Applications generally open in two timelines:

Summer, Fall, and Academic Year applications open in November the year before and stay open until mid-February to early March. Exact program deadlines are program-specific and can be found on the program's brochure.

• Example: You are interested in studying abroad in Summer 2027. Applications for this term open in November 2026.

Winter, Spring, and Spring Break applications open in April/May the year before and typically stay open until mid-September. Exact program deadlines are program-specific and can be found on the program's brochure.

• Example: You are interested in studying abroad in Spring 2027. Applications for this term will open in April 2026.

You are limited to one study abroad application per term. As long as you have done sufficient research on your study abroad options, you should be able to apply to one program that will meet your goals. If necessary, we can work with you to switch your application to be applied for a different program. For special circumstances, your Global Learning Advisor can assist you.

Not all programs require a meeting with a Global Learning Advisor. When you open an application in MyEA, the meeting requirement will be visible if it is applicable to you. However, we strongly encourage you to review Study Abroad 101 resources and meet with an advisor or Program Leader if you have questions!

Study Abroad 101 is an introductory session to study abroad opportunities at UMD. It does not satisfy the advising requirement. 

In some cases, yes. Any undergraduate student graduating in May can participate in a Maryland-led summer study abroad program offered the term after their graduation (either summer I or summer II) and any undergraduate student graduating in December can participate in a Maryland-led winter and/or spring break program offered the term after their graduation. In both of these cases, you would apply as a UMD applicant. 

Please note: semester-long programs are not eligible to recent graduates. You would apply as a non-UMD applicant if the study abroad program was not immediately following your graduation date (i.e. graduating in May 2025 and participating in a spring break 2026 program). If UMD seniors are taking a graduate level course, they must request permission from their department to take graduate level courses. If the department does not approve the request, students must apply to the Graduate School to receive graduate level credit. 

Please contact educationabroad@umd.edu if you plan to study abroad the term following your graduation to confirm your eligibility. 

If you will need to “sublet” or re-lease your apartment while you are studying abroad, there are numerous housing posting boards and exchanges for you to utilize. EA does not manage any separate posting boards but we do direct incoming exchange students and returning study abroad students to the posting boards mentioned below. We recommend that you start this process as early as possible so that you maximize your opportunity to find someone to take your place.

• Courtyards guide to releasing
• South Campus Commons sublet FAQ
• Off campus housing database
• Uloop: online forum for CP housing for UMD students
• Facebook or other social media outlets that have public groups for roommate and housing searches

The SACD is a resource maintained by the Office of Global Engineering and the Education Abroad Office to assist students as they create their study abroad academic plan. The database displays which courses offered abroad have already been evaluated and how they will transfer back to a student’s UMD record. Students can search through the courses by program, institution, GenEd, UMD equivalent, and more.

Students are not limited to taking courses which are already evaluated in the SACD. If a student is interested in a course that has not yet been evaluated, they can send in a Transfer Credit Evaluation Request. Students are encouraged to work with their Global Learning Advisor and Academic Advisor to look at the available courses abroad, select courses that will work for them, and learn how credits earned abroad may apply to their degree requirements.

Some program types allow students to enroll in online College Park courses while they are abroad, however, the cost of these courses is not included in the program fee and will incur an additional cost to the student. Students are required to be registered in the equivalent of 12 hours at the host institution abroad, so any College Park courses taken while abroad will be in addition.

If you are studying on a Maryland-in or USAC program, you may have the opportunity to take courses for resident credit. Resident credits will appear on your transcript as if you took them at UMD, meaning the grade will be displayed and factored into your GPA. Courses will be marked as resident credit or transfer credit in the Study Abroad Course Database.

All other programs will be transfer credit only. Transfer credits appear at the top of your official transcript as overall credits towards your degree, but the grade will not be factored into your GPA. You must receive a passing grade (equivalent of C-) in the class in order to receive credit. Grades may be visible on your unofficial transcript for advising purposes.

Keep in mind that for any postgraduate plans you may want to pursue, your applications may require that you obtain an official transcript from the university abroad, in which case your academic performance will be reflected.

Ensure that your program/host university will send an official transcript to Education using the instructions in your MyEA account. The timeline for your Study Abroad Credits to Post to your UMD record is as follows:

1. You will receive an email from EA once we have received your study abroad transcript from your host institution/program provider. 
2. EA will evaluate your study abroad transcript and send it to the Registrar within 5 business days.
3. The Registrar will post credit to your UMD record within about 4-6 weeks. Please note that RC and TC may not post at the same time. 

Typically, transcripts can take 1-3 months after your program has ended for our office to receive your transcript, process, and appear on your UMD record. 

If it has been over 6 weeks since your transcript was marked as received in MyEA, contact educationabroad@umd.edu so we can look into your case.

UMD students are required to maintain full-time degree-seeking status while they are abroad for a full semester. To be considered full-time, you should take a minimum of the equivalent of 12 approved UMD credits per term. Some UMD scholarships require students to take and pass an equivalent of 15 approved UMD credits per term in order to maintain eligibility for scholarships.

Students who drop below full-time status may lose financial aid, scholarships, insurance or delay graduation. Please speak with your EA advisor for more details.

Many students who use 529 college savings plans to fund their education at UMD can also apply those funds toward study abroad programs. Eligible study abroad expenses include tuition and fees, program fees, room and board, and required textbooks.

However, certain study abroad costs are not covered by 529 plans. These include the EA fee, insurance costs, flights/transportation, visas/passports, and other out-of-pocket expenses.

UMD study abroad program brochures outline which costs are billable to your student account and which are out-of-pocket costs. Using a 529 plan to pay for study abroad generally follows the same process as paying for an on-campus semester. Depending on the program, some fees may be paid directly to a host institution or third-party provider rather than through UMD. In those cases, you’ll need to consult your specific 529 plan for guidance on how to handle those payments.

The only time you will pay your standard in-state or out-of-state tuition while studying abroad is if you are attending a fall, spring, or full year Exchange program. All other program types have a designated “program fee” which will be charged in place of UMD tuition. Depending on the program type, the program fee will either be billed to your student billing account, or you will pay the host institution/third party provider directly.

Click here to compare different program types EA offers.

In most cases, your program fee will be billed directly to your UMD student billing account, but there are a few exceptions depending on your program type.

• Billed through UMD:
  • Maryland-led (short term)
  • Maryland-in 
  • Exchange
  • Affiliate
• Billed directly by provider:
  • Direct enrolls
  • Petition programs
  • Other approved programs

Unsure which program type you are applying for? Check the “Program Type” section on the front page of the program’s brochure.

The Education Abroad fee (EA Fee) is a non-refundable administrative fee charged to all study abroad students once they are committed to a program. This fee covers all costs related to the operations of the Education Abroad office. This fee varies depending on the term(s) you study abroad.

All students participating in study abroad programs administered, sponsored, or approved by the University of Maryland are automatically enrolled in the UMD's international health insurance plan, administered by Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI). This coverage is required, and complements students' regular U.S. primary health insurance coverage. 

Certain study abroad provider organizations may also require that UMD students be enrolled in their respective insurance plans. Whenever possible, we will request that the provider waive its coverage and the attendant charges. However, some providers may be unable to waive coverage for participants.

Yes, if you withdraw from your program after committing, you will be responsible for up to the full cost of the Program Fee, Application Fee, Education Abroad (EA) Fee, and International Insurance, as outlined in your financial commitment.

Once you commit in MyEA, you are agreeing to pay these fees in full. While EA will make a reasonable effort to recover costs from vendors in the case of a withdrawal, most of the Program Fee is typically non-recoverable. The EA Fee and Application Fee are non-refundable unless EA cancels the program or there are extenuating circumstances. The only fee that may be refundable upon withdrawal before the program start date is the International Insurance.

We strongly recommend reviewing EA’s withdrawal and refund policies carefully before committing.

Yes. Tuition remission benefits can apply to Maryland Semester programs, Maryland Short-term programs, Exchanges and Affiliate Programs. Note that tuition remission benefits generally cover a per-credit rate and may not cover study abroad program fees in full. You should check with the benefits coordinator in the employee’s department or unit to confirm the value of tuition remission. Read more about tuition remission on the Financial Aid page.

Program fees are billed approximately one month before departure for programs sponsored by UMD. The due date of this charge might be after your program’s start date. You do not have to pay the bill prior to departure, but instead by the due date listed on your bill.

If you are attending an affiliate program, it is possible that you will not be billed before your program’s departure date. Once EA receives the invoice from your provider, we will pass the charge along to your UMD billing account. We will notify you when this charge is made to your account.

Education Abroad is responsible for making arrangements for you well in advance of your departure for your study abroad program. Many of our partners are not able to make such arrangements until they have complete details for each program participant. Students who do not submit information on time delay EA's ability to work with partners and make arrangements to ensure a safe and productive study abroad program, which can often incur additional expenses.

Please review the Financial Policies page for more information.

You can apply the financial aid you receive at UMD to your study abroad program costs in most cases, including Pell Grants, loans, UMD merit scholarships, and more. If you plan to use financial aid for your study abroad costs, please inform your Education Abroad advisor so they can help you with any additional paperwork or forms that may need to be completed. If you receive private loans or scholarships, check with the administrators directly to determine if they could be applied to study abroad. Explore more information about financial aid and study abroad here.

Education Abroad offers partial scholarships to UMD undergraduate degree-seeking students who have demonstrated financial need. Students must have a FAFSA on file and be in good academic standing to apply. Students can apply to Education Abroad scholarships at the same time they apply to their study abroad via the Scholarship Universe platform. 

Scholarships can be used towards the billable costs of a study abroad program. Scholarships will disburse directly to student accounts before the program fee bill is due. Scholarships cannot be used to cover out of pocket costs such as passports and flights.

You can find EA’s scholarship application on Scholarship Universe. You will need to create an account and answer the matching questions if you have never used the platform before. Instructions for applying to scholarships can also be found in your MyEA account. You will apply for scholarships at the same time you apply for your Education Abroad program.

Education Abroad scholarship applications are due at the same time as your program application. You must complete EA’s scholarship application in Scholarship Universe by your program application deadline to be considered for awards. 

Once you open a program application in MyEA, you will receive instructions on how to apply in Scholarship Universe. If you submit a scholarship application, but did not submit a program application in MyEA, your scholarship application will be discarded and you will need to reapply.

At this time, Education Abroad’s scholarship application is only open to students who have a FAFSA on file for the current academic year. Education Abroad only offers need-based scholarships, so a completed FAFSA is the only way for us to determine financial need.

Yes, Education Abroad will inform you of any scholarship award from our office before your program commitment deadline. You should receive notice of your scholarship decision within a few days of your program acceptance decision, allowing time for you to consider your financial circumstances before committing to your program.

Scholarships from Education Abroad will always be disbursed directly to your student billing account. EA scholarships will follow the same disbursement timelines as other UMD aid. Below are the general timelines for awards to post based on your term abroad: 

• Fall: mid-July
• Winter: mid-December
• Spring/Spring Break: mid-December
• Summer: mid-May

EA scholarships will be disbursed before your study abroad bill is due if your student account is being charged for your program fee.

Yes, a short thank you note is required for all Education Abroad scholarships. You will be prompted to complete the thank you note in Scholarship Universe once you have received notification of your award.

Some awards require a post-experience follow up. If your award requires a second thank you note, Education Abroad will be in touch with instructions.

Scholarships are not meant to cover pre-departure costs such as the EA fee, flights, or passport/visa fees. You should be prepared to pay for these out-of-pocket expenses without the aid of scholarships.

Scholarships are disbursed directly to your student billing account around the same time your program fee will be due. Scholarships will first cover any outstanding balance on your account, and any additional aid will be refunded by the Office of Student Financial Services and Cashiering. 

No, students who work with the UMD Education Abroad office will not have to re-enroll at College Park after their semester abroad. Education Abroad has a special registration process for study abroad students which keeps them enrolled as a full time student while abroad. 

Registration blocks and how to resolve them can be found on the Registrar’s webpage. Blocks cannot be resolved by Education Abroad.

Education Abroad will register you for your study abroad program at UMD. If you are studying abroad for a full semester, EA will register you in a placeholder course which will keep you enrolled full-time at UMD while you are abroad. If you are studying on a Maryland-led program, EA will register you for the study abroad section of the course offered on your program. You are not able to register yourself for study abroad sections.

Once Education Abroad has received your official withdrawal form, we will begin the process of cancelling your study abroad registration. This process usually takes around 3 business days. Once your study abroad registration has been cancelled, you should be able to register for College Park courses if the schedule adjustment deadline has not yet passed.

Approved study abroad coursework is posted to your UMD record. If you received transfer credit for study abroad and require an official transcript from your host university, you will need to contact the institution directly. Please contact your EA advisor if you need additional instructions. If you participated in a program as a member of the military, or studied abroad before 1981, visit the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC--formerly UMUC) transcripts page or the UMGC website.

There are several ways you can stay involved with our office:

• Fill out a #TerpsAbroad profile
• Join our Alumni Contact List if you'd be willing to speak with prospective study abroad students and to be notified of future opportunities.
• Volunteer at our events! We send out email calls regularly for volunteers at our Study Abroad Fair, alumni panels, and for community events!
• Explore another study abroad experience! Many students will pursue multiple study abroad experiences throughout their time at UMD.
• Donate to the Terp Study Abroad Fund as part of Giving Day each year!