Accepted Students Guide
Schedule an appointment
If you have questions, schedule an appointment with a study abroad advisor.
Confirming Participation
Once accepted to your program, you will receive an email from your study abroad advisor or your program provider.
To confirm your acceptance, you should complete the steps included in your acceptance email.
They may include:
- Paying a non-refundable deposit due 2 weeks after acceptance (in Wake Abroad)
- Signing an intent to participate form (in Wake Abroad)
- Meeting with a study abroad advisor for a post-acceptance meeting
Additionally, there will be more forms that you will need to complete in Wake Abroad.
Passports & Visas
All students studying outside their home country are required to have a valid passport. Most countries require that passports are valid for at least six months after the end-date of the study abroad program you plan to attend.
In addition to a valid passport, most students studying abroad for a semester will be required to obtain a visa before they depart for their program. Learn more about Visas.
Until you have received your visa, you are advised to refrain from making international travel plans in the months preceding your study abroad semester.
Course Approvals & Course Registration
If you are attending a WFU program, you will complete your registration through the WakeAbroad portal, unless otherwise instructed by your study abroad advisor. In order to be registered for classes, you need to have completed the following items:
- Pay your program deposit.
- Sign the intent to participate form.
- Change your status to ‘Committed.’
- Attend a post-acceptance meeting (WFU Barcelona, INSTEP, WFU Chile)
- Withdraw all other WFU applications for the same term (WFU semester programs)
On some WFU programs, courses may not show up in WIN until at least two weeks before your program’s start date.
If you are attending an affiliate study abroad program, you will need to get courses approved for credit. The Global Transfer Credit Evaluation App in WIN (under virtual campus) allows students to complete this process.
- All courses in which students consider enrolling need to be added to their ‘my courses’ list to potentially receive credit for these courses.
- We recommend completing this process as soon as possible as departments can take 2-4 weeks or longer to review courses for credit.
- For more information visit the Academics Page.
Students register for courses directly through their affiliate program provider
Funding
If a student chooses to study on a Wake Forest semester abroad/away program, then they will be billed for
- WFU tuition
- A housing fee
- A meal fee (if applicable)
- Program Fees (summer programs only)
These charges will appear directly on the student’s WFU account. Each program page will have specific information about indirect expenses and anticipated costs.
Short-Term programs include an additional fee for the travel expense of the program which is charged to the WFU student account but there is no additional charge for tuition.
If a student chooses an Affiliate (non-WFU) semester abroad/away program, then they will be billed for
- WFU tuition which is paid to WFU directly. The Wake Forest tuition rate can be found on the WFU’s cost of attendance website.
- Non-tuition fees such as housing which are billed directly by the affiliate program provider. Estimates for fees to be paid to the affiliate provider can be found on the program provider’s website.
This Home School Tuition for Affiliate Programs FAQ covers additional information about the home school tuition model used for affiliate semester study abroad programs.
Students who chose an affiliate summer study abroad programs pay all tuition, housing, and program fees directly to the affiliate program.
All programs typically have indirect costs which are non-billable expenses associated with a program. Indirect costs can include:
- Flights/Transportation
- Visa Fees
- Groceries and Meals – Most programs do not include a meal plan
- Personal Expenses
- Book/Supplies
There are cost of living calculators such as Numbeo that can help you research approximate costs for personal expenses and meals. Additionally, most programs offer itemized cost information with estimated expenses.
Most programs will require a deposit to confirm the student’s participation on the program. Deposits paid to WFU are applied to the tuition cost of the program.
- Deposits are non-refundable
- Deposits are due 2 weeks after acceptance to a study away program.
Study Away billing for semester programs follows the regular Wake Forest University billing cycle for semester programs. Summer tuition charges are added to student accounts on May 1st and are due on June 1st. Summer and Short-Term program fees may be due before tuition charges. More information on tuition and billing can be found on the Student Financial Services webpage.
Study Abroad/Away Disruption Refund Policy
Circumstances may arise during a semester/term that cause significant disruptions to study abroad/away program operations. The Study Abroad/Away Disruption Refund Policy outlines the applicable refunds and the associated refund schedule.
Participation and Withdrawal Policy for Study Abroad/Away
The WFU Participation and Withdrawal Policy for Study Abroad/Away applies to both Wake Forest-sponsored and Affiliate programs.
Financial aid typically transfers to semester study abroad programs. Visit the Financial Aid Office for more information about how your financial aid package applies to your program.
Visit the Scholarships page to learn about study abroad scholarships available to students.
Pre-Departure Orientations
All students studying abroad are required to attend a pre-departure orientation session. Once scheduled pre-departure session dates will be emailed to students planning to study abroad.
Housing Considerations for Return to Wake Forest
- For students who study abroad/away in a fall semester, there will be limited WFU housing options for return in the spring semester. Students returning from fall study abroad are often placed into rooms with open beds, meaning they may be living with new roommates.
- For students who are abroad/away in a spring semester, they will choose housing in the same manner and timeline that they would if they were still on campus.
Diversity and Identity Abroad
Wake Forest University is committed to being a learning community that values and upholds the humanity of all people. This extends to students, faculty, staff, and all university members participating in programs off campus. Please visit the Diversity and Identity resource page prior to departure on a study away program or before any WFU-sponsored travel.
OPCD Resources
The Office of Professional and Career Development (OPCD) created study abroad tips and resources available while abroad. View these tips on the OPCD Website.