Policies

All scholarship and financial aid awards from Elon are applicable to Elon-approved Study Abroad & Study USA programs.

Federal financial aid may be used for Non-Elon study abroad programs if a consortium agreement is established between Elon University and the sponsoring organization.

Students must contact their Fellows or Scholars program director to have a global engagement  travel grant applied to an upcoming experience.

Students on Elon programs (centers, affiliates, and exchanges) will receive Elon grades and credits for all approved courses taken while abroad. Visit the Course Planning page for more information.

As stated in the Academic Catalog, global engagement courses may not be taken on an audit or pass/fail basis.

Elon University’s policy is to review travel to restricted areas, which is defined as one of the following:

• the U.S. Department of State has assigned a Level 3 or Level 4 travel advisory, or
• the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that has issued a Warning Level 3, or
• Elon has restricted travel.

Travel to restricted areas can be petitioned by Elon students, faculty, or staff, for either an Elon-sponsored program or for individual travel to countries/programs not associated with Elon. For more details, contact the Executive Director of Global Engagement Allegra Laing (alaing3@elon.edu).

As stated in the Elon University student handbook, students sanctioned with Disciplinary Probation or Disciplinary Suspension lose the privilege of participating in global engagement while on this status. All deposits or payments for global engagement will be forfeited without reimbursement.

For more information on appealing disciplinary violations to participate in a global engagement please click here.

As stated in the Elon University student handbook, Study Abroad and Study USA students are held to the academic and social policies of the Elon University Honor Code, and to the policies of the host institution or program. In most instances these policies will be the same or very similar. While away, you are representing yourself, your university, and your country, and you are therefore expected to behave in a responsible and professional manner. Failure to uphold the Honor Code while away will result in disciplinary action and/or dismissal from the program at your own expense. Students should refer to the GEC Student Responsibilities document in their MyElonGlobal account

Students with disabilities are encouraged to disclose their disabilities early in the process of planning a global engagement experience. This will allow students sufficient time to investigate a number of options for programs that meet their academic interests and to explore the availability of accommodations prior to making a program selection.

It is important to remember that the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are not in force outside of the United States. It is the student’s responsibility to disclose any disability that requires accommodation and to make plans for his or her needs.

Accommodations which represent a fundamental alteration of the program or that create an undue hardship will not be provided. All decisions regarding accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis. If accommodations are needed and not available at a particular site, then students may not be qualified to participate in that specific program.

If additional accommodation needs arise while the student is abroad, students must discuss these needs with Disabilities Services and the program site to determine whether the additional accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

If a student choose to not disclose disability-related needs prior to arrival at his or her host institution, the GEC, Disabilities Services, and the host institution will determine if accommodations are possible. It may not be feasible to make arrangements for accommodations requested too close to the departure date or once on site.

The GEC is charged with overseeing all credit-bearing activity outside of the United States. Students participating in any credit-bearing activity that takes place outside the United States must obtain approval from the GEC, whether they are participating in any Elon faculty-led, travel-embedded, affiliate, exchange or Center program, or in any Independent Programs (IP) or Non-Elon program (abroad) or the Non-Elon program (USA) pages.

Students may participate in global engagement multiple times. However, students may apply to only one program (per term) at a time. This applies to Winter Term, Summer Term, and Semester programs. Early academic planning is essential for success.

Students planning on enrolling in a program not approved through Elon (a non-Elon program) must follow the policies and procedures found on the non-Elon program (abroad) page or the the non-Elon program (USA) pages.

Students planning on enrolling in an independent international experience (independent study, internship, research) must follow the policies and procedures found on the IP page.

Success in global engagement depends greatly on appropriate preparation.  At Elon, pre-departure orientation meetings occur in the months before a program starts. Accordingly, as stated in the Academic Catalog, any student applying to participate in Study Abroad or Study USA program must be enrolled full-time at Elon for the semester which precedes the off-campus term. Students applying for Summer or Fall programs must be enrolled at Elon for the preceding Spring semester. Students applying for Winter Term or Spring programs must be enrolled at Elon for the preceding Fall semester. This policy applies to all programs, including Elon-administered programs, affiliated programs, exchange programs, and non-Elon programs.

Study abroad program costs are billed through your Elon student account and are due at the same time as regular semester fees. Costs vary from program to program. Refer to the budget sheet on your program website to determine the cost of your program.

• Full payment (less deposit) is due by the first Friday in January for spring semester programs.
• Full payment (less deposit) is due by the first Friday in August for fall semester programs.
• A $500 late withdrawal fee will be incurred for withdrawals after the withdrawal deadline.  Deadlines for withdrawing can be found on the deadlines page.

• The $500 late withdrawal fee becomes non-refundable after the last penalty free withdrawal date.  Students who cancel after this date may also be held liable for any costs incurred on their behalf by Elon or the affiliate or host program, which may include up to the total program cost. If there is an outstanding balance on your student account, the refund amount will first be applied to the outstanding balance.

• Cancellations must be submitted in writing to the Global Education Center or via the MyElonGlobal application system. Approved refunds will be processed through the Bursar’s Office.

No request for refund will be considered after commencement of the program abroad.

A successful semester away is dependent upon adequate preparation. Students will participate in a series of mandatory orientations during the semester prior to participating in the global engagement experience. These orientations will address issues of academic, cultural, logistical, financial, and personal preparation, as well as health and safety. Failure to attend the required orientations will result in dismissal from the program. Any financial losses incurred by this dismissal, including program fees and airfare, are the student’s full responsibility.

No program site shall have more than 80 Elon students per term (e.g. no more than 80 total Elon students can participate in CIEE program tracks in Barcelona, Spain for fall).

For programs with more than 80 qualified applicants, students will be added to a wait list.  Students on a wait list are encouraged to switch into an available program that supports their academic plan or defer to a later term. If a student elects to remain on a wait list, they must identify an alternate program.  It is the student’s responsibility to remain actively engaged in the process.  This includes, but is not limited to, adhering to wait list and alternate program deadlines, attending orientations, and meeting any additional requirements.

If you choose to remain on the wait list and a space does not become available by the deadline, your application will be withdrawn following the deadline, and your deposit will be credited to your student account.

Some programs have smaller capacity limits, and program capacities are subject to change.  Check a program’s brochure page for details.

• Full payment (less deposit) is due by the posted deadline.
• Costs vary from program to program.  Refer to the budget sheet on your program website to determine the cost of your program.
• While rare, costs are subject to change due to currency fluctuation, vendor costs and/or the number of students enrolled.

Students who are registered part-time for the fall semester will be charged the additional one credit hour of tuition for the mandatory fall pre-departure course. Students who are registered part-time for the fall semester will also be charged four credit hours of tuition for Winter Term in addition to the program fees. If students who are registered part-time for the fall semester contact the Bursar’s Office to verify that they will be enrolled full-time in the spring semester, the four hours of Winter Term tuition will not be collected.

For instructions and cancellation policies, see Withdrawing, Deferring, or Changing Programs.

Programs are subject to the payment schedule posted to the deadlines webpage and signed at the time of application.

Each Winter Term course has a required one semester-hour pre-departure course called the “Fall Preparatory Seminar,” associated with it. Students who wish to take a Winter Term study away course must also register for the associated Fall course. There is no additional cost for the pre-departure course even if the one credit creates an overload for a student’s registration.

Students must complete a Course Overload Form and have that form be approved by their academic advisor BEFORE they are able to register for the Fall Preparatory Seminar.

Students with conflicts to the pre-requisite Fall Preparatory Seminar (either with another course at the same time or extracurricular conflicts) must either make a change to the conflicting course/activity, drop the Winter Term program and corresponding Fall course, or select another Winter Term program with a Fall Preparatory Seminar that does not present a conflict.

If you are studying away in the fall semester you are not allowed to participate in a Winter Term course that takes place in the subsequent Winter Term due to the Fall pre-requisite Preparatory Seminar course requirement.

Students on Winter Term programs travel together as a group.  In rare and specific cases, students studying on Winter Term programs may be granted a flight deviation to travel separately from the group.

Flight deviations will not be granted in the following cases:

• Student wants to use air miles or thinks s/he can find a cheaper ticket individually.
• Student wants to join program late/leave early (e.g. for sorority recruitment or other personal reasons).

Students who think they may qualify for a flight deviation must contact the GEC by early September for information about the flight deviation request process.

View Health and Safety for information about both preparation for study abroad and while abroad.

Study abroad program costs are billed through your Elon student account ahead of the start of the program.

• A $400 deposit is due upon application.
• Full payment (less deposit) is due by May 15.
• Costs vary from program to program.  Refer to the budget sheet on your program website to determine the cost of your program.

• The $400 deposit paid upon application becomes non-refundable on the first day of registration the semester preceding the program. Students who cancel on or after this date may also be held liable for any costs incurred on their behalf by Elon or the affiliate or host program, which may include up to the total program cost. If there is an outstanding balance on your student account, the refund amount will first be applied to the outstanding balance.
• Cancellations must be submitted in writing to the Global Education Center. Approved refunds will be processed through the Bursar’s Office. Refunds will only be made to the person who paid the deposit. If you paid the deposit by cash or check, you must call the Bursar’s Office to request a refund check; otherwise, the funds will remain on your student account. If you paid the deposit by credit card, the refund will be credited back to the card.
• If you are not accepted into a program, your deposit will automatically be refunded.
• No request for refund will be considered after commencement of the program abroad.

A successful summer away is dependent upon adequate preparation. Students will participate in a series of mandatory orientations during the semester prior to participation in global engagement. These orientations will address issues of academic, cultural, logistical, financial, and personal preparation, as well as health and safety. Failure to attend the required orientations will result in dismissal from the program. Any financial losses incurred by this dismissal, including program fees and airfare, are the student’s full responsibility.

• Costs vary from program to program. Refer to the budget sheet on your program website to determine the cost of your program.
• While rare, costs are subject to change due to currency fluctuation, vendor costs and/or number of students enrolled.
• A $500 late withdrawal fee will be incurred for withdrawals after the published dates on the Deadlines and Cancellations page.  This fee is charged even if bills have not been sent or open bills have not been paid.

Cancelling your participation in a program can be done only by completing a cancellation form available as a questionnaire in your application. Students submitting a cancellation form are subject to the payment schedule posted to the deadlines page.