions on how to complete this form will be provided once an application is opened. The form will be completed by the student applicant and the Study Abroad or Off-Campus Study contact.

How do I send my transcript to CCCU GlobalEd?

Most CCCU GlobalEd programs will require you to submit an official transcript from your current college/university campus. Review your application requirements on your individual application portal to see if an official transcript is required.

To request an official transcript from your college/university, contact your Registrar’s/Records office. Please note that we cannot accept unofficial transcripts.

Where do I send my transcript?

For physical copies, please send your official transcript to the following address:

CCCU GlobalEd
321 8th St NE
Washington, DC 20002

For official electronic copies, please send them to globaled@cccu.org

Remember to give your campus enough time to process the transcript prior to the admissions deadline! We can accept unofficial faxed or scanned copies to use to review your application, but CCCU GlobalEd must receive an official transcript before we send you an admissions decision.

What are the equivalent courses on my campus for the courses I would take through CCCU GlobalEd?

Each campus determines course equivalencies differently. It is your responsibility to work with your academic advisor, off-campus study advisor and/or registrar to determine academic credit and equivalent courses. We strongly recommend finalizing your course equivalencies during the application process. Otherwise, it is difficult to guarantee you will receive credit for your CCCU GlobalEd courses, and we don’t want you to make that discovery after you’ve completed your term!

CCCU GlobalEd does not assign course numbers due to the variety of campus policies. Each program page’s “Academics” tab includes course descriptions and/or syllabi. Since courses do not frequently change from semester to semester, the posted information will give you and your academic advisor a general idea of the coursework you would take while studying with CCCU GlobalEd. If your campus requires more detailed information, please reach out to a CCCU GlobalEd admissions coordinator.

I do not attend a CCCU school. Can I still participate in a CCCU GlobalEd program?

Yes! Most students who attend CCCU GlobalEd programs are from CCCU institutions, but we welcome applications from non-CCCU students! To learn more about the procedures for non-CCCU student participation, please contact the CCCU GlobalEd offices at 202-548-5201 or globaled@cccu.org.

Sometimes, the online application process can get a little confusing! What do you need to turn in? And when? Then what happens? In the FAQs below we cover information that will be helpful as you go through the CCCU GlobalEd online application process:

How do I know if you have received my requirements?

You can check the status of your requirements anytime in your application portal on Terra Dotta. Simply log in and look to see which materials are listed under “Completed requirements.” There is also a progress tracker on the main page of your application that will show how many requirements you have left to submit.

Please note that hard copy transcripts may take several days to arrive by mail and 1-2 business days to manually process.

If you have questions or concerns about the status of your required materials, please contact your CCCU GlobalEd program advisor.

When will I find out if I have been accepted?

We review submitted applications on a rolling basis. Each program has a different timeline for processing applications, but in most cases, you can expect an admission decision within three weeks.

What do I need to do after I'm accepted?

First, celebrate! Then, get back to business…Within two weeks of receiving your acceptance decision, you will need to confirm your intent to participate and pay a non-refundable deposit. Throughout the rest of your admissions journey, you will be in close contact with your CCCU GlobalEd Admissions coordinator. They will send details about your upcoming semester, travel to your program, and cohort information in the months leading up to your departure. In the meantime, focus on the checking off your post-acceptance application requirements that you will find on your application portal!

Studying off-campus is a significant decision! One of the biggest components to consider is your financial plan. We recommend strategizing how you will fund your experience and budget during your program before you arrive on-site. In the FAQs below, we answer common questions about finances:

How much will the program cost?

Fees differ for each student depending on their campus policies and student aid arrangement. This means it is very important for you to contact the Off-Campus Study Coordinator or Financial Aid Office at your school to determine how much you will pay to study with CCCU GlobalEd. Make sure you do this prior to committing to participate in the program!

In most cases, your costs will reflect the program’s instructional fees, room, and sometimes board (food). You can find detailed information about costs, anticipated additional expenses, and billing for each program on their “Costs & Dates” tab.

Will I be able to use my financial aid during my CCCU GlobalEd Program?

All federal and state financial aid should apply to your studies with CCCU GlobalEd. Additionally, many campuses allow students to transfer some or all of their institutional financial aid, scholarships, and grants.

Again, it is very important for you to check with your school to determine if/how campus aid or scholarships are applied to a term off campus with a CCCU GlobalEd program!

Are there any scholarships available?

CCCU GlobalEd does not offer any direct scholarships for participants; however, just like when you applied to college, there are a lot of scholarship opportunities out there! We recommend researching scholarships available for students who study off-campus during their college experience! Also, be sure to check with your campus for institution-specific scholarships. We have compiled a preliminary list here

For students with high demonstrated financial need, there may also be fee reductions available. If you believe you may qualify, please reach out to your CCCU GlobalEd Admissions Coordinator.

We highly recommend discussing your plans to study off-campus with your parents or guardians as soon as possible! To help get the conversation going, the FAQs below provide answers for commonly-asked questions.

What important information should I share?

First, you should tell them why you are interested in studying off-campus with CCCU GlobalEd. Share your excitement! Explain to them how you heard about the program, why your interest has grown, and how you think the experience will benefit you.

From there, you can get into the nitty-gritty details. Everyone will have different concerns and questions, but some important topics to cover are program dates, costs, safety, and communication. While some topics are covered below, we also encourage you to share the program’s website with them. It contains a world of information about everything from housing to academics to program staff.

Who should they contact with questions?

If you are considering a term with CCCU GlobalEd, you should be the main point of contact with our office. If your parent/guardian has questions you don’t have answers to, make a list and give your Admissions Coordinator a call or schedule a video meeting. Throughout this process, we want to encourage you to take responsibility and lean into the challenge of coordinating logistics and preparing well for your term off-campus. Studying off-campus is an exercise in independence (along with many other things!), so we consider the time before your departure as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for your overall success!

In the case of emergencies, the CCCU GlobalEd office will communicate directly with parents/guardians as well as students’ home institutions. 

How should I address safety concerns?

We understand that safety can be a concern when considering any term off-campus, stateside or internationally. While CCCU GlobalEd cannot guarantee complete freedom from risks, we can affirm our longstanding commitment to student safety and stewardship, and our readiness to deal with emergencies in a responsible manner.

CCCU GlobalEd has been in operation for more than 40 years. We only operate programs in locations where we are confident that students will be safe. We continually monitor the news and safety conditions for changes, responding as necessary. Each program has an emergency plan that is reviewed regularly, in light of standards of good practice in off-campus programming, local regional advice, risk management consultations, and experience gained through previous emergency events. Program staff members are well connected within their local communities, with many years of experience and deep networks of resources to draw upon for advice and assistance. Additionally, each program reviews safety topics during their student orientation.

For more details on this subject, please direct them to CCCU GlobalEd’s Health & Safety page.

Will CCCU GlobalEd ever contact my parents/guardians?

As the applicant or participant, CCCU GlobalEd considers you to be our primary point of contact. However, we will notify the emergency contacts that you provide on your application in the case of an emergency and/or if any safety announcements need to be sent out during the term.

How often will I be able to communicate with my family and friends back home?

Support networks are vital! Check-ins with friends and family provide support and familiarity; however, we encourage students to prioritize building community within their program location. This means that contact with family and friends could look different from a normal term at their home campus. We’ve had countless students attest that spending the bulk of their time and “emotional energy” identifying with the local culture, rather than being torn in two directions, leads to a richer overall experience. We suggest that you prepare your family and friends for the likelihood that they will not hear from you as often as usual.

During the term, you may travel to places that might not always have reliable access to phones or email, but in the case of emergencies, CCCU GlobalEd program staff always have means of communicating with our U.S. offices, including times when the group is traveling.