Policies and Procedures

Study Abroad Policies & Procedures

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• Application & Student Selection Process

  Eligibility. All MSU students are eligible to apply to study abroad if they are in good academic standing. Eligibility and requirements for individual programs will vary and may be determined by the program provider or director. This information is available for providers on the provider website and for MSU programs within the program listing on Horizons. Participants enrolled as students at MSU who do not also have faculty, staff, or alumni status must participate in study abroad as a student or intern earning credit for the study abroad program.
  

  
  

  Application Requirements. A complete application will include an MSU online application through the Study Abroad application system, which may require an essay, reference, and transcript. Application to a study abroad program does not automatically assume admission to the program. All application components, including disciplinary standing with Murray State University, will be taken into consideration for program approval.

   

  Selection. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Complete MSU Signature Program applications will be reviewed by the appropriate selection committee, which will examine the application as a whole, paying special attention to the essay, recommendation, transcript, and additional entrance prerequisites such as language, gpa, or course eligibility . Selection committees consist of the leadership of the program applied to. Decisions are made in conjunction with the SAO. Interviews may be requested. Admission is competitive and not guaranteed. Admission decisions cannot be appealed.

   

  Conditional Admission. In some cases Conditional Admission may be issued to an applicant. This means the applicant must meet specific conditions within a certain time frame in order to be fully admitted to the program. If these conditions are not met within the specified time allotted, the applicant will be rejected from the program.

  Waitlist. Some programs are in high demand and may receive more applications than space available. In such a case, all applications are reviewed and the leadership determines those who best fit for the program and waitlist the others. A waitlisted applicant may be moved to full admission should a fully admitted applicant drop out of the program far enough in advance of program departure.

  Rejection. An application may be rejected for several reasons including, but not limited to: low gpa, inadequate reasons for applying, incomplete application, poor reference, poor course or program fit as determined by the Selection Committee, poor academic standing at MSU, poor disciplinary standing at MSU.

  Admission. Once admitted to a study abroad program, it is the responsibility of the participant to login to the online application to complete the Post-Acceptance steps for their program. The Post-Acceptance deadlines are posted on the Deadlines section of the SAO website. Applications not completed by this date will have a Study Abroad HOLD placed on their MSU account until completion is final.

  Murray State University endorses the intent of all federal and state laws created to prohibit discrimination. Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, veteran status, or disability in employment, admissions, or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities equal access to participate in all programs and activities.

   

  CCSA/CEA/GlobaLinks/IBS/IPAI/KIIS. If you are applying to a program provider, your application will require an additional application to the provider. For CCSA, CEA, GlobaLinks, and KIIS this application is online. Your study abroad application is not complete until you have completed BOTH the provider application and the MSU application. Your provider application may also have additional essay, audition, or prerequisite requirements for admission.

   

  Exchange Program Selection. Applicants to MSU Exchange Programs will be selected for nomination at MSU by a committee of faculty and professional staff. If nominated, the application is then submitted to the exchange university for full review and approval. At this stage the SAO may contact you for additional materials to be submitted to the exchange university either in paper or online format or both. Failure to submit these materials in a timely manner will result in a rejection by MSU to the exchange program.

   

  Final admission decisions are made by the exchange university and issued directly to the student and simultaneously to the SAO. Exchange admissions will fall on the schedule of the exchange university and the MSU SAO has no control over when this will take place or what the outcome will be. Admission decisions cannot be appealed.

   

  After full admission, applicants will be asked to submit additional supporting documents to the exchange university either directly or through the SAO. Failure to submit these documents in a timely manner may mean rejection from the program.

   

  Program Provider Selection. Applicants to provider programs will have their applications reviewed as follows:

  • CCSA: Your application is submitted online to CCSA and approved by the MSU SAO. Applicants will receive communication directly from CCSA with notification of official acceptance to the course specified. In some cases your first choice course may not be available and you may be given the option of choosing another course.

  • KIIS: Your application is submitted online to KIIS and reviewed by the Program Director for the program you have applied to for admission decisions.
    

  • CEA, GlobaLinks: Your application is submitted online and reviewed by the appropriate Program Manager at CEA or GlobaLinks and then forwarded to the appropriate university program you are applying to abroad for final admission decisions.
    

  • IBS: Your application is submitted to an MSU Campus Representative (Sam McNeely and Joy Roach) for review and forwarding to IBS.

  • IPAI: You must inquire with the MSU Faculty Director, Christopher Mitchell, for an audition. Once you pass the audition you will complete both the IPAI application and the online MSU application for formal program approval.

• Scheduling

  In all cases, scheduling for courses is the responsibility of the participant. Until participants are scheduled at MSU or have met their scheduling requirements, financial aid and study abroad scholarships cannot be released for any program. Additionally, program fees may not be placed onto a participant account until scheduling is complete. This does not mean that participants are not enrolled in the program. The same withdrawal deadlines will still apply regardless of whether full program fees have been applied to your account yet. Scheduling details regarding specific programs are listed below.

  Exchange/CEA/GlobaLinks/Non-MSU Program Scheduling:

  • Students on these semester programs will enroll in a section of INT 310 to make up a total of 12 credit hours for semester students, thus showing full-time enrollment. If a participant is both taking a web course with MSU and studying abroad for a semester, then the web course plus an INT 310 section for 9 hours will result in full-time enrollment.
  • Students participating in these summer programs will enroll in INT 310 credit hours that match the number of credit hours - or as closely as possible - that is being taken while abroad. For example, a participant taking 6 credit hours of language in Chile for the month of June will enroll in INT 310 for 6 credit hours for that same time period at MSU.

  INT 310 is a placeholder course that enables financial aid and scholarships to be released to a student account. A grade of 'R' will be issued for the INT 310 course at the end of each semester. When an official transcript is received from the university abroad, the INT 310 course will be replaced with the courses taken abroad.

   

  MSU Signature Faculty-Led Program Scheduling. Students participating in short-term MSU Signature Faculty-Led programs will take a pre-departure course or a post-program course, or both, that will be tied to the program abroad. Both the pre/post course and the program abroad will count toward the course grade and attendance and active participation in both will be required. Course enrollment will be determined as follows:

   

  Semester Faculty-Led Program Scheduling. Semester faculty-led students will enroll in MSU courses, creating a schedule on MyGate that shows regular semester MSU courses that are taught in the location abroad.

   

  Winter Faculty-Led Program Scheduling. Winter programs are scheduled as a second-half fall semester course. Your program description in Horizons and your faculty will have this information for you to ensure you enroll in the correct course.

   

  Spring Break Faculty-Led Program Scheduling. Participants in spring break programs will schedule for a full spring semester course according to the MSU spring schedule of classes.

   

  Summer Faculty-Led Program Scheduling. Participants in summer programs will be scheduled in a second-half spring semester INT 310 course for 0 credit hours. Additionally, participants will enroll in the content course for the actual summer session that matches the dates of the program abroad. Enrollment in both of these ensures compliance with state and federal regulations and allows release of MSU program billing and support funds through federal aid or scholarships.

   

  CCSA program Scheduling. Students participating in CCSA study abroad programs must complete an Anticipated Evaluation of Credit (AEC) form with their advisor in order to receive full course approval. The completed AEC must be turned into the SAO for the appropriate MSU course to be created. Once the MSU course is created, the participant will be alerted to enroll in the course. The entire AEC approval process and course enrollment must be completed prior to student orientation and program departure in order to receive credit for the program. Students who do not seek appropriate credit may be expelled from the program or not receive academic credit upon return.

   

  IBS/IPAI Program Scheduling. Students participating in these programs will register for classes at MSU under the MSU faculty they were recruited by for the program.

   

  KIIS Program Scheduling. Students participating in KIIS programs will have a Concurrent Enrollment form completed for them by the KIIS Head Office and sent to the MSU Transfer Center. This form is a placeholder for MSU that shows the student is participating in a study abroad program and earning credit through Western Kentucky University. With this form in place, no other scheduling at MSU is required.

• Course Credit & Grade Transfer

  Course Approval. It is vital that participants in all study abroad programs understand prior to studying abroad how the courses they wish to take will transfer back to MSU and figure into graduation requirements.

  Faculty-Led Signature Programs (including IBS and IPAI). Students participating in Faculty-Led Signature programs enroll in regular MSU courses that appear on MyGate registration as such. No additional paperwork is required. Registration is the responsibility of the participant and will not be done by the SAO or any other party on the student's behalf.

   

  Exchange/CEA/GlobaLinks/Non-MSU Programs. Students must complete the Anticipated Evaluation of Credit (AEC) form with their advisor to ensure a proper substitution at MSU exists for which credit can be gained toward graduation. It is the responsibility of the participant to discuss credit with the advisor and gain all written approvals in the allotted time frame. The AEC guarantees credit only for the courses that are listed on the form. Students who take courses abroad that have not been pre-approved through the AEC are not guaranteed credit upon return.

  KIIS Courses. KIIS course approvals are listed on the program descriptions in the MSU Horizons system. It is the responsibility of the participant to ensure enrollment with KIIS into WKU courses that will transfer back to MSU as courses that have not already been taken at MSU. If a course is transferred back as an MSU course that was already complete, the first course will be taken off of the MSU transcript.

  CCSA courses. Students participating in CCSA study abroad programs must complete an Anticipated Evaluation of Credit (AEC) form with their advisor in order to receive full course approval. The completed AEC must be turned into the SAO for the appropriate MSU course to be created. Once the MSU course is created, the participant will be alerted to enroll in the course. The entire AEC approval process and course enrollment must be completed prior to student orientation and program departure in order to receive credit for the program. Students who do not seek appropriate credit may be expelled from the program and/or fail to  receive academic credit upon return. Courses will not be created or re-created for a student after a program has been completed.

  Grades. Study abroad courses taught by MSU faculty are submitted directly to MSU. This submission may not meet the regular submission schedule, however, so students may receive an "Incomplete" until the program and course assignment deadlines are completed.

  Grade Transfer. All grades received from foreign or domestic institutions on behalf of MSU students who earn college credit will be figured into the MSU grade point average (GPA). If letter grades are received, these will be configured into the MSU GPA. In order to receive pass/fail credit for study abroad courses, the transferring institution must send the grade report in the form of pass/fail without letter grades.

  Study abroad grades are received directly from program providers and institutions abroad and cannot be reported by the participant. Grades will be issued via paper and mailed by the institution reporting the grades. The academic calendars of study abroad programs do not traditionally match the MSU academic calendar.

  The close of the academic semester at MSU requires grade submission for your courses. INT course enrollment can show you were full-time for the semester you are abroad, but it does not show that you earned what is termed Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP is 24 earned college credit hours within an academic year.

  Until your transcript arrives with detailed courses, credit hours, and grades, your MSU status therefore may not show you in good academic standing. As a result, your Federal Financial Aid and Scholarships may be held until the transcript is received. This does not mean that these funds will be revoked by MSU, but until a transcript that proves your SAP is received, funds will not be available for use.

  If you are a spring study abroad semester student, you will likely receive communication in July from the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office stating that you have not met SAP. The SAO notifies the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office as well as the Bursar and Registration Offices of the students in this predicament each June. A note is then placed on your file by these offices to indicate that your study abroad grades have not yet been received. With this verification from the SAO you will be permitted to enroll and take courses while MSU waits for the official grade report.

  When the grade report is received it will be processed as quickly as possible and sent to the Transfer Center. You will be notified along with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, Registrar's Office, and Bursar's Office that the grade report was received and processed. Once this is processed by these offices and as long as you have met SAP and any other scholarship and financial aid requirements, your aid can be released and applied to your MSU account.

  Please note: Official transcripts and certificates of completion received by institutions outside of MSU cannot be given to participants.

  Grade Appeals. If a participant wishes to appeal a grade, this appeal must take place with the program provider and faculty member who issued the grade. MSU cannot change grades issued by another institution.

• Billing

  Exchange Programs. Exchange programs are billed at MSU in various ways. Check your Horizons program description for details and the most updated information. In general tuition is charged at MSU. The tuition charge may be accompanied by a program fee that includes room and board. When a program fee is not charged or does not include room and board, these expenses will be paid by the participant on-site.

   

  Faculty-Led Signature Program Fee. Students will be billed to their MSU account for the Faculty-Led Signature program fee. MSU billing can be set up on a payment plan through the MSU Bursar's Office. Setting this up through MyGate is the participant's responsibility.  Billing is not applied to a participant account until the participant registers for the study abroad class. It is possible that class registration will take place after bills have been sent out by the Bursar's Office. It is the student's responsibility to check their MyGate account to be sure the billing is both listed and correct and make payments on time for their study abroad program. Billing timelines are set by the Bursars's Office and follow this schedule:

  • Fall Programs: Fall semester programs will be billed in July. Students on payment plans can make payments until the final payment deadline of November 2nd.
  • Winter Programs: Winter program billing is sent to the Bursar's Office in September. Students on payment plans can make payments for the October and November payment dates. Final payment is due November 2nd.
  • Spring Programs: Spring semester billing is applied to student accounts after November scheduling. Spring bills are due December 14th unless set up on a payment plan. Purging for students who have not paid in full or established payment plans by December 14th is January 3rd.
  • Spring Break Programs: Spring break programs are billed with the spring semester bills and can be set up on payment plans through the Bursar's Office.
  • Summer Programs: Summer billing is due in full by April 15th unless set up on a payment plan through the Bursar's Office by that date.

  Faculty-Led Signature Program Tuition Charge for Undergraduate Students. Students on faculty-led signature programs are enrolled in an MSU class for their program. Tuition is assessed for these programs as indicated below. Please see the Bursar's Office Website for further details. 

  • Fall: Tuition is charged to your MSU account at your regular full-time tuition rate.
  • Winter: For students taking 12 hours or more on campus for the semester and enrolling in a first or second-half semester class for study abroad, tuition is included in the full-time rate you are already billed. For students taking less than 12 hours on campus and adding a first- or second-half semester class for study abroad, your tuition charge will increase either at the hourly rate or bring your charge to the full-time 12-hour on campus tuition charge. This means if you are taking web classes to meet your full-time requirement for financial aid but that decreases the hours you take on campus to less than 12 on campus hours, your tuition charge for the study abroad class will increase. Web classes are not included in the full-time on campus tuition charge.
  • Spring Break: For students taking 12 hours or more on campus for the spring semester and enrolling in the spring break full-semester class for study abroad, tuition is included in the full-time rate you are already billed. For students taking less than 12 hours on campus and adding a semester class for study abroad, your tuition charge will increase either at the hourly rate or bring your charge to the full-time 12-hour on campus tuition charge. This means if you are taking web classes to meet your full-time requirement for financial aid but that decreases the hours you take on campus to less than 12 on campus hours, your tuition charge for the study abroad class will increase. Web classes are not included in the full-time on campus tuition charge.
  • Summer: Students enrolling in a summer faculty-led program will take the INT 310 course at 0 credit hours in the second-half spring semester. There is no tuition charge for this class. Additionally  students will enroll in the summer session of their program abroad for the 3-hour academic course required for their program. Summer tuition is waived for the study abroad class.

  Faculty-Led Signature Program Tuition Charge for Graduate Students. Graduate students on faculty-led signature programs are enrolled in an MSU class for their program. Graduate students taking 9 hours or less will incur additional tuition charges for their study abroad course if enrolled in the fall or spring semester. Graduate students taking 12 on campus hours and adding a study abroad class will not incur additional tuition charges for their study abroad course. Please see the Bursar's Office Website for further details.

   

  Graduate Students enrolling in a summer faculty-led program will take the INT 610 course at 0 credit hours in the second-half spring semester. There is no tuition charge for this class. Additionally students will enroll in the summer session of their program abroad for the 3-hour academic course required for their program. Summer tuition is waived for the study abroad class.

   

  CCSA/CEA/GlobaLinks/KIIS/Non-MSU Programs Tuition Charge. For these programs, students will pay the provider directly and incur no additional tuition charges at MSU. If you are receiving Federal Financial Aid or Scholarships, please see the Scholarships & Financial Aid section for details on how funds are disbursed.

   

  IBS Programs Tuition Charge. Students on the IBS program will pay the provider directly and will also pay MSU tuition for their program at their regular tuition rate based on their graduate or undergraduate status and full-time or part-time status. NOTE A POLICY CHANGE FOR SUMMER 2013: IBS students will NOT incur MSU tuition charges for the summer IBS program.
  

• Program Withdrawal

  How to Withdraw. For full program withdrawal, an applicant must submit in writing his/her intention and reason for withdrawing from a study abroad program BOTH to the MSU SAO and to the program provider (if applicable). Lack of participation in class or failure to pay program fees does not constitute program withdrawal. Until written notification is received in the SAO and the applicant receives a confirmation email from SAO, approved applicants are considered full participants in the program.

   

  Withdrawal Deadline. Every program has a withdrawal deadline which is published in the program overview in Horizons and on the Deadlines section of the SAO website. This is the date by which you must withdraw from a program in order to receive no financial penalty. If you withdraw from a study abroad program after the published withdrawal deadline, you will incur charges up to the full cost of the program. These charges are a result of the inability of MSU and/or the provider to receive refunds for expenses already paid out on your behalf for full program participation.

• Federal Financial Aid

  The information provided here does not supersede an individual advising session study abroad students seeking financial aid should have with the Office of Financial Aid/Scholarships. Make an appointment to speak with a Financial Aid Officer any time to discuss your financing options for your program abroad.

   

  Students receiving Federal Financial Aid may apply that aid to the cost of a study abroad program. To determine aid eligibility you must speak with a Financial Aid Officer in the Office of Financial Aid/Scholarships. For all aid eligibility you must complete a FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Please see the Financial Aid Policies and Procedures site for guidelines and required forms and deadlines.

   

  To apply your Federal Financial Aid to a study abroad program, you must be taking courses on the program that will count toward graduation requirements.

   

  Summer Programs. If you are studying abroad on a summer program you must be full-time, which is 6-credit hours, for the summer term to receive your Federal Financial Aid. This does not mean that you have to take all 6 hours while abroad. You can instead meet this 6-hour requirement by enrolling in a 3-credit hour study abroad program in addition to a summer session at MSU.

   

  If you have received the maximum Federal Financial Aid you were eligible for during the fall and spring academic year, you may not be eligible for additional summer aid. To be eligible for summer aid you must complete a summer FAFSA.

   

  If you refused eligible aid for the fall and spring semesters and wish to claim it before the end of the award period you may do so. In order to do so, keep several guidelines in mind: If you completed a FAFSA just for fall semester or just for spring semester, aid can be released only for bills on your account that are for that specific semester. As such, if you have a summer study abroad fee on your MSU account and funds that you have claimed from Federal Financial Aid from the fall semester are released to your account they will be refunded to you instead of being applied to your summer fees. It is your responsibility as the participant to ensure that your study abroad fees are paid in full prior to departure. If you receive a refund of Federal Financial Aid of any kind, you are encouraged to check your MyGate account and/or your program provider account to ensure you have a zero balance.

   

  Remaining aid from a fall or spring award will be reimbursed to you instead of being applied to your summer MSU account. It is your responsibility to ensure balance payment with MSU for summer study abroad programs prior to program departure. Students who do not pay MSU fees by the published deadline dates will be purged from future classes and unable to schedule for future terms, attend a future term, receive a transcript or diploma, and if necessary will be turned into a collections agency for collection of fees.

   

  Remaining aid from a fall or spring award will always be reimbursed to you instead of being sent directly to your program provider to pay your program balance. It is your responsibility to ensure balance payment with your provider prior to program departure. Students who do not pay their provider fees by the deadline will not have their study abroad transcript released to MSU for course credit, may be charged interest for lack of payment, and if necessary will be turned into a collections agency for collection of fees.

• Study Abroad Scholarships

  Application for Study Abroad Scholarships. In order to be considered for study abroad scholarships, students must first complete their study abroad online application. The online scholarship application then becomes available for completion. Applicants must submit all required pieces of the application in order to be considered for scholarship funding, including the Financial Statement portion that requires communication with the Financial Aid Office for verification of Federal Financial Aid and university scholarships a student is eligible to receive. The Financial Aid Office will NOT complete this portion of your scholarship application until you have met with them for an official request to do so. Incomplete applicants will not be considered.

   

  Scholarship Eligibility. Eligibility requirements vary: some scholarships have minimum GPA requirements, specific major requirements, or financial need requirements. All scholarship applicants should review the detailed scholarship information provided on the SAO website to determine which study abroad scholarships you are eligible for and apply ONLY to those for which you meet the eligibility requirements. Students who do not meet the minimum eligibility requirements will not be considered.

   

  Selection for Study Abroad Scholarships. Several scholarship committees are in place to review applications independently of or in conjunction with other committees. Some committee members may sit on more than one review committee and members are made up of faculty, staff, and students. Award notifications are made via email to the email address provided in your online application approximately two weeks after the scholarship deadline. In some cases not all committees have reported by this time. The SAO makes every effort to notify students in a timely fashion and will indicate which scholarships, if any, have not been awarded when notifications are sent. Scholarships are competitive and applicants should make every effort toward submitting the best application possible for the greatest chance to receive funding. Applicants are invited to attend one of the Scholarship & Financial Aid Workshops offered each semester to ask details and receive further guidance on the application and selection process. Applications found to have falsified information will be disqualified for scholarship funding of any kind.

• How Study Abroad Scholarships & FInancial Aid are Applied to Study Abroad Program Costs

  Students receiving study abroad scholarships and Federal Financial Aid will receive them as an award on their MSU account. The following guidelines determine how these funds are applied to program balances:

  MSU Signature Faculty-Led Programs. The majority of Signature programs are billed to your MSU account. As such, scholarships are applied to your MSU account to cover a portion of this bill. For Signature programs that are not billed at MSU or are only partially billed at MSU, scholarships will be applied to your MSU account and cover any billing on the MSU account, including past-due bills that are not study abroad related. Any leftover scholarship award funds will be disbursed to you, the student.

   

  Exchange Programs. Exchange program tuition and the program fee (if applicable) is billed to your MSU account. As such, scholarships are applied to your MSU account to help cover this bill. Any leftover scholarship award funds after your MSU bill is paid will be disbursed to you, the student.

   

  CCSA Programs. CCSA students must be enrolled in their MSU course for the CCSA program in order to have any scholarships or federal aid applied to their MSU account. CCSA requires payment in full before program participation, so students who are utilizing scholarships or federal aid to pay CCSA must either pay CCSA the fees in full OR complete the Promissory Note with CCSA to reach a $0 balance in order to be able to participate in the program. The Promissory Note ensures that funds will come directly from MSU to CCSA on the student's behalf to partially or fully pay the remaining CCSA fees owed by the student. If a student receives a refund of aid directly from MSU, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that the CCSA bill is paid in full as refunds may be made to the student in error. Funds not sent directly to CCSA through the Promissory Note process will be disbursed directly to the student.

   

  KIIS Programs. KIIS students will have the KIIS Concurrent Enrollment form completed by KIIS on their behalf and sent to MSU. This form serves as proof of credit enrollment for the KIIS study abroad program. Once this form is received, funds are applied to the student account. KIIS requires payment in full before program participation, so students who are utilizing scholarships or federal aid to pay KIIS must either pay KIIS the fees in full OR complete the Promissory Note with KIIS to reach a $0 balance in order to be able to participate in the program. The Promissory Note ensures that funds will come directly from MSU to KIIS on the student's behalf to partially or fully pay the remaining KIIS fees owed by the student. If a student receives a refund of aid directly from MSU, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that the KIIS bill is paid in full as refunds may be made to the student in error. Funds not sent directly to KIIS through the Promissory Note process will be disbursed directly to the student.

   

  IBS Programs. IBS students must be enrolled in their MSU course for the IBS program in order to have any scholarships or federal aid applied to their MSU account. IBS requires payment in full before program participation, so students who are utilizing scholarships or federal aid to pay IBS must either pay IBS the fees in full OR complete the Promissory Note with IBS to reach a $0 balance in order to be able to participate in the program. The Promissory Note ensures that funds will come directly from MSU to IBS on the student's behalf to partially or fully pay the remaining IBS fees owed by the student. If a student receives a refund of aid directly from MSU, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that the IBS bill is paid in full as refunds may be made to the student in error. Funds not sent directly to IBS through the Promissory Note process will be disbursed directly to the student.

   

  CEA/GlobaLinks/LdM/Non-MSU Programs. Students on these provider programs who are receiving MSU merit, honors, or study abroad scholarships and/or federal financial aid to be applied to the study abroad program, must register at MSU for INT 310 for the number of credit hours they will be enrolled in while abroad. Without INT enrollment at MSU, this aid will not be released to the student account. The tuition for INT 310 will be waived. The student also has the option of having these funds sent directly to the program provider by completing a Promissory Note. If no Promissory Note is on file, funds will be disbursed to you, the student.

   

  Disbursed Funds. Any funds that are to be disbursed directly to the student from scholarships or Federal Aid will be sent either to the bank account you have on file with MSU for direct deposit or via check to the address you have on file with MSU. Check your MyGate account to see if you have created direct deposit or to update an address for refunds.

   

  It is the participant's responsibility to ensure that payment methods are in place, necessary paperwork is complete, and balances are paid for their study abroad program, both at the provider and at MSU.

• MSU Merit Scholarships

  MSU students receiving scholarships through the merit awarding process at MSU should know the following important information:

  • Any student participating in an MSU Signature semester program may use their merit funds toward the tuition charges applied to the MSU account for that semester program.
  • Students in the Honors Program may use 25% of their academic year merit scholarships for any semester provider study abroad program, i.e., semester programs from CCSA/CEA/GlobaLinks/KIIS/LdM/Non-MSU Programs.
  • Students who are not in the Honors Program may not use any portion of their MSU merit scholarships for provider programs, i.e., CCSA/CEA/GlobaLinks/KIIS/LdM/Non-MSU Programs. Study Abroad scholarships can be used for these programs.
    
  • Merit scholarships are not provided during any summer study, whether that study is domestic or international. As such, merit funds cannot be applied to summer study abroad.
  • Housing scholarships and waivers may be available for use on MSU Signature semester programs. Students receiving these funds should speak with the Office of Financial Aid/Scholarships to verify what is available.

• Outside Scholarship Sources

  Students who have been awarded funds from outside sources must inquire directly with those sources and/or the Office of Financial Aid/Scholarships to verify what portion of funds may be available to apply to study abroad fees.

• Travel Warning Countries

  According to the website of the U.S. Department of State (travel.state.gov), Travel Warnings are issued by the U.S. Department of State:

   

              "when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff."

   

  Understanding that the DOS issues Travel Warnings for parts of a country and not the whole, MSU supports study abroad programs taking place in countries with a travel warning if the following are in place: 

  • the formal geographic region of study must take place in a location that is NOT under a current Travel Warning; and
  • program providers, or MSU faculty if the program is a Faculty-Led MSU Signature Program, must provide proof that insurance coverage is valid in the country and region of study; and
  • program providers, or MSU faculty if the program is a Faculty-Led MSU Signature Program, must provide full exit strategy and warning details to the MSU Study Abroad Office and to participants; and
  • program travel for sponsored excursions must not take place in the geographic region under the Travel Warning; and
  • participants, providers, and MSU faculty shall not travel independently or as part of a program activity to the geographic region under the Travel Warning; and
  • participants and MSU faculty agree to sign a Travel Warning Release Form prior to travel to the country.

• Passport & Visa

  It is the responsibility of the program participant to obtain and maintain a valid passport and visa (where applicable) for all travel and study abroad. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the return date of your program abroad. Failure to do so may mean the inability to travel abroad for participation in the study abroad program. Students who do not comply with this international requirement will not receive a program refund and Federal Financial Aid and study abroad scholarships will be partially or fully revoked due to the inability to begin and/or complete the course. To determine if the country(ies) you plan to study in and/or visit require a visa and determine visa costs and procedures, see the Consulate website of that country.

• Travel

  Participants may travel via personal vehicle, commercial airlines, and other public and private transportation both stateside and abroad. During this travel participants will be subject to airline and TSA rules, and rules and regulations of foreign entities, which may change at any time without notice.

   

  Transportation delays or cancellations are not the responsibility of MSU or your program provider. Cancellations and delays may result in the loss of program time abroad and/or the cancellation of activities without refund to the participant. MSU and/or your program provider will make every possible effort to work with airlines and other transportation providers to reschedule travel that affects program length and activities as little as possible.

• Conduct

  It is the responsibility of the study abroad participant to:

  • Adhere to the MSU Student Life Handbook and Policies; and
  • Communicate in a timely manner with the SAO, program provider (if applicable) and faculty member at the contact details provided in the application; and
  • Provide a personal email address that belongs to the participant and check that account regularly for information requests, program status reports, and/or other updates; and
  • Complete all application and program materials him/herself; and
  • Read all program materials; and
  • Provide accurate and correct information to the best of his/her knowledge and complete all mandatory components of the application and post-acceptance by the indicated deadlines; and
  • Attend mandatory study abroad orientation; and
  • Comply with the laws of the foreign country; and
  • Comply with the rules and regulations of the university of study and/or the program provider and attend all program and class activities; and
  • Obtain the appropriate approval for courses in writing prior to participation in the program; and
  • Notify the SAO in writing of a decision to withdraw from the program, paying any unrecoverable costs already spent on their behalf if withdrawal takes place after the Withdrawal Deadline; and
  • Complete required forms and processes required by the offices of MSU, including but not limited to, the Office of Financial Aid/Scholarships, Registration, and Housing, and maintain full-time status while abroad in order to ensure applicability of scholarships and financial aid both for the program and upon return to MSU; and
  • Purchase travel insurance the covers the duration of my program.

  Misconduct abroad will become part of a participant's permanent Murray State University disciplinary record. Visiting students on MSU programs will have their home university notified in the event of disciplinary action against the student.

  Resulting charges including but not limited to property damage, excessive use of electricity where applicable, mistreatment of property, lack of cleaning, and personal charges to MSU program faculty, directors, or accounts will result in a direct financial charge to the participant's MSU account to cover this charge in full.

   

  Conduct that interferes with or inhibits the experience of others, both participants and non-participants, whether in residential settings, classrooms, and any public domain, including during independent travels, could be grounds for expulsion from the program.

   

  Frequent intoxication and use of illegal substances as defined by United States statute will result in expulsion from the study abroad program.

   

  Engagement in risky activities such as vehicle rental or extreme sports is at the participant's own risk. It is the participant's responsibility to determine whether any travel insurance will cover these activities.

   

  Expulsion will result in failure of the courses taken on the program, regardless of expulsion date, including expulsions made prior to the Murray State University Drop Date. Expelled students will be sent home immediately at their own expense regardless of visa classification or on-site grace period allowance. In case of expulsion, MSU will notify the Emergency Contact person listed in the study abroad application. Expulsion details will become a permanent part of the MSU disciplinary record and will require a meeting with the MSU Disciplinary Officer upon return to Murray State to resume studies.