The opportunity to study abroad over the summer is offered every year to Fresno City College students. Applications are rolling in fast with the approaching deadline of 

Oct. 10. For this academic school year, the countries of choice are South Africa, Japan, Germany and Ireland.  

Students need to have a passport, 2.0 GPA, and be 18 years of age to be eligible. Also, each application must include a short essay describing their motivation behind choosing a certain country. This is important for countries with a high interest level but low acceptance ability.

Visitor Program lead, Margaret Hiebert encourages exploring the SCCCD Visitor Programs website to find which across seas adventure suits each student best. 

It is recommended to apply as soon as you can due to time being a factor in deciding which students are accepted. Each country offers different courses, and all classes available are FCC approved transferable credits.

The program offers the Gilman scholarships that help cover most trip expenses. The essays required to apply for these scholarships are due Oct.10. Anyone can apply but the Gilman-Mcain scholarship is geared toward helping those dependent on veterans.

The regular scholarship is open to all and winners are announced about two months after the submission deadline. The abroad program also accepts funding from any outside scholarship money students have obtained, to make the program as accessible as possible. 

According to the SCCCD visitor program website, all trips include housing, most meals, planned itinerary, transportation and free internet. Each session varies in cost and length of stay. To better predict the total amount a student will spend while studying abroad, they have to consider their spending habits. 

Instructors are sure to keep education a priority both inside and outside the classroom.  However, the itinerary that is scheduled includes free time to allow individual exploration.

Students who are interested in learning more about study abroad opportunities can contact the program lead, with any questions: [email protected].