Education Abroad and Graduate Students

The Education Abroad office offers a few formal study abroad programs that facilitate courses/credit for graduate students. These are primarily focused in Germany and available to students in German or Engineering graduate programs (as well as a few options for Law students). You can see the limited list of programs offering graduate-level credit. Beyond these options, graduate students would organize their own study/research abroad. Each graduate student is so different in terms of interests/focus that it is very difficult to offer organized programs.

Occasionally, graduate students will choose to attend a study abroad program and earn undergraduate credit. This is most common when a graduate degree requires reaching a certain language level, but also possible if the subject matter pertains to your interests and/or research areas. Speak with your department and the Graduate School about how this may fit into your plans.

While many graduate students receive partial or full funding here at CU Boulder, this rarely applies to study abroad. Aside from smaller scholarships, students must provide the necessary funds.

If you have additional questions about pursuing a formal study abroad program for credit, please contact steven.rose@colorado.edu. 

Most graduate students who go abroad pursue independent research through department connections. We recommended that you discuss this possibility with your faculty advisor to explore any potential connections that the department may have for research/collaboration opportunities. Education Abroad does not offer formal options for conducting research abroad. Rather, this is something that you would organize on your own, perhaps in conjunction with your department.

If you are able to arrange for a research experience abroad, we recommend that you coordinate/report your plans with the following three campus offices to ensure compliance with various policies.

• CU Boulder Graduate School
• CU Boulder International Travel Policy and Guidelines
• Institutional Review Board at CU Boulder

Depending on your destination country, the length of your stay, what you intend to do while there, etc., it is quite likely that you will be required to obtain a visa before departure. It is important that you know what visa requirements will apply to you so that you can prepare for this well in advance. Many consulates, for instance, require that students appear in person to apply for their visa. Others may require a background check, which can take some time to obtain, and so on.

The visa process for graduate students often differs from that of undergraduate students, and our office may or may not have additional knowledge/information about your specific destination.

Here are several things to keep in mind:

• Check your passport’s validity. Many countries require that your passport be valid for at least 6 months after your return to the U.S. If your passport does not satisfy this requirement, renew it now, as it can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks to receive a new passport.
• For initial information on entry requirements for a specific country, you can visit the Entry/Exit Requirements section in the Country Specific Information pages on the U.S. Department of State website, where you can also find links to the country’s embassy website.
• In many cases, you will apply through the consulate that has specific jurisdiction over your state of residence. Requirements frequently vary by consulate, so make sure you are referencing your consulate’s instructions.
• Entry requirements can change at any time, so pay close attention to consular updates. Some consulates may not regularly update their websites, so we recommend contacting the consulate directly to request the visa instructions (in writing, preferably). However, you may find that some consulates respond better to phone calls than email, or vice versa, so you may have to try several avenues. Either way, keep in mind that embassies and consulates are frequently understaffed, so be patient and keep trying.

• If you are enrolling at an institution abroad, you will very likely be classified under a student visa. Many student visas do not allow their holders to work, or if they do, they may limit when and how many hours per week you may work. “Work” could also include non-paid activities such as volunteering or internships. As such, a general “student” visa may not apply to you depending on your intended activities, so make sure you understand the parameters of each visa.
• Research will typically fall as a sub-status under a student visa, but it depends. Some countries might classify it as a work visa.
• The organization offering you the study/research/work position should know which general visa type you fall into because they will need to fill out paperwork to submit to the government. Clarify with your hosting organization about your visa type early on so that you can at least begin your research. If the organization doesn’t know this, it might be a red flag.
• Along these lines, certain activities (such as working in a lab or clinic, traveling to a certain region, etc.) could require a special permit or visa, even in countries where you may not need a visa at all normally.

• If you plan on bringing dependents abroad for an extended period of time, extra financial support typically must be shown during the application process. You may be able to “add on” dependents to your own visa, or they may have to go through their own visa process.
• Dependents are not always allowed to work. If they are, there are often restrictions on this. Dependents are often able to work remotely for a position that is based in the U.S. and paid into a U.S.-based bank account. But even this could be specifically prohibited under certain visas.
• Federal Financial Aid does not take dependents into account when awarding funding, and does not have any type of appeals process for this. Financial aid is based on covering your costs and your costs only. Other funding sources may or may not consider dependents.

• If you have passed your comps, you are required to maintain continuous registration until you pass your dissertation defense or final examination. If you will be away from the Boulder campus, you can register for 3 dissertation hours each semester, and this will meet the requirement. (You must return to full time registration with 5 dissertation hours during the semester of your dissertation defense/final exam.) You could also request an exception to our rule and apply for the Leave of Absence program. That would require a petition to the Graduate School outlining your extenuating circumstances and including your faculty advisor’s endorsement (along with the Leave of Absence form).
• Not yet passed your comprehensive exam? If you haven’t passed you comps and will be away from the Boulder campus, you can apply for the Leave of Absence program for up to a year.

The CU Graduate School website has the most comprehensive listing of possible funding opportunities (including several focused on study/research abroad).