Pre-departure Checklist

You've submitted your application. Now what?

It may take up to 4 weeks after the application deadline for you to receive an update, but once you are officially offered a placement abroad, it is important to log into your Global Education Portal and click "commit" as soon as possible. This will allow you to move forward with the "post decision steps" that are required by SDSU before your departure.

Financial aid may be used for SDSU-approved study abroad programs. Ensure you have completed the FAFSA and notified any outside scholarships or loans of your plans to study abroad. Students receiving financial aid for ISEP Direct and Partner programs are required to complete a Special Enrollment Agreement or a Contractual Agreement prior to departure, and complete a Verification of Enrollment upon arrival abroad. Specific instructions can be found in your Global Education Portal post-decision steps.

Each spring and fall, SDSU holds a Pre-Departure Health & Safety Orientation, which is mandatory for all global education participants. This usually takes place in April for summer and fall departures, and in November for winter and spring departures. You will receive exact dates from the Global Education Office once you have been accepted to your program.

As soon as you have submitted your application for a program abroad, it is time to find out whether you will need a visa for travel to your host country. This depends on your citizenship, the place(s) you will be traveling during your program abroad, and the length of your program. Once you are officially accepted, it will be your responsibility to find out what documents you are required to submit to the embassy or consulate and to follow all necessary steps to obtain the appropriate visa or residence permit in time for your departure.

To ensure credit transfer back to SDSU from an institution abroad, all SDSU global education program participants must Plan Courses Abroad and complete an Undergraduate Academic Approval Form (AAF) once accepted.

NOTE: Students participating in Global Seminars or Course-Embedded programs do not need to complete an AAF.

Undergraduate Students:

Graduate Students: