Here at Capital, there are a variety of study abroad programs for students to possibly participate in. Studying abroad has been said to be a life-changing experience that can make you realize how little of the world you have seen and how much more you want to see.
Some of the programs at Capital include the Carl Maria von Weber Hochschule Fur Musik in Dresden, Germany for music students and Mälardalen University in Västerås, Sweden for nursing students.
Capital also offers other overseas options for students in need of flexibility, including the Music in Hungary program for honors music student, a music exchange program in Dresden, Germany, a variety of nursing exchange programs, and selected short study programs led by faculty members, which varies each year.
A variety of organizations have sponsored the study abroad programs that Capital students have participated in.
These include the American Institute for Foreign Studies, Arcadia University’s Center for Education Abroad, Athena Study Abroad, Central College Abroad, the College Consortium for International Studies, Butler University’s Institute for Study Abroad, and Intercontinental Recruitment and Support Services. Others include International Studies Abroad, which is known for having strong Spanish language programs, and the Knowledge Exchange Institute, which offers internships.
Even more, for the Capital students who are interested in studying abroad but have time constraints, there are various Capital faculty members that lead students on short overseas programs related to many areas of study each year. Recent professor-lead overseas programs for our students were to the Bahamas, Canada, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Germany, Greece, Italy and Turkey.
These programs give students the opportunity to see the world in a way they never knew they could. Yet, many students don’t apply for study abroad programs because of the costs, which can vary upon location, but are usually upwards of $3,000, and for the average college student on loans, this isn’t even a consideration.
“I would love to study abroad,” Kelly Stokes, sophomore public relations major, said, “but it’s hard because not only do I have to worry about school payments, that would be a whole new burden.”
Yet, there are still various ways students can get aid.
According to Capital University’s Overseas Study and Financial Aid Policy, “Capital University views overseas study as an important element of a liberal education. In support of the overall educational mission of the institution, Capital University permits institutional aid (i.e. Capital University and departmental scholarships and grants) to be used towards the instructional cost of overseas study for one semester. Federal and state regulation permits the use of federal and states funds for any program related costs in which the university awards college level credit.”
“I really wish I knew about all the scholarship opportunities before it was my senior year and I had a ton of responsibilities,” Kistyn Baker, senior environmental science major, said.
Additionally, due to the limitation of financial aid for only one semester, there are more scholarships that require a review and ranking by the university. This review is done by the Academic and Student Success Committee of the college.
For instance, Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. NSEP, or the Boren Scholarship, is for studies abroad in geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.
Other scholarships include the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which is available to students receiving a Federal Pell Grant, the Congress-Bundestag Scholarship, which is a full scholarship to live and study in Germany for one year, the Fulbright Program for U.S. Students, which is for students who will have completed their bachelor’s degree before the beginning date of the grant. and the Qasid Scholarship Program for the study of Arabic language at Qasid Arabic Language Institute in Amman, Jordan.
For more information about studying abroad, the study abroad office has information tables from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Tuesday at the fountains, or in the lobby of the Harry C. Moores Student Union if it is raining. Also, to set up an appointment outside of normal advising hours, contact Jeni Cooke at 614-236-7126 or by email at jcooke@capital.edu.
*All information courtesy of Capital.edu
