May Term Details
Policies & Additional Information

Priority Application Deadlines

for courses with fees $1,000 or greater: April 15 of the previous year.
for courses with fees between $300 and $999: Sept 15 of the current year.

First-year students are not eligible for international study abroad courses, however may apply for domestic courses during the Fall application period. View May Term policies.

May Term Policies PDF

Application Process

Utilizing the Campus portal, students will pay their deposit which provides a receipt number. This receipt number is needed to complete the application. Please refer to the May Term Policies for more details on deposits and course payments. Applications are not reviewed until both the deposit is paid and the application completed.

Upon application, Loras college faculty and staff will review your application, assess your academic record and conduct record, and may also check with your advisor and additional faculty and staff on-campus to confirm your ability to successfully participate in this program. Some course faculty may also require interviews prior to making a decision.

You may only apply for one course at a time. If you are not accepted into a course or your first choice is cancelled, you will have the opportunity to apply for other courses that still have space.

To apply for a May Term course, students must complete the following steps and complete the May Term application available on the Inside Loras Portal:

Read / review all of the contents of this page
Read/review the May Term Policies (pdf)
Pay the deposit online via your student account access (secure login required)
Read and review the May Term Study Away Participation Agreement (pdf) found on Inside Loras Portal
Submit Official Application (to be submitted by student - Loras network login required) found on Inside Loras Portal

Deposits

$500 deposit is due with application for courses costing $1,000 or more.
$1000 deposit is due with application for courses costing between $300 and $999.

Deposit must be submitted with the application. Deposits will be refunded if a student is not accepted into the course or if a course is canceled. Please review our May Term Policies for more information about the deposit and refund options. Plesase note that where there is any doubt, the “May Term Policies” and the “Participation Agreement” supersede all information included on the Loras website, portal or communicated by any Loras staff or faculty.

Before You Apply

Before you apply to a May term study away program, including a study abroad program, it is important that you understand what signing up means for you. You are paying a deposit which is non-refundable in most cases, and will be responsible for additional costs associated with the trip even before you must make another payment. Please take the time to read through the May Term Policies and understand exactly what you are signing up for and what your rights and responsibilities are.

You should share this information with your parents or guardians, especially if they are paying for your participation in the course. You must be at least 18 years old in order to participate.

We are not asking you to simply sign the application for legal purposes, but instead hope that you will really pay attention to what it says and ask questions if you are unclear on any points. If you have questions, please contact the Study Abroad Office.

May Term Travel Courses

It is important to understand that these are college courses, not tours! Participation in pre-departure meetings and all aspects of the course are mandatory except where specifically indicated as optional. Policies and expectations are somewhat different from those on campus as outlined in the Participation Agreement.

Virtually all students find these experiences very worthwhile and enthusiastically recommend them to other students. Please be aware of the special nature of study away courses. As participants in an intensive course, you need to be prepared for a highly structured experience with demanding assignments and a minimum of free time. You also must be prepared to approach new cultures and circumstances (including those within the United States) with an open mind.

The College has high standards of conduct for all participants on these programs, who are expected to be on their best behavior, reflect well upon the College and the United States, and to make decisions that support the success of the course. Students who are not interested in traveling under these terms are strongly urged not to apply. Please review the Participation Agreement carefully prior to applying.

These are courses that require intensive assignments related to the course topic. Itineraries will also be determined by the course, not by what sites might be popular with tourists. Therefore, you should select a course based on the course topic, and not simply the destination location or country(s).

Independent travel is prohibited in connection with May term trips. If you have a desire to visit a country independently or to visit friends or relatives, then you should travel to the country on your own. Unfortunately, it is simply not practical for the college to be involved in making special arrangements to accommodate individual travel plans.

Loras College weighs these risks when planning courses, but this does not imply that there is no risk. Also, everyone’s tolerance for risk varies. Your participation in the program indicates you have made your own investigation of these risks and are willing to accept these risks. Also, although Loras College does its best to provide safe travel opportunities, circumstances abroad vary and you must be responsible for your own health and safety while on these trips.

Accomodations for Special Needs

Although students are required to take May term courses, participation in study abroad/away courses is voluntary. The college endeavors to create trips that are educational, safe and comfortable. The college also seeks to make trips accessible to students with special needs as required by law. International travel, however, often involves compromises. For example, accessibility is very limited in some destinations. In many, fire safety in hotels is not up to U.S. standards. In some cases access to bathing facilities or private sleeping quarters may be very limited. Students must discuss any and all concerns with course faculty and the Study Abroad Staff prior to applying. Even when disclosed, the college cannot guarantee that all needs can be accommodated. In most cases, Loras staff accompanying students are not trained counselors or medical professionals.

Program & Travel Costs

Students are responsible for reviewing individual program descriptions to know exactly what is and what is not included in the program fee. Passports, vaccinations, meals, and textbooks are expenses students will often need to pay in addition to the course fee. These costs may amount to several hundred dollars. Announced costs are approximate and are based on a minimum number of students per program. Every effort is made to operate the program at the stated price. All program sponsors, including Loras College, reserve the right to adjust fees due to dollar devaluation, fuel surcharges and general inflation. Course costs vary from under $1,000 for some domestic courses to $4,500 or more for some international trips. Refer to the course description for more information prior to applying.

Trip Insurance

You may wish to purchase trip insurance in case you are forced to withdraw or leave your trip early for unavoidable reasons such as an injury or illness or to attend a funeral of a close family member. The college does not make a profit on study away courses and is not able to refund trip deposits and waive course fees or cover costs to change travel plans, even when a student has very good reasons to withdraw or come home early. The college does purchase medical insurance for students participating in Loras College May term course abroad, but this does not include trip cancellation coverage. Also, the college does not purchase trip cancellation or medical insurance for students staying within the United States during May term.

Billing & Payment Policies

IMPORTANT: When applying for a study away course you are committing to pay for expenses in addition to the initial deposit. If you chose to withdraw from the program or are expelled from the program, your deposit will not be refunded and you may be required to pay an additional amount equal to or less than the full course fees. Please see review our May Term Policies for details.

Program Deposit
Students applying to Loras College programs have been required to submit a non-refundable deposit to indicate their commitment to participation in the program. This deposit will be applied to the costs of the program. Payment of the non-refundable deposit authorizes Loras College and the faculty program leader to begin making final arrangements on behalf of each student for air travel, in-country lodging, transportation, and activities.

Full payment of program costs for students enrolled in a short-term program will be due with the Spring term bill, whether or not the student actually participates in the trip. If a student decides to withdraw from a course, they must formally drop the course through the Registrar’s Office as soon as possible in writing. Out of courtesy, they should also communicate with the course instructor; however, communication with the course instructor does not constitute a formal withdraw and will not prevent a student from being responsible for additional course related charges. A formal course withdraw must be completed though the Loras Registrar's Office.

Program Balance and Payment questions
Students will be billed for the remaining balance of the course. May term courses are Spring term courses; therefore, students will need to come up with the initial deposit before receiving any applicable financial aid.

May Term Details Policies & Additional Information