WSU Policies
The Education Abroad office has instituted policies that ensure the safety and success of each WSU student going abroad.
Education Abroad Application
All WSU students who participate in an Education Abroad program must complete an Education Abroad application. As our office is partially self-funded, a non-refundable Education Abroad application and orientation fee will be assessed after the WSU application deadline has passed. Please see the How to Apply page for instructions and specific application and orientation fees. If a student has to cancel his or her program after the WSU application deadline has past, the student remains responsible for the application and orientation fees.
GPA Requirement
Students must have a 2.5 GPA in order to participate in an Education Abroad program. For students interested in our exchange university partners, a 3.0 GPA is required.
Academic Planning
With careful academic planning with the student's academic advisor, students can fulfill graduation requirements while studying abroad. Depending on the student's major, students should plan on studying abroad during the sophomore or junior years. It takes about a year to plan for an education abroad experience, so the earlier we see the students, the better! For more information on how courses can be used to fulfill graduation requirements, please see Academic Credit. (link to Academic Credit in WSU Students section)
Releasing Student Information
The Education Abroad office adheres to the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. FERPA limits the amount and type of student information that educational institutions can release. As part of the Education Abroad application, students sign a Participation Agreement recognizing that "In the case of a potential health risk or a medical, natural, social, or political disaster, the Education Abroad office will consider any and all communication with my emergency contact(s) as internal communication."
This means that we can release personally-identifiable information to certain parties without the consent of the student in some situations. Those that are most applicable to education abroad are:
- Appropriate persons in connection with an emergency may access information if the knowledge of such information is necessary to protect the health or safety of a student or other person(s).
- Persons or organizations providing financial aid or making decisions relating to providing financial aid may have access to information about students associated with the individual programs.
- Parents or legal guardians of a student who have established the student's dependency status according to Internal Revenue Code of 1954, Section 152, may access information about that student's educational and financial status.
Student Conduct
WSU students are expected to conduct themselves in a safe and respectful manner while studying abroad. Any part of the world can become unsafe due to a medical or natural disaster, social unrest, or political upheaval. Students are reminded to stay in close contact with their program, their family, and the Education Abroad office while abroad and always exercise the following precautions:
- Travel in pairs or with a group-never alone.
- Always leave a travel itinerary with your program and host family.
- Safeguard your money, credit card(s), and passport at all times.
- Make wise, educated decisions.
- You wouldn't sleep overnight on a park bench in New York City; don't do it in a foreign country either.