Know Before You Go

Whether you’re still deciding on courses or you’re packing your bags, you can always contact our staff to help you along. Yes there is paperwork and yes there are decisions to make around course selection, housing preferences, dates, travel necessities, registration, budgeting and more. Our staff can walk you through it all.

Once you apply to Arcadia, our program managers are in regular contact with you about the status of your application and they send out extensive information that will prepare you to go abroad, including information on culture, politics, history and the local higher education system.

Once you arrive, our staff will meet you and introduce you to your accommodation and your orientation program will begin – to help you settle in academically, practically, culturally and socially.

Important: The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are separate countries, yet located on the same island. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. If you are studying or interning abroad in the Republic of Ireland (Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, etc.) for a Semester or Academic Year, click on the Irish Immigration Process to learn more about the immigration process. If you are studying or interning abroad in the Republic of Ireland on a summer program and you are a citizen of the U.S.A., you do not need to complete any immigration process. If you are studying abroad in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Queen's University, Belfast, click on UK Visa Requirements to learn about the visa process.

First! Home school arrangements

• Let your study abroad advisor know that you are taking part in an Arcadia University program
• Cancel any housing or meal contracts for the time you’ll be away and make arrangements to reactivate them when you return.
• If registration for next year's courses on your home campus will take place while you are abroad, ensure that the appropriate arrangements are made with your registrar or study abroad advisor.
• Some students enrolled on semester programs decide when they are overseas to stay for the full year. This is possible. While home college approval for continued study can be obtained when you are abroad, it will be much easier to make the necessary arrangements and receive preliminary approval before you leave the U.S.