MU provides a variety of countries to study abroad for students in every major. There are over 180 programs for students to choose from, including academic programs and internship programs.

The following steps will guide you through the process of how to apply for study abroad at the University of Missouri.

Table of Contents

Questions to consider before applying

MU resources

Eligibility requirements

Application process and deadlines

Housing options

Internships abroad

Scholarships

Financial aid

Note on International Travel Registry

What are international agreements?

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Country to Study Abroad

Resources

MU offers several resources to assist students in getting started on their study abroad journeys. One resource, the Study Abroad 101 sessions, are held in person in room N52 of Memorial Union at MU on Tuesdays from 3–4 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1:30-2:30 p.m. There are also virtual sessions held on Zoom at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Interested parties can sign up for a live session or watch a previously held session to receive general information about studying abroad. Study abroad advisors encourage students to attend one of these meetings before scheduling an appointment with their advisor.

Mizzou Abroad Orientation provides applicants with information on health and safety overseas, financing trips and adjusting culturally to a new environment. Students who wish to study abroad can use this information to pass the required orientation assessment before fully submitting their application. The orientation assessment can be found in the myStudyAbroad portal.

MU also holds an annual Mizzou Abroad Fair, which allows students to learn more about various programs by visiting different booths and asking questions in person to the program coordinators and past participants. This year, the Mizzou Abroad Fair will be held on Sept. 4, 2024, location to be dated. MU Engage records all of the upcoming study abroad information sessions held at MU. The website has information regarding study abroad events and info sessions including Study Abroad 101, DIS programs in Copenhagen and Stockholm and International Field Day at Mizzou.

To find recent data regarding how many students study abroad based on major and the top countries where students choose to study, students can read Open Doors: Mizzou Fast Facts 2023.

The Office of International Health, Safety and Security specializes in assessing risk and mitigation, as well as the health and safety of international study abroad programs. The office provides training and supports students in their university travels. Send any questions about health, safety and security in international programs to the office email, globalhealthsafety@missouri.edu.

Eligibility Requirements

Students who wish to enroll in a Mizzou Study Abroad Program must:

– Have been fully enrolled at MU for at least one semester 12 credits or more.

– Have a valid passport.

– Have a 2.75 GPA for the general requirement of most programs, and a 3.0 for exchange programs, although this might vary from program to program.

– Complete the required level of language proficiency for non-English speaking countries. Individual requirements vary depending on the program.

– Obtain approval from their academic advisor and the dean’s office of their division within MU. Specific policies vary depending on which school within MU students attend to ensure eligibility and credit transfer.

– Start researching programs at least one semester before the deadline — or earlier if there is a higher number of applicants depending on major. Students are encouraged to consult an academic advisor and/or a study abroad advisor early in the process to help narrow down which programs are most suitable for them.

– Complete additional application requirements for certain MU schools. This includes the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, the Trulaske College of Business and the School of Journalism.

Exchange students who are currently at MU interested in studying abroad must…

– Be enrolled as a visiting student through the Office of Admissions or MU’s Graduate School.

– Be eligible to return to their home university.

– Have at least a 2.5 GPA.

– Have a valid passport for their home country.

– Complete the required prerequisite courses to enroll in courses abroad.

– Have finished 24 hours of college coursework.

– Obtain a bachelor’s degree or its equal from a university in the United States or a university of English instruction if enrolling in graduate-level courses.

Application Process

To start the study abroad application process, students should visit the “Program Discovery” page through the myStudyAbroad portal. Applicants can sign into this study abroad portal with their pawprint and password. Once a program is chosen, press the “Apply Now” button on the overview page or the application instructions tab. 

Questions on applications may differ from one another depending on the needs of the program, but every application is likely to ask for the student’s term, registration and billing and health insurance information. Applications will also include details on the financial planning worksheet for how to meet with a financial aid advisor and give students a choice to apply for Mizzou Abroad Scholarships, the process of which will be discussed later on in the study abroad process.

Students are required to meet with an advisor to discuss their financial planning worksheet, which can be found in the myStudyAbroad portal. The financial planning worksheet is the official budget given to students that includes the total for program costs, living expenses and additional expenses. Advisors review this worksheet during meetings to evaluate eligibility for financial assistance.

Students must submit a course proposal and meet with their academic advisor to discuss which degree requirements they plan to complete abroad. The proposal asks for general university student information and details on the courses to be enrolled abroad.

Remember to complete all application requirements. The requirements for each program will vary, so it is crucial to check the details in the myStudyAbroad portal when applying. Additionally, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, the Trulaske College of Business and the School of Journalism have their own application procedures and deadlines to be aware of.

Application deadlines differ depending on the program and can be found in the program’s brochure in the “Dates and Deadlines” section. In general, applicants must submit their applications a semester before the term they plan to study abroad.

Students who plan to study abroad in a program that is not affiliated with MU still must apply through the myStudyAbroad portal to maintain their enrollment at the university.

Housing

MU students who wish to study as an exchange student at a host university abroad are required to apply for housing through the application process of their chosen university. Policies will vary depending on the university. 

Students can choose to live in on-campus housing abroad or in off-campus apartment housing. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate their living arrangements with the host university they plan to study at.

Students applying for an internship abroad will be assigned a home base by the program coordinators. “For the internships, all of the students are going to be in the same housing, we arrange that for them,” Daniella Riccardi, Study Abroad Specialist advisor for the School of Journalism at Mizzou, said.

Internships

Applicants may either attend a host university as an exchange student or participate in an internship program while studying abroad. Student internships will vary depending on the program and division within MU. Students can find internships under the program discovery section of the myStudyAbroad portal. 

In collaboration with IES Abroad, MU assists students in finding and applying for summer, full-time and part-time internships. IES Abroad assists students by advising them before their departure and helping determine goals for studying abroad. In addition, all Mizzou students are eligible for a $1,000-2000 Public University Grant and can apply for scholarships and financial aid.

Scholarships

There are numerous scholarships that advisors encourage MU students to take advantage of when applying for study abroad. Students can apply for both campus-related and off-campus scholarships in the myStudyAbroad portal. In addition, a list of the scholarships currently available can be found through MU’s Study Abroad Scholarships page, under the Mizzou Abroad Scholarships section. 

Scholarship award decisions will be made prior to program application deadlines, based upon the term in which students plan to study abroad. For the 2024-25 school year, both the winter and spring break programs’ deadline is Sept. 1, and the summer and fall programs’ deadline for the 2025-26 academic year is Dec. 15.

Some of the most common scholarships for students include the Bond International Scholars Award, the Smith Family Scholarship, the Charles R. Franz International Center Scholarship and the Tigers Abroad Scholarship.

There are also divisional scholarships offered to students belonging to specific MU schools. Some of these include the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the Honors College, the School of Journalism and the Trulaske College of Business.

Financial Aid

Students can apply for financial aid through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students must meet with an advisor beforehand to fill out the required forms. Some of the forms students will be expected to fill out include an asset worksheet, a citizenship affidavit and an identity verification and statement of educational purpose form. 

Students interested in studying can obtain financial aid from federal, state, institutional or private financial aid. The financial aid website requires students who are planning to apply for financial aid to meet with an advisor in the Office of Student Financial Aid to complete the required forms.

To ensure that financial aid can be provided before the term of studying abroad, be sure to fill out the financial forms by the specific program deadline. The Office of Student Financial can reevaluate a student’s financial need and may be able to extend further loans or grants if filled out ahead of time.

Applicants must work with study abroad advisors to complete a financial planning worksheet which outlines the expenses for the program, including airfare and visas. It is necessary for students to schedule an appointment with a financial advisor in order to discuss the worksheet if they are planning on applying for financial aid. All students must submit a financial planning worksheet, regardless of whether they plan to apply for financial aid, and the financial advisor uses it to determine eligibility. 

The Post-9/11 and Montgomery GI Bills provide veterans who attend MU with educational aid that they can use to pay for studying abroad. Student veterans work with MU’s Student Veterans Resource and Support Center and study abroad advisors to find the right program.

MU does not offer financial aid or scholarships to visiting students, so they should contact the financial aid and study abroad offices at their home universities to learn more about their options.

Note on the International Travel Registry

MU students participating in a study abroad program do not need to register in the International Travel Registry. All of the necessary registration and health insurance information will already be available to each student’s international program through their study abroad application. 

The Registry helps with matters such as health insurance and safety regulations, providing assistance to students in the event that something goes wrong abroad. It’s for MU students, faculty and other participants traveling out of the country for university-related activities like conducting research or attending a conference abroad.

Students participating in internships abroad are required to sign the registry before applying to their program. When students register with the International Travel Registry, they have access to things they wouldn’t otherwise have, such as health insurance and assistance if something goes wrong abroad.

International agreements

International agreements are legally binding documents between the student and the international university or foundation they are applying to. These agreements protect MU and its students from specific legal, financial or operational liabilities. 

Some programs will require only one international agreement, while others require multiple depending on the country’s laws and procedures in university education. Applicants can check the number of agreements that their desired institution requires on MU’s international agreements page.

Edited by Sophia Anderson | sanderson@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Sterling Sewell, Emma Short and Hannah Taylor | ssewell@themaneater.com

Edited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com