International Education

Hello, welcome to Study Abroad. We are the International Education Office and we are going to explain how to start your adventure for Study abroad!

Hello, my name is Brenda Murueta and I am a study abroad student adviser at the Office of International Education at Oakland University. I am an international grad student currently pursuing my Master of Science in Business Analytics degree. I am from Mexico, and my experience studying abroad has been amazing here at Oakland.

Hi, my name is Juan Martin Davila and I am an International graduate student from Quito Ecuador. Right now, I am currently studying for my Master’s in Science Information Technology Management of Business Administration. When I am not hitting the books, I work as a study abroad student adviser at the office of International Education. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Cartagena, Colombia, and now I am really enjoying my study abroad experience here at Oakland University.

Oakland University offers many study abroad programs that allow you to get OU credit and grades that count for graduation. Throughout this presentation we will discuss where you can go abroad and how to start planning.

So who can study abroad? Typically, any OU student with a minimum 2.5 GPA, although this varies depending on the program.  Some programs might also have a foreign language requirement, but most do not.

You do not need to speak another language to study abroad. Most of our programs are taught entirely in English, so you can study in China, Morocco or France, for example, without speaking Chinese, Arabic or French. We also have a lot of programs in English speaking countries, such as England, New Zealand, Australia and Scotland.

We offer more than 300 programs in 45 different countries. Study Abroad program can be during the Summer a semester or a whole academic year. We also offer study away programs through National Student Exchange,  where you can study away at one of the 170 campuses in the United States or Canada.

Our most popular options are known as faculty-led programs. These are led by OU professors, and you will be living, travelling and studying abroad with other OU students while abroad. These programs typically take place over the summer or during semester breaks, and may last from 10 days to six weeks.

We also offer partner programs and exchange programs. We have partnerships with a number of organizations that offer programs all over the world, where you’ll be studying abroad with other students from universities throughout the U.S. Here you can see some examples.

Our exchange programs allow you to study directly at a foreign university. These appeal most to independent students, as you will be a regular international student at the university you choose.

Now I will explain how you can Start with the application process. First you can go to our website oakland.edu/ie. Click  the Study Abroad Adventure Form button. If the website asks for an email address to log in remember to use your OU credentials.  Once the Adventure Form has opened you can start filling it out. Type your OU email address and name. After that you will be asked about the first program that you are interested in, for example the term, the language, the subjects, the cost and the prerequisites. You will find all this information in the Search Programs link located in the description of the form. When you click here, you will find all the programs that we offer. I recommend you to use the filter sections to narrow your option. For example, I will use the destination filter and I will select “Ireland” because I always wanted to travel to this country. Select Ireland and then the “Apply Search” button.  Remember you can use other filters such as provider, institution field of study, language of instruction, terms, to narrow your options.

Click on any program and you will see some more information about that option. Then, scroll down and click the link that says “Program Homepage.” Once in the Program Homepage, you will see the terms it is offered, the dates, costs, application deadlines and the requirements. You can also find information about what courses are offered on that program. After you gather all the information you need,  go back to your Study Abroad Adventure Form and finish it. The Adventure Form also asks you to select a second program, and you can follow the same steps to complete this part. Once you’re done, you will receive an email with a link where you can schedule an appointment with a Student Adviser to discuss your program selections or any questions that you have.  Or, if you prefer to start  your application right away, you also can do that by clicking the “Apply Now” button .

That’s right. And now I’m going to explain how to create an account and start an application. In this page you will need to click the blue ‘Current Oakland Student Please Login HERE’ button’  and enter your OU email address and password and sign in. Start  filling out the rest of your account information and after that you are free to browse study abroad programs, and start your application. Using the “Search Programs” tab, find the program you want to apply for, click on the program name, scroll down and click the “Apply” button next to the term you want to study abroad.

Now, let’s talk about paying for your experience. Generally, you can use any scholarships and financial aid you have here at Oakland while you’re studying abroad. We also offer scholarships specifically for study abroad. The application for these scholarships is built into your program application. There are other sources of money as well, across campus, from our partner programs, and through national scholarships sponsored by the government or private organizations. You can find more information about these on the International Education website.

The cost of our programs varies, but it may not be as much as you expect – on some programs you can even study abroad for less than you pay to study here. You can use your normal financial aid package, and every year our students earn well over $100,000 in scholarships just for study abroad. Student loans are available as well. Don’t let worries about the cost dissuade you from studying abroad. All OU tuition scholarships apply, as well as grants and loans. We offer study abroad scholarships, available on the IE website and there are also departmental scholarships available as well as scholarships from our providers such as JCMU, CIEE, USAC and GEO.

Remember, the process starts by completing the Study Abroad Adventure Form which you can find on our website oakland.edu/ie. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected].

Thank you for watching us and we hope to see you soon!