Study Abroad

Make close friends in far away places through study abroad.

Study abroad is a core part of the Queens experience, having been ranked as a top 25 college study abroad program in the region. We believe in a global perspective so much that we provide undergraduate students with a fund that covers most of the cost of an international experience. We also offer scholarships for qualified students over and above what John Belk International program funding offers.

Study abroad is about education as much as travel: All our programs bear academic credit, and 95% of students who studied abroad found a job within 12 months of graduation, a testament to the self-confidence and skills gained by living and learning in another country.

There's no better way to prepare for taking on the world than to let the world prepare you. Check out nine thought-starters on why international experience is key to the college experience if you find yourself asking, "Why study abroad?"

Why Study Abroad?

Types of Programs

Short-Term, Faculty-Led Study Programs

These are our most popular study abroad programs. Travel for about 10-14 days with classmates and your professors to a region that builds upon a semester-long course taken on campus. You may study biodiversity in Ecuador, British literature in London, or art history in Florence.

Language Immersion

Increase your language proficiency with a language immersion program. You’ll live in another country with a local family for four weeks, taking language courses, experiencing cultural immersion and speaking the native language.

Semester Abroad

Dive deeper into another culture. We have several exchange partnerships and are a member of the International Student Exchange Program, a network of 150 universities in over 50 countries. You’ll have a world of options to explore for a semester or year of study.

International Internships

All of our undergrads participate in an internship, and some choose to do theirs overseas. We have partnerships that enable us to offer professionally immersive internships during which you work abroad and may even live with a local family.

Summer Business Programs

Students majoring in business, political science, or international studies may participate in summer programs offered through our partnerships with ESSCA and EM Strasbourg, two premier business schools with campuses in France and China. Both schools offer a unique perspective on global business and politics.

Virtual International Experiences

Virtual International Experiences allow students to engage with people, cultures and coursework from around the globe from wherever they are. All that's needed is an internet connection and an open mind. These experiences provide opportunities for students to expand their worldviews and develop highly sought-after cross-cultural skills, no passport or travel required.

Find Your Program

Enrichment Fund

The Charles and Jane Hadley International Enrichment Fund helps the Queens community enhance its global awareness, immersion, understanding and engagement by supporting a variety of cultural learning opportunities. Financial support made possible through the Charles and Jane Hadley International Fund aims to support those who wish for their Queens experience to be enriched through global experiences beyond the classroom, throughout the world. The fund honors the lives of the Hadleys and is anchored in their belief that our perspectives are shaped, nurtured and most enriched when experiencing the world through the direct interaction with cultures beyond our own. Learn more about the fund by emailing the Pulliam Center for International Education (international@queens.edu).

Take Your Studies Global

Study abroad is the best way to be an engaged global citizen. See how a recent class took their study of Irish literature to Dublin for an unforgettable experience.

Eight Key Things for Parents to Know

1. Employers are looking for skills developed through study abroad. These include intercultural skills, flexibility and adaptability, communication, problem solving and tolerance for ambiguity.

2. Research shows that study abroad improves college completion rates and GPAs.

3. Study abroad improves students’ appreciation for their own culture and develops their respect for other cultures.

4. The John Belk International Program (JBIP) makes study abroad incredibly affordable. JBIP covers the majority of costs for each undergraduate student to participate in a Queens international experience before they graduate.

5. In addition to covering most study abroad costs, Queens offers additional scholarships for JBIPs. There are scholarships for each of our five types of international experiences over and above what JBIP covers.

6. Your student’s first time out of the country? No problem! The Pulliam Center for International Education works diligently to prepare students before departing and support them throughout and after their international experience.

7. Will they be safe? We work hard to design programs and prepare students with health and safety at the forefront and we provide international health and evacuation insurance should the unexpected arise.

8. They’ve got this because you’ve prepared them for this. You worked hard to get them here. Now see what they can do.

"Allow your children to experience opportunities which help them grow and develop. There is always hesitation about sending our children to an unfamiliar land, however the best gift we can give them is the opportunity to expose them to other people’s culture, so they are more well-rounded and have a better understanding and acceptance of others." -Darryl and Shantell White | Parents of DJ White '18, Summer Program at ESSCA Angers, France

DJ White (back row, fifth from left) in Angers, France.