What's included?

Pre Departure



Host Institution Tuition and General Fees





• The tuition to be a full time student at your host institution is covered in our educational costs. Additionally, fees associated with processing your application with the host institution and many onsite costs such as membership in the student union are incorporated as well.

Housing Costs





• The accommodation options are almost always on-campus, with a mix of international students and students from the host country in your halls of residence. You will be in close proximity to the interstudy students on your program, who will usually be housed in the same building. In instances when on-campus housing is unavailable you will be housed with other interstudy students in close proximity to campus dorms and within walking distance to campus. All interstudy students have single rooms (with a few exceptions) in self-catering residences.

Assistance with Course Selection





• We help you navigate the extensive course selection process before you arrive so you can start getting immersed sooner rather than deal with paperwork. interstudy recommends that you have at least 8 courses pre-selected and approved by your home institution prior to departure. We will review these courses to make sure that they are on offer for your chosen semester and available to study abroad students. Additionally, we are able to give course advice based on alumni feedback and onsite knowledge of your host institution. While we can’t guarantee courses ahead of time, we will do everything possible to get a schedule that seems right for you.

30 Minute Advising Session





• With interstudy you’re not just a number. All of our students get a 30 minute personalized phone advising session in which to discuss the next steps of the study abroad process, talk about academic differences, cultural differences and everything in between to help you feel prepared before you embark on this life changing experience. And remember, if you forgot to ask your question during this time, you can always call us back.

Visa Processing Services





• For students attending a program in South Africa, interstudy sends you a visa application packet and checklist of necessary documents. You work with us prior to a set deadline to make sure that everything will go smoothly with the submission of your visa application to the consulate. If we receive your application by our set deadlines we then submit the application on your behalf and get the visa back to you promptly.
  
  For other countries that do not require visas ahead of time or do not allow anyone but the first party to submit the application, interstudy is here to help. We keep up to date on all visa and immigration issues to assist you and answer sometimes confusing visa questions.

Group Flight Arrangements





• For all program locations, interstudy works closely with the Cambridge, MA office of STA Travel to arrange group flight options. The group flight allows for interstudy students to travel together from one central departure city. The program coordinator of your host country will meet you at the airport.

Comprehensive International Medical Insurance





• As part of your program fee, you will receive international emergency medical insurance. The insurance is reimbursement-based insurance and does not include dental insurance. Feel free to download the schedule of benefits and review what you will and won’t be covered for a head of time.

Student Union Membership and ISIC Card





• interstudy does its best to encourage integration of interstudy students into the host country student population. You will receive a student union membership for the campus at which you are studying. This means different things on different programs, but it always ensures that you can use all of the university facilities, can come and go as you please, and can have an opportunity to meet host country students outside of a classroom environment.
  
  You will also receive an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) which entitles you to discounts on everything from train and airfare, to museum entrance fees. The card also provides a basic level of personal insurance.

Student Handbook





• Upon acceptance into an interstudy program, you will receive a region specific student handbook. Compiled over our many years of experience in study abroad, this book should answer just about any question you might have about your upcoming time abroad. You’ll be able to read more about adjusting to life abroad and what to expect when you first arrive. And you’ll find information about spending money, climate, and even a few catch phrases in your host country! Even if it’s not until you’re on the plane to your destination, we recommend that every student read this handbook cover to cover.

Arrival Booklet





• When you’re almost ready to depart, interstudy will provide you with an arrival book that is specific to your study abroad program so everything will be fresh in your mind. The arrival book is filled with specific information about the first few days in your new country. You’ll be told how orientation will run, what your orientation excursion will be along with helpful tips and points about the area you’re in and what to expect in general.

On Site



Airport Pickup





• Provided you arrive on the designated day and time, an interstudy staff member will meet you at the airport and travel with you to your university. You may not arrive late. If you plan to arrive before the program start date, you will need to find your own housing and either arrange your own transportation to your program site or meet up with interstudy at the airport on the designated day and time. Contact interstudy prior to your departure if you will not be arriving with the group.

International Bank Account and Money Transfer





• For students studying abroad in South Africa and Ireland, we assist you in setting up a local bank account once you arrive on site. As soon as your account is active, you will be able to take advantage of interstudy’s money transfer service. interstudy has developed a system to allow the transfer of funds from the United States to your program site bank account which eliminates currency exchange fees. This service has been developed for the benefit of you and your family. All you have to do is call us with a credit card number or go to http://www.interstudy.org/onlinepayment in order to have money available in your account within 2-3 business days. Your bank account will also enable you to participate in interstudy’s optional monthly meal allowance plan.

Meal Allowance





• For South Africa and Ireland-bound students, interstudy offers an optional meal allowance plan. If you opt for this plan, you will be billed an additional $1,000 which will be deposited into your local bank account on a monthly basis at the equivalent of approximately $200 per month. This will allow you to effectively budget and ensure that you always have money coming into your account to buy groceries and go to local eateries. Meal money is always distributed in the local currency, and you will find that it generally covers most meals. You can purchase meals on-campus or you can choose to eat out-on-the-town or at home in your apartment or dorm room.
  
  There are only three institutions that offer their own university-based meal plans: Rhodes University, University of the Western Cape, and the University of the Witwatersrand. These plans will be added to the interstudy program fees for these locations.

Cell Phone





• interstudy provides you with a cell phone (with personal phone number and voice mail) for the term you are abroad. This system allows friends and family to easily contact you abroad (incoming domestic and international calls are free of charge), and it also ensures that interstudy can reach you quickly in the event of any emergency. Additionally, we provide you with an initial airtime voucher, which allows you to make a quick call home once you arrive.

On-Site Arrival Program





• As part of the interstudy arrival program, you will attend two required orientation sessions. The first, conducted by interstudy, takes place over your first several days in country. The second, conducted by the host institution itself, takes place shortly thereafter. The interstudy orientation is designed to assist you in adjusting to cultural differences, in getting to know your new surroundings, and in understanding the differences in the educational system and the systems specific to your university. Orientations offer a chance for you to meet interstudy staff who will advise you on the various resources available to you at the university and in the local city. Staff members will explain how to navigate course registration, review rules and regulations, and get you acquainted with your accommodations, the campus, and the local banking, telecommunications, and transportation systems. The interstudy orientation also covers health and safety issues on and off campus. You will be briefed on how to conduct yourself while you are in your host country and what behaviors to avoid in order to reduce risk and enhance your safety. You will learn about resources such as the Campus Protection Services, Student Security Escort Services, and the Campus Police. The final dates, places, and times for both sessions will be sent approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Excursion Program





• Each semester interstudy sponsors four excursions: an orientation excursion, an overnight weekend excursion, a separate one-day excursion, and a farewell dinner. During these events, you will get together with other interstudy students from your region or country to explore and get a taste of what you surroundings offer. This gives you the chance to meet your peers from some of the other interstudy programs, exchange experiences from respective campuses, and travel to locations you may not see otherwise. The excursions include all transportation, accommodation, most meals, and ticket charges.
  
  Excursion itineraries change each semester but past trips for Britain and Ireland students have included visits to: Bath, Brighton, Cambridge, Cork, Dublin, Chester, the Lake District, London, Killarney, Oxford, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Windsor and York. Excursions for South Africa and Botswana students have included: Robben Island, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Valley of Desolation, Drakensberg, St. Lucia Estuary, and Theewaterskloof Dam. Students have gone on game drives, enjoyed braais, climbed Table Mountain, canoed, kayaked, mountain biked, camped, gone to surf school, etc.

South Africa Mentor Program





• To help you get adjusted to your new setting and understand what life is like from your peers, interstudy has implemented a mentor program. The interstudy mentors are trusted students from your new host institution. Besides greeting you at the airport and helping you settle into your new surroundings, your mentors are available to answer questions you might have throughout the semester. As your new South African peers they can help you find out where the best coffee is, who has the best lectures or where the locals actually hang out.

Access to Health Services and Counseling at Host Institution





• South Africa, Botswana, Ireland, and Britain all have modern medical facilities and systems where treatment is comparable to that which might be received in North America. In South Africa and Botswana, the quality of medical treatment may not be as high in small towns and villages as it is in the larger cities. Medical care is not free to non-nationals. You will have CISI Insurance while abroad on the interstudy program, and your medical expenses will be reimbursed once you submit the corresponding claims. There are hospitals, emergency rooms, clinics and doctor’s offices throughout the country you’ll be studying in. There are also medical services on campus. During the on-site orientation, you’ll find out where the health center on campus is and how to obtain care.
  
  Counseling services are available on campus as well. For your safety and well being, it is highly recommended that you inform interstudy of any physical, emotional or psychological difficulties you may have. This will not affect your enrollment status on the program, but it will assist us in helping you to obtain the proper treatment and/or care abroad. Adjusting to life in a different culture can be stressful. Sometimes this stress can trigger or exacerbate a more serious emotional condition. If you are under treatment for depression, an eating disorder or any other serious condition, this may put you at higher risk. In these cases, study abroad may still be a possibility if planned carefully in conjunction with study abroad and health care professionals. Additionally, we understand that you may prefer to work with your home school’s Counseling Office while you are abroad, and we will be available to help facilitate this correspondence if it’s of interest to you.

24 Hour Emergency Support





• interstudy has been devoted to its students and their personal safety for the last three decades. Our staff members work hard to enhance your study abroad experience by providing pre-departure materials prior to your arrival which include detailed coverage of health and safety issues. You will be provided with clear instructions during both the interstudy and the host university on-site orientations on what to do in an emergency situation. interstudy staff in the US, Ireland, the UK, and South Africa are all equipped with 24 hour contact numbers. Our staff members are experienced in crisis management and will maintain steady communication with your emergency contacts and home school advisers in the event that you experience a health or safety problem.

Local Staff





• In addition to our US-based staff, interstudy has administrative staff in the UK and program staff in both South Africa and Ireland. As a student on an interstudy program, you will have as much or as little contact with your program staff as you desire. You will get together with interstudy staff in person a least four times per semester: for orientation, a weekend excursion, a one-day excursion, and your farewell dinner. If you will be based in Cape Town, Dublin, Durban, or Pietermaritzburg, you will likely see interstudy staff more frequently. And in case of emergency, you can anticipate that interstudy staff from Cape Town and Ireland will go to your campus. And finally, you can expect email or phone communications from staff at least once every few weeks to check in or bring you up to date on what is happening locally.

Assistance with Host University Registration





• One of your key responsibilities shortly after arrival is to register for classes. As part of your pre-departure advising session with interstudy USA, you will have established a list of eight courses that will help to get you started. Course registration and add/drop policies in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, and Botswana vary consideralbly from what you are used to on your home campus. For that reason, never hesitate ask questions or seek clarification from interstudy staff in the US or abroad. We, along with the international programs staff at your host university, are there to help.

Upon Return



End of Program Transcript





• Upon successful completion of an interstudy program, interstudy issues you a final transcript. Depending on your home institutions’ preferences, we can either issue an interstudy transcript, a host institution transcript or a US transcript through the University of the Pacific. All transcripts give full details of courses taken, final letter grades received, and semester hour credits awarded. Interstudy translates credits and grades to a US scale to assist your home college in transferring the proper grades and credits earned. Official transcript copies are signed, sealed and sent directly to your home institution for transfer credit evaluation and a copy is sent to your home address as well.

Alumni Program





• As alumni of interstudy you become part of our extensive network of former students. In addition to being able to request a transcript directly through us rather than getting a hold of your overseas institution you have the ability to connect to your fellow alumni and talk about your own experiences to future study abroad students.