91̽»¨

To be approved, petitions for participating in an Unaffiliated Program must demonstrate the following:

• Academic need: you must make the case that this particular program is important to your academic goals.You will need to provide a letter of support from a 91̽»¨faculty member or academic adviser attesting to the importance of this program to your academic plan. 
• Programmatic need: you must be able to demonstrate that 91̽»¨offers no other study abroad program that will meet your academic goals.
• Credit equivalencies: you must be earning full time credit for the term abroad – 12 quarter credits for a full quarter and at least 6 quarter credits for Summer A or B term. Course equivalencies must be signed off by the relevant department.
• Global Travel Health & Safety: your petition is subject to UW’s International Travel Rules and Restrictions. The program must be located in a country with a level of 1 or 2. Undergraduates are not permitted to travel to Travel Advisory level 3 or 4 countries. You will be asked to provide information about local hospital and emergency services resources, the program’s health and safety protocols, and your intended housing arrangement. 
• Financial Aid: it is not possible to use financial aid for an unaffiliated program even if your unaffiliated program petition is approved by 91̽»¨Study Abroad.
• Signatures: 91̽»¨Study Abroad is not able to sign off on any application documents you may be required to submit to the unaffiliated program until your application with 91̽»¨Study Abroad has been approved.
• Language fellowships or scholarships: if you have received a language fellowship or scholarship through the 91̽»¨ (e.g. Foreign Language Areas Scholarship, Critical Languages Scholarships, Boren, etc.), use the Unaffiliated Program Petition process to register your participation in a language program with 91̽»¨Study Abroad. Language fellowship or scholarships petitions will be approved on a rolling basis if the scholarship has already been awarded.

To be eligible for an approved unaffiliated petition, you must: 

• Be in good academic standing.
• Meet all program-specific eligibility requirements as described in the program brochure. This may include a minimum class standing and/or a minimum GPA.
• Be cleared for study abroad by UW’s Community Standards and Student Conduct Office.

The unaffiliated petition includes:

• Statement attesting to the program structure, your academic need participate, credits, and health & safety 
• Letter of Support from an instructor 
• Electronic signature on several study abroad policy documents

Petitions to participate in an unaffiliated program must be submitted by the following deadlines. Late applications cannot be considered. Incomplete petitions will be denied.

• May 1 – Departing Autumn
• October 1 – Departing Winter
• October 1– Departing Spring
• April 1 – Departing Summer

• Submit the petition by the deadlines listed above – Once your Unaffiliated Program Participation petition is submitted, a committee will review the petition. 
• Decision – A decision to approve or not approve will be communicated to you via your 91̽»¨email within 2 weeks of your petition being submitted. 
• Next steps – If your participation in the unaffiliated program is approved, 91̽»¨Study Abroad will enroll you for the duration of your program (see below for more info).
• Preparation and Pre-departure Requirements – Take a look at the Accepted to a Program page to see everything you need to do before you leave
  You must complete several mandatory pre-departure requirements that are outlined in your study abroad application (submit a copy of your passport, attend orientation, submit payment contract, complete a health survey, etc.) in order to be concurrently enrolled.
• Passport and Visas – A valid passport or travel document is needed for to study abroad. Some countries also require a visa and the visa process can often take time. Please look at visa requirements early! Visit our Prepare to travel page for more details.
• Course Enrollment While Abroad
  • Enrollment at UW: All 91̽»¨students participating in study abroad for 91̽»¨credit must be concurrently enrolled with 91̽»¨Study Abroad. Concurrent enrollment maintains your student affiliation with 91̽»¨while away, allows resident 91̽»¨credit for courses taken abroad, and may allow you access to financial aid if the program is eligible. Students are automatically enrolled in FSTDY 300 placeholder course after the deadline of the completion of pre-departure requirements. More information about study abroad enrollment is on the Pre-departure requirements & enrollment ±è²¹²µ±ð.Ìý
  • Enrollment at unaffiliated provider: you are responsible for enrolling in courses with the unaffiliated provider.
  • Please note: In order to maintain full time enrollment, you should bring back a minimum of 12 91̽»¨credits per quarter of enrollment. 
• Credit Conversion – When you return, you’ll work with your academic advisors on how courses can be converted back to 91̽»¨credit using the Credit conversion process. 91̽»¨equivalencies cannot always be determined before departure on an exchange program.

• What happens if my petition is not approved?
  • If your petition is not approved, you do not have permission to participate in this program as a 91̽»¨student. You may go as an independent traveler, but you will be taking a quarter off from the UW. Please review the vacation quarter policy on the website for more information.
• Can I appeal a decision not to approve an unaffiliated study abroad program?
  • Yes. You can appeal in writing to the Director of 91̽»¨Study Abroad. Your appeal must be submitted within one month of receiving the communication to deny your petition from 91̽»¨Study Abroad.
• Can I use my financial aid for an approved unaffiliated program?
  • it is not possible to use financial aid for an unaffiliated program even if your unaffiliated program petition is approved by 91̽»¨Study Abroad.
• How much does it cost to participate in an approved unaffiliated program?
  • If your unaffiliated program is approved by 91̽»¨Study Abroad, you will pay an administrative fee to 91̽»¨Study Abroad for enrolling you, providing health and safety resources, and converting your credit back to UW. More information about study abroad fees is on the 91̽»¨Study Abroad website.
  • Students who are enrolled through 91̽»¨Study Abroad also pay an insurance fee based on the duration of their program. This provides you with international insurance coverage while participating in your program. For more information about 91̽»¨Student Abroad insurance, visit the Office of Global Affairs website.
  • All other fees to participate in the program will be paid directly to the study abroad provider or host institution.
• What happens if I need to withdraw from my approved unaffiliated program?
  • You will need to work directly with the provider of the program to learn more about the withdrawal process and potential fees that you may owe. If you have signed a contract with 91̽»¨Study Abroad for the 91̽»¨Study Abroad fee, you will be required to pay this fee. The 91̽»¨Study Abroad Fee is non-refundable.