1. S T U D Y A B R O A D
L I N G O
&
R E S O U R C E S
2. INTRODUCTION TO STUDY
ABROAD LINGO
Study abroad is paperwork and policy
intensive. Because of this there are a lot of
words, acronyms, and phrases that have
specific meaning in relation to study abroad at
Texas A&M University.
3. BASIC LINGO
• Study Abroad Advisor
– The advisor who manages the study abroad program you are confirmed into
• Abroad
– Abroad (for TAMU purposes) references a country other than the United States
of America, the country Texas A&M University resides in.
• Contact Hours
– TAMU requires that for each credit hour of a course there must be 15 hours of
faculty/student instructional contact
– For a 3 credit hour course there are 45 contact hours. 3 x 15 = 45
– USAR requires that your program include 6 credit hours
• Study Abroad Program
– A program where more than 50% of the course instruction takes place abroad
4. BASIC LINGO, PAGE 2
• Field Trip
– A program where less than 50% of the course instruction takes
place abroad
– FIELD TRIPS DO NOT SATISFY THE USAR REQUIREMENT
• Faculty-Led Program
– A program that is operated and taught by Texas A&M University
and TAMU faculty
– Students receive graded Texas A&M credit
– With the exception of the FSU programs, all of the USAR specific
programs are faculty-led programs
5. BASIC LINGO, PAGE 3
• Transfer Credit Program
– A program that is operated and taught by a non-TAMU entity
– The credit comes in as transfer credit
– The Florida State University (FSU) programs are transfer credit
programs
– You must register through the TAMU Study Abroad Portal AND
sign up for the program through the non-TAMU entity (FSU)
– You will pay a $100 fee to TAMU but all other program fees are
payable to the non-TAMU entity (FSU)
6. BASIC LINGO, PAGE 3
• Reciprocal Educational Exchange Program (REEP)
– A study abroad program established as an agreement between
Texas A&M and another university
– Students pay tuition and fees to TAMU, but attend the foreign
institution
– These programs are almost exclusively semester long programs
– These programs are limited to institutions that TAMU has a REEP
agreement with
7. APPLICATION PROCESS
LINGO, PAGE 1
• Study Abroad Portal
– Studyabroad.tamu.edu
– This is the website includes a searchable list of study abroad
programs, scholarship and financial aid information, process
information, safety information, and more
– This is where you will apply for your study abroad programs
– This is where you will confirm your participation, upload
documents, and monitor the various requirements involved with
studying abroad
8. APPLICATION PROCESS
LINGO, PAGE 2
• Study Abroad Application
– This is your study abroad application completed through the
TAMU Study Abroad Portal
– FSU program participants will also have an application through
FSU
• Application In Progress
– You have started an application but have not provided all of the
required documents
– It may take a day or two after submitting the last document before
your status will change to Approved
9. APPLICATION PROCESS
LINGO, PAGE 3
• Application Approved
– Your study abroad application has been approved in the TAMU
Study Abroad Portal
– You are not committed to the program yet
– You have 10 days to Confirm Participation or your application is
withdrawn
• Application Confirmed
– You have been approved for a program and you have confirmed
that you will be participating and that you can and will pay for the
program
10. APPLICATION PROCESS
LINGO, PAGE 4
• Application Withdrawn
– Your application has been withdrawn for one of the following
reasons
• You have withdrawn your application before confirming
• You did not confirm in the 10 day window
• Your application has been in-progress and there has been a long time
period of no activity
11. FINANCIAL LINGO, PAGE 1
• FASFA
– Federal Application for Student Financial Aid
– You should all complete this, even if you normally don’t get aid
• Student Loans
– Loans specifically for higher education
– There are a variety of different loan types
– You have to pay these back
– Speak with a Financial Aid Advisor for more in depth info
12. FINANCIAL LINGO, PAGE 2
• Grants
– Money given out by state and federal governments
– You don’t have to pay these back
– Rare
• Scholarships
– Money given out by a variety of institutions
– Can be merit and/or need based
– You don’t have to pay these back
– You have to locate these (usually)
13. FINANCIAL LINGO, PAGE 3
• Financial Aid Request Form
– Given to you AF TER you confirm into your program and AFTER the
program budgets are largely solidified
– Given to you by your study abroad advisor
• Gilman Scholarship
– A need and merit based scholarship available to Pell Grant
Recipients
– Early bird application is due October 1st
14. STUDY ABROAD RESOURCES
• The Study Abroad Programs Office
– The study abroad programs office can assist students who have
basic questions about the process, funding, or passports
• Your Study Abroad Advisor
– Once you’ve confirmed into your study abroad program your study
abroad advisor will be your point of contact for study abroad
related paperwork and questions
15. STUDY ABROAD RESOURCES
• Scholarships and Financial Aid
– Once you have your Financial Aid Request Form, the Scholarships
and Financial Aid Office can use the form to recalculate your
possible aid
• Money Education Center
– The center can assist students with financial planning and saving
for their study abroad program
16. ASSIGNMENTS
• Expectations and Understanding Due 9/05
• Program Statement of Interest Due 10/03
– One page synopsis detailing what program you are interested in,
why that program, and how it relates to your professional goals
• Funding Worksheet- Due 10/10
– Completed Funding Plan Worksheet
• Draft Scholarship Essay 10/17
• Study Abroad Application- Due 10/31
– You must have completed a study abroad application
