Non-UM Programs

Non-UM Programs: Finding a Program

You may already know exactly what you want to get out of your study abroad experience, or you may know only that you want the experience but haven’t any specific goals. Considering the following questions will help you search for the program that is best for you.

Where in the world do you want to go?
What do you want the language of instruction to be?
How long and what time of year do you want, or can you be, away from campus?
Do you want to be with other UM and/or American students, or do you want to venture off more on your own?
Do you want a strictly academic program, or one that incorporates service opportunities or internships?
Since credit from a non-UM program is transfer credit, are you still eligible for transfer credit?
Will the courses transfer to UM?
Do you want to use credit towards your concentration, distribution, or pre-health requirements?
Do you want to live in a dormitory, an apartment, or with a host family?
What will the total cost be (application and program fees, tuition, travel, etc.) and how will it compare to a term or year at UM? If applicable, will you be able to use financial aid?

With these questions in mind, you are ready to visit the Education Abroad Office in the International Center (603 E. Madison) to talk with UM staff and peer advisors who will help you with your program search. You can also visit these additional websites, and, if you haven’t already, be sure to investigate the LSA and other UM study abroad programs.

You are also encouraged to attend various study abroad fairs, workshops, and information sessions which occur throughout the academic year.

Non-UM Programs: Application Process

Follow the instructions of the program’s admissions office. Don’t hesitate to contact the program office with any questions. (An inability, unwillingness, or slowness to provide clear answers may be reason to consider a different program.) Most programs will require at least an official UM transcript and a signature from your academic advisor and/or the Registrar’s Office on a form confirming your current UM status and that you will get credit for the program.

For an official transcript, order online or in person at the Registrar’s Office.
For signatures, start with your general academic advisor and s/he will tell you if you need someone else to sign.

Non-UM Programs: Preparing to Go Abroad

Once you’ve chosen and been accepted into a non-UM program, make sure to follow the program’s instructions for preparing to leave. Timing is VERY IMPORTANT if you need to apply for a passport and/or a visa, or need vaccinations or a medical exam. Be sure you know who the appropriate program contact is and go to her/him first if you have a question or concern about anything leading up to your departure.

Here at UM there are a few things you need to do before you leave campus.

Go over the Education Abroad Office’s Study Abroad Checklist.
Check the Transfer Equivalencies site to see if courses you are considering taking, and want to use for transfer credit, have been evaluated; if not, fill out the online Evaluation Form.
Talk with the appropriate academic advisor(s) — concentration, general, pre-health — about courses you hope to get approved for use in the concentration, for distribution, medical school, etc. (You will need to have course descriptions, which should be available from the program, for these conversations.) Request reliable contact information for your academic advisors in case you need to contact them from abroad.
While abroad, if you plan, or are required, to take language courses in a language you’ve studied, or in which you took a placement test, at UM, make sure to talk to the appropriate language coordinator or instructor about whether you will receive credit. (You will need to have course descriptions.)
If you plan to graduate while you are abroad, or within one term after you return to UM, apply to graduate on Wolverine Access and see your concentration advisor about the Concentration Release Form.
If applicable, go to the Office of Financial Aid and talk with an advisor about forms you need to fill out and have signed.
Change your local address as appropriate on Wolverine Access so UM mailings reach you.
Disenroll from any UM classes you may be registered for during your time abroad. If you’re headed for a country you don’t know much about, listen to related news, and read up on current events and its history, politics, etc.

Non-UM Programs When You’re Abroad

Because it is often not possible to finalize your course choices until you are at the program site, you may now need to consult with your academic advisor(s) about approval of courses for concentration, distribution, etc. Be sure to include course descriptions if you contact them via email. You may also need to check the Transfer Equivalencies site again or ask for an evaluation of a course. Take care of this as soon as possible after your arrival.
You will want to be assigned an early registration date for the next term you plan to enroll at UM. In order to be assigned a date and time, and to have the number of credits for which you are registered abroad be counted in your total, please see the Registrar’s Office website for instructions. knowledgebase.
Collect and bring back, or have electronic access to, as much course material as possible, including course descriptions, syllabi, and assignments, papers, and tests, especially for courses your concentration or any other academic advisor or instructor needs to review.
Confirm with the program administrator that your final transcript will be sent to:

University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions
1220 Student Activities Building
515 East Jefferson
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316.

Ask how soon after the program completion you might expect the transcript to be sent. (This gives you an idea of when to start checking Wolverine Access for your transfer credit posting.)
Take FULL advantage of this wonderful opportunity! [A hint from experienced study abroaders: Taking the time and imposing the discipline to keep a journal or blog is well worth it. This is a great way to not only document what you’re doing, thinking, and feeling, but will be a treasure for the rest of your life – a reminder of how and why you took this leap out of your comfort zone and expanded your world.]

Non-UM Programs: Once You’ve Returned to Campus

Welcome back!

Check Wolverine Access (unofficial transcript) to see if your study abroad credit has been posted.
Set up appointments with your academic advisor(s) to go over your transfer credit. (These appointments are most fruitful once the credit has been posted, but you don’t have to wait until then.)
As time allows, share your experience at study abroad fairs, on student panels, at workshops and information sessions, and as a peer advisor in the Education Abroad Office in the International Center (603 East Madison).
Again, as time allows, maintain contact with acquaintances from your program and share observations about how the study abroad experience has affected your life and your studies. Visit the Education Abroad Office’s Study Abroad Checklist to find tips to help with re-entry adjustment.
Register for a class that has something to do with the culture you just experienced first-hand.
If you began to learn a language, but don’t want to study it formally, see if there are others on campus who might want to get together periodically to practice that language.