Study Abroad

William Jewell College strongly encourages all students to study abroad. If you are considering studying abroad, please visit the Office of International Studies to discover how you can make the most of this valuable experience.

General Guidelines

Students choosing to apply to one of the nearly 50 college-approved study abroad programs benefit from William Jewell’s relationship with the program provider and an ability to apply institutional aid toward the program’s tuition costs. (See WJC Study Abroad Financial Aid policy for details.) If you are interested in a program that does not appear on Jewell’s approved list, please visit the Office of International Studies to discuss your options.

Most students study abroad during their junior year. However if you plan to graduate in four years and your graduation timeline heavily depends upon the Jewell course schedule, you will want to discuss your plans with your advisor as soon as possible. It may be that studying abroad during your sophomore or senior year is a more viable option.

If you intend to enroll in courses for any credit other than elective, you should consult program provider booklets and websites to ensure courses are available that meet your major’s or minor’s requirements. Under certain circumstances, courses or tutorials may also be approved to meet core curriculum requirements.
Many of the programs in non-English speaking locations have English-taught courses available.

Selecting the Right Program:

• What do you want or need to study? What kind of credit do you expect to earn?
• When is the best time in your academic schedule for you to study abroad? How much time can you afford to spend abroad?
• Are you interested in learning a new language or polishing your current language skills? Will it be necessary to take all or some of your coursework in a foreign language?
• Where do you want to study? What areas of the world interest you?
• What type of enrollment and housing opportunities interest you?
• How much money can you realistically spend on tuition and fees? Housing and food? Travel and personal expenses?

Application Process

While some study abroad providers allow Jewell to complete the application process at the campus level, others require applications be submitted to them for final approval. In all cases, students are required to submit both a William Jewell College application and a program application (if applicable) to the International Studies Office for review. You should be sure that you meet both William Jewell’s and your selected program’s admission requirements before applying.

William Jewell Requirements

• Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate status at the time of departure.
• Completion of Level One of the core curriculum.
• Semester GPA of at least 2.0 the semester before application, regardless of cumulative GPA.
• Completion of at least one semester of satisfactory full-time coursework on the Jewell campus before departure.
• Progress towards a timely graduation by fulfilling core curriculum and other requirements.

Program Provider Requirements
Each program may have additional admission requirements including but not limited to:

• Minimum GPA requirements
• Minimum foreign language requirements

Please consult the Office of International Studies, program provider booklets/handouts
and websites for further information.

Application Deadlines

• January 20 Fall Semester and Full Year Study
• March 12: CEPE Summer Study
• May 3: Spring Semester Study

Application Checklist
Your study abroad application will not be considered complete unless it contains the following:

• WJC Application for Study Abroad
• Personal statement of approximately 500 words explaining
  1. your reasons for wishing to participate in this particular study abroad program,
  2. how the program correlates with your academic and personal goals,
  3. what has prepared you for this experience and,
  4. what you hope to gain from the study abroad experience?  
• Recommendation(s) as required for your program (see Recommendation Form).
• Program application and additional materials, if required (see provider information or the International Studies Office for guidelines)
• William Jewell Transcript, showing GPA for the semester before application (request from Registrar that a transcript be delivered to the International Studies Office)
• Application fee of $50 payable to William Jewell, non-refundable, not applied toward program costs for semester and full year applications (cash, check, or credit accepted)

Admission Process

All judgments about admission to study abroad programs are made at the absolute and sole discretion of the Coordinator of International Studies, the WJC Study Abroad Committee, and reviewers at institutions and organizations with which William Jewell College cooperates in offering study abroad programs.

Admission to study abroad programs will be denied to students who are on academic or disciplinary probation or who have not arranged to settle any outstanding debts to the College.

Upon review of your application, the Office of International Studies will send you written notification of Jewell’s admission decision. 

Contact Us

Sara Round 
Coordinator of International Studies and
The Oxbridge Honors Program
Greene Hall 213
(816) 415-5984