Undergrad Study Abroad Options

The GBC’s goal is to help UW Foster School of Business students meet the world! Study abroad is a tremendous learning opportunity for Foster students to enhance their business education and gain the international perspective required to do business in today’s global economy. This page presents study abroad programs offering business credit for UW undergraduates. Some of these programs, or some of the courses on the programs, will only be open to current Foster undergraduate major students but many are open to all UW undergrad students. Be in touch with a GBC Study Abroad Adviser if you want to chat one-on-one about anything related to business-focused study abroad programs.

To help you understand how one experience is different from another, here are the program types:

• Foster Faculty-Led Programs: Go abroad with Foster Faculty and Staff on a highly supportive study abroad experience with a cohort of your UW peers. These programs either focus on earning upper division business core credit abroad or elective credit through company visits.
• Partner Programs: These are third party companies that organize study abroad programs for USA students where all the courses count as UW credit.
• Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll Programs: Enroll in a business school abroad and earn UW credit at one of Foster’s 23 university partners. This is a highly independent and immersive experience where you join students from around the world to become a visiting student at another university.

1. Reviewing the Foster Undergraduate Study Abroad Options
2. Attending a Foster Study Abroad info session
3. Talking with a Global Business Center Foster Study Abroad Adviser
4. Talk with your Academic Adviser to understand how study abroad fits into your UW degree plan.
5. Explore how you will fund study abroad. Check out the UW Study Abroad Office ‘Money’ webpage which goes over financial aid and scholarships. If you are a Foster major, make sure to apply for a Global Business Center Study Abroad Scholarship.
6. Apply by the application deadline!

Each Foster Study Abroad Program will include the following fees in the program price which students are responsible for once they sign the payment contract: Foster Study Abroad Fee and UW Study Abroad Fee

The Foster Study Abroad Fee is an Administrative Fee that funds all Foster Study Abroad activities, including the organization and operations of the programs; the recruitment, selection, and support of program participants; and the offering of study abroad advising. This fee is charged to all students participating on a Foster Study Abroad Program regardless of major. This is a non-refundable fee charged to students even if they withdraw from their study abroad program.

The Foster Study Abroad Fee is $375 through Spring Quarter 2026 and the fee will increase starting with programs happening in Summer 2026 to $390.

If you cannot participate in a Foster study abroad program for which you have submitted a contract, you may submit a Foster Emergency Withdrawal Petition. If granted, the Emergency Withdrawal may allow for partial relief from your Foster Study Abroad Fee (separate from program fee and UW Study Abroad Fee). Please note that you will also need to submit an emergency withdrawal petition to UW Study Abroad to be considered for partial relief from the other financial obligations for the program (i.e. program fee and UW Study Abroad fee).

The committee reviews Foster emergency withdrawal petitions on the first Thursday of every month.

Check out the UW Study Abroad Office website to learn about all the other study abroad programs at UW. UW has partner programs which offer some business credit: IES Abroad and CIEE. There are also some UW-wide exchanges that may offer business credit. You can check out the Foster Study Abroad Course Equivalency List to see what credit past students have earned on programs.

Beyond business credit, there are many other UW study abroad programs that can help you fulfill General Education Requirements like A&H, SSc or DIV credit, or CISB language or area studies credit.

How do I apply to study abroad?

• When programs are accepting applications, they can be found on the UW Study Abroad Office website.
• Programs will be shared on the Foster Study Abroad Options website well in advance of the application being open so that students can make plans about courses and dates.

What should I do to make sure that study abroad fits into my degree plan and does not cause me to extend my graduation date?

• Meet with a Foster Academic Adviser and a GBC Foster Study Abroad Adviser.
• You can get upper division business core credit abroad, as well as elective credit for your business major, general business credit, or non-business credit…so study abroad can work for everyone! You just have to do a little planning.
• Come learn about all the programs on offer even if you are in your first year or not yet in the Foster School. Attend an info session or come in for advising.

What happens if I click APPLY NOW on the application brochure page on the UW Study Abroad Office website?

• An application is started which you can revisit at any time. You can save items if you want to return to work on things later.
• There are no application fees, except for CIEE. Start an application to see what is involved!

What are the components of an application?

• Each program has a personal statement component. This is your essay of why you want to go on the program. We suggest touching on the personal, academic and/or career relevance of the program in your essay. Tell the story of why you think going abroad in important and what about the specific program you are applying for makes it is a good fit.
• In addition to the personal statement, some programs require a transcript to be uploaded or a faculty/TA/adviser recommendation. The recommendation is a short online survey that takes only a few minutes to complete.
• Many programs will also have a required interview which takes place after the online application deadline has passed.

How many programs can I apply to?

• You can apply to up to 3 programs in the same time period/term, this is only going to be a constraint for Early Fall Start when there are 30+ programs happening at the same time. This means you can apply to 3 programs happening in Fall Quarter, and another 3 happening in Winter Quarter, etc.
• If you are interested in more than one program, definitely apply to multiple! Again, there is no application fee.

How does a semester match up with the UW quarter system on Foster Exchange & Direct Enroll?

• For Fall Semester, you earn 18-24 UW credits (roughly 4-6 courses), pay 1.5 your UW tuition rate and only miss Fall Quarter. (Paying more and earning more credit than if you were on campus)
• For Spring Semester, you earn 18-24 UW credits (roughly 4-6 courses), pay 1.5 your UW tuition rate and miss Winter and Spring Quarters. (Paying less and earning less credit than if you were on campus)
• We have 2 Direct Enroll Programs (University College Dublin in Ireland and Universidad de San Andres in Argentina) where students pay a program fee for one semester, instead of their UW tuition. These two universities will be cheaper for out-of-state students than an Exchange. Students will still earn 18-24 UW credits for one semester.

How much does it cost to study abroad?

• All programs, besides Exchanges, are based on a program fee model; so all students pay the same amount to participate on the program regardless of residency status.
• Exchange Programs are 1.5 times a student’s quarterly tuition rate for one semester.

Can I use my financial aid?

• Yes you can! A note for programs happening during Summer, summer aid is separate from the academic year so you have to apply specifically for summer aid in late Winter Quarter or early Spring Quarter.
• You must earn the minimum amount of UW credit required by Financial Aid for all quarters you are abroad. Meaning if you are missing both Winter and Spring Quarters on a Foster Exchange or Direct Enroll Program, you must earn at least 24 UW credits since you are enrolled abroad for 2 UW quarters (12 credit minimum per quarter).
• To help you demystify financing your study abroad experience, check out the UW Study Abroad Office resources.

Are there scholarships specifically for study abroad?

• Yes! If you are a Foster major, apply for the Global Business Center Study Abroad Scholarships.
• Also check the scholarship box when you apply to a program via the UW Study Abroad Office program application. That considers you for the UW Study Abroad Office Scholarships.
• Beyond that, there are many more scholarships out there. Learn more on the UW Study Abroad Office resources webpage.

How competitive are the Foster Study Abroad Programs?

• This is very hard to say, it really depends on the year. Just apply!

Can I have someone look over my personal statement?

• The Global Business Center cannot review any personal statements.
• Go to the Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC) or the CLUE Writing Center.

I am not in the Foster School yet, what can I apply to? I do not plan to be a Foster student, can I apply?

• Most programs are open to all UW undergrads, check out the eligibility for the programs above and shoot us an email at [email protected] if you have questions.