The sun rises over Sydney Harbour

Study Abroad

London bus
Where will you go? Study Abroad can connect you to the whole world. 

To be a part of UW is to be a part of a global community - students, staff, and faculty in the Humanities are true global citizens whose work goes far beyond the confines of campus.

The UW Study Abroad office should be your first stop in learning about global opportunities for your UW experience, but the HAS advising team can help you understand how study abroad will sync up with your specific major or minor requirements. To learn more about how HAS can help you before you go and after you return, see our questions section below.

Types of Study Abroad Programs

Faculty-led Programs —These are programs that are designed and led by UW faculty, and typically have pre-defined courses attached, so you know exactly what kind of credit you'll be receiving. Program length can vary from 10 days up to a whole quarter.

Exchange Programs —You will work with the UW study abroad office to set up an educational experience at one of our partner universities; perfect for an immersive experience. While studying on exchange, you'll be able to register for courses offered by the host institution, giving you flexibility on what you'll study.

Partner programs—Programs run by third party study abroad providers that the UW has vetted for safety and academic rigor.​ Partner programs allow UW to expand offering options to cover locations and subjects that might not have otherwise been available.

 Search for Study Abroad Programs Meet with an HAS Adviser

What To Do Before You Go

  • Pre-departure preparation ensures that you have a successful, productive and safe experience abroad. There's a lot to consider, from picking a program and applying to securing financing and thinking about how your study abroad classes will apply to your UW degree. Typically, how far ahead you need to plan depends on the length of program you'll be participating on - shorter programs (e.g., programs that are a quarter, semester, or shorter) should involve planning about 6 months out. Longer programs may need up to a year of advance planning.

      • The Study Abroad office has a pre-departure checklist that can act as a great place to start thinking about the finer details, from registration to medical care and insurance.
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      • One of the important pre-departure conversations you can have is with your major adviser - we can help you plan the courses you take while you are abroad so that they will apply to your degree in the way that you hope when you return home.
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      • Major advisers can help with study abroad planning so you don't choose study abroad classes that won't apply to your major, but it is important to note that pre-departure credit evaluations are not a guarantee of credit that will be received - departments and faculty have the final say on what coursework from study abroad converts to in terms of UW credit from their curricula. 

  • Yes, there are options dedicated to helping students fund study abroad work! UW Study Abroad Scholarships are intended to support students participating in programs run through UW Study Abroad. The goal of the UWSA Scholarship program is to promote accessibility to international opportunities for UW students.

    The UW Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards also has a searchable database - on the right hand side near the bottom of the filter/sort list, one option to filter by what kind of experiences a scholarship supports. "Supports Study Abroad" is the option you'll want to use here.

What To Do When You Return

  • Welcome Home! A lot of students will have questions about how their study abroad work can be applied to their UW degree. To learn more about the credit conversion process and what's needed, start here. This resource will also provide information on how to incorporate your study abroad experience into your academic, professional, and personal endeavors.

    As long as you complete all courses while abroad and completed the registration materials prior to your departure, you were most likely enrolled by the UW Study Abroad office in a placeholder course that shows up on your transcript as 12 credits of FSTDY 300. Once you have your grades and transcripts ready for the courses you took during study abroad, when you return, you'll be able to start the process for converting these FSTDY 300 placeholder courses into regular UW resident credits. Once converted, your study abroad work will be itemised, and will reflect UW course names and credit amounts can be applied to your UW degree.

    Learn more about how study abroad credit conversion at UW works here.