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Path to Study Abroad

Getting Started

 

1. When should I start planning?

  • As soon as you receive the letter of admission from Linfield as a first year or transfer student, explore the options.
  • We recommend you apply for your passport early in the process.
  • Every student, regardless of major or academic discipline, has the opportunity to study for Jan Term, a semester or a year in various cities around the world.

2. How do I fit study abroad into my Linfield Education?

  • With proper planning, studying abroad while at Linfield can easily fit into your 4 year plan so you can graduate on time.
  • Discuss these opportunities with  the IPO and faculty advisor soon after you arrive on campus. 
  • Plan how the semester abroad or January term experience will fit into your Linfield degree with your faculty advisor.

3. What about fulfilling my major or minor course requirements?

  • All credits earned in Linfield's programs abroad can be applied to your general Linfield credits.  Credits can count as major, minor, LCs, or as general elective credits.
  • If you wish the credits to count towards a specific LC, major or minor requirement, you will need to complete the Study Abroad Transfer Course Approval Form. This can be done prior to studying abroad, or while you are abroad. 

4. Special Features of Linfield’s Study Abroad Programs

Habitat for Humanity construction

  • Linfield pays the round trip airfare for all tuition paying students on a Linfield program outside of the continental U.S., from Portland International Airport to one destination for one trip - for approved travel for semester, academic year, and January Term programs - for each student who meets program requirements.
  • The cost of a semester abroad program is similar to what it would be if you were on the McMinnville campus for an equivalent time. 
  • Housing
    • Language semester programs offer homestays  – a great opportunity to establish long term connections, to be fully immersed in the culture, traditions and norms of the people there and to enhance your language proficiency through daily practice and use with your host family.
    • Other programs, with the exception of Austria, are apartment style or dorms.
  • Many sites offer community service/volunteer work such as working with an orphanage or with the Habitat for Humanity projects.
  • The January term off-campus courses offer thematic, interdisciplinary studies on such topics as lifestyle and longevity in Japan, environmental economics in Australia, creative writing in literary Britain, technological and environmental advancements and concerns in China, medieval philosophy in Europe or eastern philosophy in China, health care in India, the Cameroons or Australia, politics and tragedy in ancient Greece, politics of the past in Russia, British politics, marine biology in Hawaii, Arab civilization in Spain, and many others.

5. Why should I study abroad?

  • Studying abroad offers many benefits:
  • Academic Benefits - earn credits towards your majors, explore new academic areas, strengthen your foreign language ability
  • Professional Benefits - open new career opportunities, gain many skills that employers seek
  • Personal Benefits - build self-confidence, improve problem solving skills, and learn more about the world and about yourself
  • Studying abroad as a student in health and medicine.
  • Opens opportunities to study, research, work, and teach abroad after graduation through programs such as Fulbright and Japan Exchange Teacher programs.

6. Which program should I go on?

  •  Linfield offers semester and/or year abroad programs at over twenty locations as well as approximately twelve Jan Term Courses Abroad every year, so there are a lot of options. 
  • Each program is different and choosing your study abroad program depends upon your major, language knowledge, budget. academic plan and other commitments. 
  • Talk to an IPO staff member about your options! We are here to guide you through your options. 

7. What are the next steps?