Study Abroad, National Student Exchange offer affordable options for adventurous students

By Laurie Mellas

Students often express a wish for a "gap year" between high school and college to provide for travel to another part of the country or abroad. Some college students "stop out" of the university for a year or more, straying from a degree path to some distant land in an effort to "find themselves." For students and parents this can prove financially disastrous. Keeping adventurous trekkers on track is one goal of UNM's Study Abroad and National Student Exchange programs.

Parents and students thronged to a recent Parent Talk presentation on popular study destinations. NSE Coordinator Robert Burford said "this past academic year UNM placed more students than any other school to take part in the NSE program."

If your family's college budget is limited, but your student yearns to put paint to canvas on the streets of Rome or to study international business in Hong Kong, the Office of International Programs and Studies (OIPS) Advisor Lauren Fowler Young says it can be a dream realized.

Nearly all study abroad participants (and all NSE participants) pay UNM tuition for an exchange. Students can apply federal, state and university aid, including the Lottery Scholarship (with the exception of work-study) to these programs. In addition, there are scholarships available exclusively for study abroad. These are often available to applicants with financial need or for those who will study in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Shorter programs can be more affordable, but it's also important to factor in the cost of airfare and room and board.

At UNM, students can choose from many programs: Exchanges, The Rome Program, Intensive Language Programs and Affiliate/non-UNM Programs. Students interested in attending programs in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries are directed to work with UNM's Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII). OIPS provides the advisement for all other countries. "OIPS and LAII work closely together. We try to keeps things streamlined, so whether you want to study in Chile or China you will understand the process," Fowler Young said.

Most universities offer dorms or apartment rental. Some programs offer the option of a home-stay with a local family. Also, a foreign language is not always required - UNM exchange universities in Denmark, Sweden, Japan and China as well as programs in France and Italy teach students in English. 

Some of UNM's partner schools offer short-term intensive language courses for non-native speakers during the summer or before the start of school, "an excellent way for students to boost their language skills," Fowler Young said.

She encourages students to study abroad for a year. "Many students go away for a summer and come back only to say, ‘I want to go someplace for a year," she explained. UNM does have a limit on the number of credits that can transfer back toward a degree, so it's important to meet with a UNM academic advisor in advance. To participate, students should have a 3.0 grade point average and at least two semesters of study completed at UNM. For short programs admission requirements vary. Applications for study abroad are due Feb. 15, for fall or year-long programs and Oct. 1 for spring.

UNM's National Student Exchange Program operates similar to Study Abroad, Burford says. Often, parents encourage students to choose New Mexico for affordability. Taking part in an exchange offers students opportunities for personal growth, an avenue to take coursework not generally offered at UNM, and a roadmap to research geographic areas for graduate school. NSE requirements include a 2.5 GPA or higher (depending on the exchange) and 24 earned credit hours with at least one full time semester completed on main campus. Students have one-year eligibility for NSE but can choose to attend two different schools. "It takes a little more coordinating, but you can do it," Burford said.

Some schools accept all eligible students, while acceptance to other schools may be very competitive. Placement to a school depends on the number of students that the school can accept, which varies from school to school. Feb. 19 is the deadline to apply.

"NSE offers 174 school options for students," Burford said. "California, Hawaii and Washington are popular choices. Typically, students from UNM want to be in a bigger city like Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Seattle or somewhere next to the coast, typically the Pacific, but some will venture towards the Atlantic."