CIEE Opens Doors to Study Abroad with More Short-Term Sessions

CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange is expanding short-term study abroad offerings to increase access to international education opportunities for U.S. undergraduates of all academic disciplines and majors. Beginning in 2016, the leading nonprofit international education and exchange organization will offer 36 new study abroad sessions in January and May to help ensure every student has the chance to study abroad.

Each three-and-a-half week session will offer students international experience and academic credit without impacting on-campus schedules or summer plans. January programs will be held during universities’ winter breaks, and May programs will be offered following the end of the academic year but prior to the start of traditional summer programs.

Each session is priced affordably at under $3,000. Eligible students will have access to scholarships and grants to further help defray the costs of studying abroad.

“Every student should have the chance to study abroad. Research shows that studying abroad helps to increase academic success, graduation rates, and post-graduate placements in jobs and graduate schools. By offering more sessions in more intervals, we help students of all academic majors and challenging schedules to participate,” said CIEE President and Chief Executive Officer James P. Pellow, Ed.D. “If a pre-med student has a rigorous academic schedule or a student athlete has a schedule that doesn’t allow them to be away from campus for a semester, they can instead take short-term programs in January during winter break, in May after the traditional year ends, or during the summer. They’ll gain critical international experience and stay on track for graduation – a win-win for both the students and their institutions.”

Session themes will include business, liberal arts, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) topics, such as culture and reproductive health in Ghana and sustainable development in the tropics in Costa Rica. Students complete one course tied to the session theme, go on excursions to sites of cultural or historical significance related to the theme, and take part in activities focused on immersion in the local culture.

“For example, students on CIEE’s January Communications, New Media, and Journalism session in Prague, Czech Republic, take a course on the power of social media, visit local media like Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, and meet with Charles University students,” continued Pellow. “Every component of the new sessions is designed to work together to provide students with maximum learning and cultural immersion in a short timeframe.”

By expanding short-term sessions, CIEE is taking the next step in its commitment to Generation Study Abroad™, a five-year initiative developed by the Institute of International Education. CIEE has pledged to break down the main barriers to study abroad – cost, curriculum, and culture – to help double the number of American students who study abroad to 600,000 by the year 2020.