Dear Loved Ones,

Study Abroad is a life-changing experience for most students; it’s an experience that offers opportunities for academic and personal growth that cannot be achieved in a traditional academic setting.  We are thrilled that your student is considering making Quarter Abroad part of their UC Davis experience! 

At the same time we realize that the decision to participate can be a difficult one.  You may wonder how to choose the best program, how to fund the opportunity, or what kind of safety issues should be considered.  You probably want to know more about the organization that is coordinating your student’s time abroad.

All of the UC Davis Quarter Abroad programs are UC Davis Faculty-led programs with courses from the UC Davis General Catalog.  Students know exactly what the courses will give them credit for.  They can fulfill major, minor, or GE requirements while abroad.   This means that the courses they take on Quarter Abroad will count towards their degree.  Since safety is one of our primary concerns, our faculty program leaders live either with or near the student participants and spend a considerable amount of time with them, inside and outside the classroom.  The student’s existing financial aid package applies to all of the QA programs as well, and scholarships or loans are available to help students cover any additional costs related to studying abroad.

We currently have 8-9 programs during each academic year (Fall, Winter, or Spring).  We encourage you to send your student in to meet with us.  Even if we don’t have the right Quarter Abroad program for them, we will utilize all the resources of the Education Abroad Center (Education Abroad Program (EAP), Summer Abroad (SA), and non-UC programs) to help them achieve their study abroad goals.

This is an important step in a student’s life, and like all important events it requires a lot of your student.  To study abroad includes responsibilities.  Students will take a number of steps early, not only to become an informed traveler, but also to lay the foundation of the sojourn abroad becoming meaningful.  Quarter Abroad provides many resources to allow students to be prepared but it is ultimately the student who has to take the steps for preparing for the journey.  The better informed your student is, the more they will enjoy their experience.  You are taking a wonderful step in this process by helping them to gather this information.

We have created this web site for loved ones like you, who are interested in providing your student with the opportunity to have a rich cultural and academic experience that will contribute to their development as global citizens.  To that end we hope the resources and links we have provided will be useful to you..  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at quarterabroad@ucdavis.edu or (530) 297-4633.  We’d be happy to talk with you further.

Warm regards,
The UC Davis Quarter Abroad Staff