FAQs

The Study Abroad Office will provide information on the documents needed to successfully participate in a study abroad program, including visa applications. The Pre-Departure Handbook for Semester and Summer Study-Abroad programs will have the most up-to-date information possible on visa applications. By UP guidelines, the Handbook is accessible only to UP community members.

It is the responsibility of each student to review the pre-departure handbook and prepare all necessary documentation for visa applications and other pre-departure requirements. 

The following information can be found in the Pre-Departure Handbook, as well. 

It is important to make a plan for your housing upon your return to UP after your study abroad program ends. If you live off-campus and want to find a student who is also going abroad at a different time and would want to sub-lease your off-campus living space while you are studying abroad, this is a question you can ask in the Teams group to coordinate amongst yourselves. 

Here are some commonly asked questions:

Q: I am studying abroad for one semester, and want to live on campus at UP the other semester that I am not studying abroad. Can I live on campus before/after studying abroad? 

A: Yes. It is common for students to study abroad one semester and live on campus the other semester, so you can absolutely live on campus the semester that you are not studying abroad. Please direct questions about living on campus at UP to the Residence Life Office. If you are currently living on campus, check in with ERezLife or with your Hall Director to discuss not living on campus for the semester you will be abroad and the next steps you need to take. The exact process you should follow depends on whether or not you have a specific roommate in mind, so please be sure to follow the advice of the UP Residence Life office. The Study Abroad Office does not manage on-campus housing, so we can’t advise you on these processes. 

Q: I am not from the Portland area. When I move out of my on/off campus housing in Portland, what do I do with my stuff? 

A: You will need to make your own arrangements for where to leave things. 

Q: I have a car in Portland, and don’t know where to leave it while I am abroad. Can I leave my car on campus while I’m abroad? 

A: No, you will not be able to leave a car on campus while you are abroad. You will need to make different arrangements, perhaps with someone you know in the area. 

Q: I live off-campus and need to find someone to sub-lease my room while I am abroad. How can I contact other students who will also be going abroad and might want sub-lease my living space while I am abroad? 

You can use the Teams group you will be added to as a way to communicate with other UP students going abroad. (For example, if you are studying abroad in fall and want to see if someone studying abroad in spring can take over your lease, or vice versa). The Study Abroad Office will not share a list of study abroad students with you, but you can use the “posts” section of the Teams group to communicate with other students going abroad. This is something you will need to figure out independently. 

Each student studying abroad will need to make independent arrangements for storing living supplies. If living on-campus, there may be dorm storage available. Please contact your respective dorm staff for options regarding storing dorm supplies while you are studying abroad.

For off-campus students, there are local storage companies in North Portland.

For students who have a car on-campus: cars should not be left in the parking lot while on the term students study abroad. Prior arrangements will need to be made for cars on-campus. 

The Study Abroad Office cannot reimburse students for off-campus storage fees, nor reimburse students for shipping costs associated with storing supplies. 

The Study Abroad Office believes that everyone should have the opportunity to study abroad, and theFinancial Aid office has compiled an excellent group of resources for affording the many programs we offer. 

Both institutional and federal aid apply to most UP programs and may be available for outside programs. Qualifications to apply aid will differ depending by the program. 

If you receive tuition remission, you will need to contact the Financial Aid Office to verify if it may be applicable to your program. Tuition remission is not applicable to summer programs. 

The Study Abroad Office also has funding available for some study abroad scholarships - the exact amount differs by year. Students accepted/committed to a program will receive information on how to apply. Students are also encouraged to explore the Study Abroad Office's Scholarship webpage, which offers external funding opportunities and application information. 

The Study Abroad Office will communicate exact program dates, with anticipated arrival and departure dates with students who have committed to their respective program. 

Students are not required to travel together, but arrangements to travel in groups can be made in the Teams group. 

Exact travel dates will be required to be communicated with the Study Abroad Office as part of the pre-departure process.

Students are encouraged to check through the handbook that applies to the period for which they are studying abroad. 

Each handbook is accessible to the UP community; meaning you will need to be logged-in to your UP account to access the handbook. Each handbook is frequently updated with new information, and it is recommended to have easy access to this handbook to answer many common questions related to the pre-departure process. 

Students are encouraged to communicate pre-departure information with their support systems. 

Click here to access the Semester Pre-Departure Handbook.

As study abroad students, you were enrolled under international health insurance coverage that covered you only while you were outside of the United States. The nature of this type of coverage means that you will no longer be covered under this policy once you are back in the US.

 Next steps to consider:

• If you are currently covered under a parent’s health insurance plan or another type of coverage, there isn’t anything else you will need to do. We encourage you to maintain whatever domestic health insurance coverage you already have.
• If you do not currently have a domestic health insurance plan, we strongly encourage you to explore the options for adding coverage under a parent or family member. Most insurance plans will not normally allow you to add coverage in the middle of a plan year, but it is possible that there are exceptions for certain life events. It is possible that this situation, in which you are unexpectedly losing your existing coverage, would qualify you to add domestic health insurance mid-year.
• If you do not currently have domestic coverage and are not able to add coverage elsewhere, we have received special permission from UP’s student health insurance provider to add you to coverage for the remainder of the spring and summer. Please use your UP e-mail address to send a message to stu-acct@up.edu requesting to be added to the insurance plan for the upcoming term.  

Please reach out to the appropriate contact person if you have any questions. 

Click here to access the list of program counselors for your respective school.