Students eligible for a semester or short-term program must have at least a 2.5 GPA prior to the departing term and must be in good academic standing. First-year students are ineligible to apply to a semester program or January Term course traveling abroad. Disciplinary records are reviewed and considered in the acceptance process. An initial deposit payment is typically required for most programs.

Students must have the approval of their academic advisors and have set an appointment with  the Office of Financial Planning to pursue a semester abroad.

Students who study abroad acquire and develop employer-sought skillsets including intercultural communication, leadership, problem solving, adaptability, self-awareness, cultural awareness, foreign language skills, confidence, and a better understanding of diversity. In our ever-connected world and globally connected workforce, these skills are essential for management and leadership positions. Studying abroad improves a student’s preparedness for a global era. Furthermore, interning and volunteering while studying abroad may not only result in credits earned for the semester, but enriches the experience with career integration in a corporate or non-profit setting.

The Center for Experiential Learning provides support throughout the entire process, from discernment and program selection, to months of pre-departure preparation, through the in-country experience, and following students’ return home and return to campus (known as Re-Entry).

During Pre-Departure:

• Accepted students are required to participate in program-specific pre-departure meetings the semester prior to departure led by CEL staff with guest presentations from faculty and staff across campus, returned Study Abroad students, and partners and providers abroad.
• Students will establish learning goals, discuss intercultural competence or cultural intelligence, review cultural adaptation and assimilation, explore how to navigate an international academic and internship setting, establish an international CV and motivation letter, complete appropriate host program applications, forms, and visa applications, and more.

During Re-Entry:

• Reverse culture shock, defined as an experience a person may have when returning to a home environment following an immersive experience in a new cultural environment, varies student-to-student and has been reported as sometimes more challenging than arrival culture shock.
• Often described as disorienting, students must re-adjust to an American pace and the academic expectations of their home institution. The Center for Experiential Learning helps students unpack their experiences in informal and formal ways to aid in reflection and processing of a transformative semester abroad.

Duhawks who have experienced the unique and transformative opportunities through Loras College Study Abroad and January Term often explore ways to apply their expanded learning and new cultural framework into remaining time at Loras and beyond. Post-Study Abroad involvement on campus has included infusing research from overseas into capstone and thesis presentations, Legacy Symposium poster and oral presentations, and article submissions in The Lorian. Study Abroad Alumni remain engaged and spread awareness of international education by participation at the Study Abroad Fair, program information sessions, in classroom presentations and Study Abroad alumni panel discussions, and by participation in the annual International Photo Contest.

The Center for Experiential Learning supports undergraduates in their pursuit of post-graduation exploration of the Fulbright Program, Teaching English Abroad, Peace Corps, graduate school, and employment opportunities.