Deadlines & Policies

Study USA application and withdrawal deadlines are summarized in the following table. Withdrawal deadlines state cost that will be incurred if not withdrawn prior to dates. Please read the notes following the table for important details that may impact your financial obligations.

*In addition, students withdrawing from Elon in DC (summer, fall or spring) are subject to the posted policies for the on-site partner, The Washington Center (TWC).

What is the Early Action Period? All applications during the Early Action period are evaluated on an equal basis – the timing of submission does not impact application acceptance.  Submitting during Early Action allows students to get an early answer on their application status and scholarship support.  For competitive programs, it’s in your best interest to apply Early Action as the program might not reopen for Rolling.

What is the Rolling Period? Applications submitted within these dates will be reviewed in order of submission.  Reviews are completed within two weeks of submission in the order received.

Exceptions

Study Abroad application and withdrawal deadlines are summarized in the following table. Please read the notes following the table for important details that may impact your financial obligations.

*Financial obligations to individual providers may vary.  Please consult your provider’s website for more detail on due dates that may differ from Elon’s dates. 

What is the Early Action Period? All applications during the Early Action period are evaluated on an equal basis – the timing of submission does not impact application acceptance.  Submitting during Early Action allows students to get an early answer on their application status and scholarship support.  For competitive programs, it’s in your best interest to apply Early Action as the program might not reopen for Rolling.

What is the Rolling Period? Applications submitted within these dates will be reviewed in order of submission.  Reviews are completed within two weeks of submission in the order received.

Exceptions

*Please be advised, the Elon deadline for the Montpellier program is August 1st for Spring applications and January 10th for Fall applications.

Several other programs have exceptions where non-refundable costs are incurred earlier than listed.  These are generally application and acceptance fees.  Known program exceptions are listed below:

• API summer internship programs
  • withdrawal policies: https://apiabroad.com/withdrawal-policy-safeguards/
• Global Experiences (GE) summer internship programs
  • withdrawal policies: https://www.globalexperiences.com/policies
• DIS programs (Copenhagen or Stockholm)
  • withdrawal policies: https://disabroad.org/application-and-fees/tuition-and-fees/cancellation-change-fees/
• School for Field Studies (SFS) programs
  • withdrawal policies: https://fieldstudies.org/admissions/costs/
• CIEE programs:
  • withdrawal policies: https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/get-started/billing-and-terms/program-terms-and-conditions
• Semester at Sea: 
  • 25% of the program cost becomes nonrefundable 90 days prior to program departure.
• Italy, Florence: Summer (AEF):
  • $500 non-refundable after April 1
  • full program cost non-refundable after April 15
  • Cancelations must be made both to the Global Education Center and directly to AEF (info@aefirenze.it) by the end of day on the dates above.
• Georgia Tech Lorraine:
  • withdrawal policies: https://lorraine.gatech.edu/apply/withdrawal_refund

Elon Global Start

Additionally, please note the withdrawal policy and deadlines for Elon’s Global Start (EGS) program, as found here. EGS is a study abroad program for participants that are not enrolled as Elon University students, thus the withdrawal and refund policy found on Elon Bursar’s Office’s website does not apply.

Winter Term applications open when fall semester registration access begins in early April. Deadline to enroll or make changes is September 2nd.

• Mar 20: Programs announced.
• Apr. 18: Fall registration access begins. Students enroll in a Winter Term Study Abroad or Study USA program by registering for the fall prerequisite preparatory seminar (1 s.h.) that corresponds to the winter program. A student’s individual registration time will be posted on the “Schedule” tab in their Student Planning.
• Late April/Early May: MyElonGlobal registration created and due within 10 days. Toward the end of April, the GEC will email students instructions for completing their program registration in MyElonGlobal. Once a student receives that email, they have 10 days to complete their requirements. If they don’t complete their MyElonGlobal registration within that window, they will be withdrawn from the course in order to allow for someone to join the course or move off the wait list.
• April to August: Drop/Add and MyElonGlobal registration process continues. As students drop or add a corresponding fall prerequisite preparatory seminar (s.h.), they will be emailed instructions for completing their MyElonGlobal registration within 10 days. If they don’t complete their MyElonGlobal registration within that window, they will be withdrawn from the course in order to allow for someone to join the course or move off the wait list.
• September 2: Drop/Add Deadline — Last day to make fall preparatory seminar enrollment (and corresponding winter course) changes, or for students to switch off of a wait list into an open program.

*Starting September 3rd, cancellations must be submitted through the 2024 Winter Term Cancellation Form. (Link posted on September 3rd.)

Winter Term withdrawal deadlines are summarized in the following table.

Elon-in, External Approved, or Exchange Program:

Email your GEC program manager or global@elon.edu. Note the posted withdrawal deadlines as well as the deadlines set by your host program.

Short-Term Program: 

During the registration and add/drop periods, withdrawing from a Short-Term Program can be done through Student Planning in the same way you would drop an on-campus class.

After the add/drop period ends, you can withdraw from a program by completing a cancellation form. Please review the payment deadlines and cancelation policies before submitting this form.

Additional Cancellation Notes

• Processes for withdrawing, deferring or changing programs vary by term and program type. To change your enrollment, please contact the GEC.
• A student is responsible for the costs noted above regardless of whether the program fees have been paid at the time of cancelation.
• Scholarships cannot be used toward withdrawal costs or payments.
• The GEC cannot reimburse personal purchases (i.e. expenses not included in the billable program fee), such as connecting flights or passport costs.
• No refund will be provided after commencement of the program, including if a program is canceled or recalled after the start date.

Elon-in, External Approved, or Exchange Program:

Deferring from one term to another varies from program to program. Email your GEC program manager or global@elon.edu to start the process.

Short-Term Program:

Students cannot defer a short-term program application (semester travel-embedded course or Winter Term program). Instead, they withdraw from the current program and apply again.

Switching into a different Elon-in, External Approved, or Exchange Program:

Email your GEC program manager or global@elon.edu to start the process.

Switching into a different Short-Term Program:

To change from one Short-Term Program into another during the registration and Drop/Add period, use Student Planning to register for the new course and drop the one you no longer wish to take. GEC staff will create a new MyElonGlobal registration for you, and you must complete the forms again to stay enrolled.

After the add/drop period ends, you must use the cancellation form.

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 approved external 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. See individual program pages for more information.

As stated in the Academic Catalog, global (GBL) courses may not be taken on an audit or pass/fail basis. Upon accessing the catalog, you can search for individual courses.

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 GEC.

According to the Elon University Student Handbook, students placed on Disciplinary Probation or Disciplinary Suspension are not eligible to participate in study away programs while on this status. Any deposits or payments made toward study away will be forfeited and are non-refundable.

Students on probation who wish to request an exception to study away may appeal for eligibility. A link to the appeal form can be found here. For more information, contact the GEC.

Study Abroad and Study USA students are held to the academic and social policies of the Elon University Honor Code and Code of Conduct, 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 U.S. 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 U.S. Students participating in any credit-bearing activity that takes place outside the U.S. 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 Petition program (abroad) or the Non-Elon Petition program (USA) pages.

Students may participate in study away programs 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 Petition program) must follow the policies and procedures found on the non-Elon Petition program (abroad) page or the the non-Elon Petition 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-in, approved external, exchange, and non-Elon petition programs.