We advise you to begin your online study abroad application during the following times:
We also recommend you speak with your study abroad office early to avoid missing any deadlines that your home school may have.
You should only submit one application for your preferred program. If you are unsure which program may be best for you, please reach out to one of our Program Representatives, who will be happy to guide you.
Admissions Forms are due by the application deadline and are required for acceptance into a program.
Participation Forms are not required for acceptance into the program, but must be completed if you are accepted into a program.
We recommend you complete all forms at once before an acceptance decision is made.
An Official Transcript is one sent to us directly (electronically or via mail) from your University’s registrar office. Transcripts submitted by a student directly are not considered official.
If you are required to write a personal essay, please review the Personal Essay section for this information. If there is no length requirement listed, then there is no specific requirement. Most students tend to write a page.
You can find Program Dates online. Be sure to read over the general and country specific travel considerations before booking a flight. Do not book any flights until after you have been accepted and the dates for your specific program, term and year have been posted online.
A round-trip flight is a flight booking that takes you to your program location and back home once the program has ended.
“Session” refers to the semester/term the course is being offered - i.e. Fall, Spring, Summer.
Once you’ve submitted your initial application, you’ll be able to send a request to the person who will be writing your letter through your Checklist Items. Once you’ve submitted the request form, we will send them an email outlining what we need from them with a link to a form where they will upload the letter. If you need to send your reference a reminder, or send the email to someone else, you can do that through your Checklist in Arcadia Portal. Letters of reference will be marked as complete in your Checklist Items once we receive the letter.
There are a few steps to the application process.
1. The first step is to register with our Arcadia Application portal. This will only take a minute to complete, but it will require you to verify your email address.
2. Next, you’ll submit your initial application, which is available on the home page in Arcadia Portal. This is where you will let us know who you are, where you are from, and to which program you are applying. This step takes approximately 15 minutes.
3. Lastly, you’ll see the list of additional forms and documents - called Checklist Items - that are required for admission to your specific program. The number of additional forms varies, and some of these take a bit of time and consideration, but most students are able to get through their admissions forms fairly quickly.
Your Flight Form, which will only appear in your Arcadia Application Portal after you are accepted, is due 4-6 weeks before the start date of your program.
You can find useful links to country-specific pre-departure information in your Arcadia Application Portal on the Accepted Students page. This includes links to topics such as: financial information, health and safety, co-curricular opportunities and registering for in-country excursions.
You can submit your deposit by mailing a check, or online through our payment system, CASHNet, which is located in the Fees & Payments page tab of your Arcadia Portal.
The Enrollment Agreement can be completed in your Arcadia Application Portal.
Your acceptance email asks you to submit a hand-signed Enrollment Agreement. That form, which can be completed in Arcadia Portal upon acceptance into the program, includes a section that indicates how your deposit is being confirmed. One option on the form includes “Being sent by home school.”
Your home school will not confirm your deposit until you have completed all application materials through your study abroad office as well as your Arcadia Portal. It is your responsibility to complete these materials through your home school.
You are not committed to participating on an Arcadia study abroad program until you submit your Enrollment Agreement and your deposit has been paid. Should you need to withdraw your application, contact your Program Advisor as soon as possible. Learn more about the withdrawal policy.
In most cases, all application pieces will be listed in your Arcadia Application Portal. Some programs require additional materials that must be submitted outside of Arcadia Portal. Your Program Advisor will let you know what you need to submit and when. If you are accepted, additional forms will be added to Arcadia Portal for completion.
This is dependent on the program. Some programs allow you to pre-enroll in courses online before you depart the country while others finalize courses during orientation in-country. You can find more information about this on each program’s course page on our website or by contacting your Program Advisor.
With a few exceptions, most Arcadia study abroad programs have the capacity to admit all of the students who meet the eligibility requirements. That being said, if you’ve applied to a highly selective program, or, your home institution requires that you submit more than one application, please reach out to your Program Advisor to discuss your options.
If an uploaded form has not been marked as ‘complete,’ the form has most likely been successfully submitted and does not require you to re-upload the document. It can take up to two business days for any form to be reviewed and marked as complete in your Arcadia Portal. If a form has not been marked as ‘complete’ by this time, please contact your Program Advisor for more details.
Once you submit your application, the next time you log into the Arcadia Application Portal you’ll be able to see your list of Checklist Items - this is where you will submit additional information, like your transcript, course preferences, passport details and more. You’ll also be able to submit requests for your Study Abroad Approval Form and Letter of Reference, if required for your program. (Some of these Checklist Items take a little time to configure, but everything should be available for you to work on within an hour or two of submitting the initial application.)
Your Program Advisor, who will guide you through the application process, will contact you once you complete your initial application. You’ll also find their contact details at the bottom of the Home page in your Arcadia Portal after you submit the application.
Programs that require a letter of reference require that the reference be written by someone who has taught you in an academic setting at the University level. If you are still unsure about who should serve as your recommendation, ask your Program Advisor.
The Study Abroad Approval Form indicates to your Program Advisor that you have completed the approval process for credit transfer from the Arcadia program to your home school. This process often involves completing paperwork at your home school before the Study Abroad Approval Form can be completed. The form should be completed by the administrator who is in charge of your study abroad approval. Often this is a study abroad advisor.
Once you’ve submitted your initial application, you’ll be able to send a request to your study abroad advisor through your Checklist Items. Once you’ve submitted the request form, we’ll send an email to that person to ask them to fill out the Study Abroad Approval Form on your behalf. This item will be listed as complete in your Checklist Items once we get the form back from your ‘approver’.
We require this form to be completed in order for you to participate in your chosen program, but may not be required for an admissions decision.
Once the list of Arcadia program participants is confirmed, your Program Advisor will send you a list of students on your program. In some cases, you may also be able to join a closed Facebook group.
Let us answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the application process to study abroad. If you need more information or have additional questions, please contact your Program Manager.