How To Apply

Application Process for Semester & Year Away

Semester and year-long off-campus study is generally open to sophomores, juniors, and fall-semester seniors. In addition to meeting the application requirements of the program you are applying to, you must also be in good academic and disciplinary standing at CC, and obtain your academic advisor's approval to study off-campus through the Summit application processes. All important eligibility requirements are discussed in detail here.

Studying off-campus always requires an application completed in Summit by our posted deadlines, and if you are applying for a partner program outside of CC, you will also need to complete their application for admission, in addition to the CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval in Summit. You can access the Center for Global Education & Field Study's Summit portal using your CC login. Once you've identified your top-choice program that best meets your academic goals for off-campus study, and have met with your academic advisor, you are ready to start the application process.

CC-Approved Partner Programs: 

This includes all programs run through an external partner or university, listed on our catalog of semester & year away programs.  All students participating in one of these programs will complete two applications -- the CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval on Summit, as well as the program-specific application for admission to the ONE top-choice program you are applying for (found on the program's website).


You can apply in any order (Summit application, partner program application) but be aware that the final step of most partner program applications is that we (CC Global Education) have to submit an approval form on your behalf saying you are approved to do this program and in good standing at CC. We cannot complete any forms for your program until you have been approved through the CC Internal Application in Summit, so please plan accordingly.

 

FAQs ABOUT APPLYING:

When completing the "Duration of Leave" section on your CC Internal Application, you must list all Blocks 1-4 if you are participating in a Fall semester program, list all Blocks 5-8 if you are participating in a Spring semester program, and list all Blocks 1-8 if you are participating in a full year-long program.

Even if the semester calendar of the academic system you are studying abroad in runs over different dates than the CC calendar (for example, a Southern Hemisphere program where the semester runs from February to June, or July to November, or a program in the UK that doesn't begin until October), you still must list the full semester away. You will be earning that full semester (or year) of your credit abroad, and will be coded at CC as being away on an approved study abroad leave for the complete CC semester or academic year.

Because students earn their full credit for the semester while abroad/away, it is not possible to register for any on-campus blocks during that same semester, even if the calendar of the semester abroad/away would allow them to complete the course before departure or after return.


If you need to order a transcript to send to the program you are applying for, it is your responsibility to request that and complete the release form through the Registrar's Office website. Similarly, if your partner program is asking where to send your final transcript upon program completion, that is also handled through the Registrar's Office, who manages and processes all things transcript-related.

Note that the CC transcript only lists completed courses for which a grade has been recorded in your Banner transcript record -- it does not list future courses you're registered for on the transcript. So, if your program needs that information, you must either submit a screenshot to them or other another form of your upcoming student schedule, showing which classes you'll plan to have completed before you study abroad.


Do you need to request the School of Record transcript option from your partner program?

CC will accept the grade reports from our partner program study abroad organizations themselves (such as CIEE, or DIS) for transferring credit in to CC, so we do not require that you request the additional School of Record transcript (often at extra cost to you) from our approved partner programs for our purposes.

However, you may wish to keep in mind that the occasional graduate school program application may require an official transcript from an accredited School of Record, if you intend to apply for this in the future. In that case, you may wish to opt in to request the School of Record transcript now, as this cannot be done retroactively. 


Any approval forms (sometimes called Home School Nomination, Advisor Approval, Study Abroad Office Recommendation, etc) that your program requires that CC submit on your behalf can only be completed after you successfully complete the CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval, and are approved for off-campus study via Summit, so that is your first step.

You can request those approval forms be sent to/completed by Heather Powell Browne, Associate Director of Global Education, at hpb@coloradocollege.edu.

When to apply? 

All deadlines for study away are structured to give you the very best chance of being accepted to your top-choice program, and to give you ample time to make good decisions around commitments on campus, such as housing, with the full knowledge well in advance of where you'll be studying in the future academic terms.

In general, students complete the CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval at the beginning of the semester prior to the one that you wish to be studying off-campus, if not earlier. You should start working on the partner program application, if required, as soon as possible after the Summit application opens up, regardless of when the program lists their application deadlines. Some programs have very early deadlines for the program application itself, as early as December or January, for the following year. Always make sure to check the program's website directly to make sure you are within their deadlines as well as CC's.


CC INTERNAL APPLICATION DEADLINES

Students interested in a CC-Approved Partner Program semester must apply to both through the program provider and for approval through 华体会 in order to transfer credit. 

The application deadlines for each partner or program may vary, but CC strongly encourages all students to submit their required CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval in Summit by the Priority Application Deadlines below, to give you the best chance at acceptance for your preferred program:

For Fall Semester/Full Academic Year Away:

  • STEP ONE: The CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval opens in Summit on November 1 for the next academic year, and we strongly recommend you submit it on or before the Priority Application Deadline of March 1 for studying away in the following Fall semester/upcoming full Academic Year. 

  • STEP TWO: Complete the partner program's application. This can be done prior to, simultaneous with, or immediately following submission of the CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval in Summit.  We recommend completing this step as early as possible, as many partner programs admit on a rolling basis, and may fill to capacity well before their advertised deadlines.

  • STEP THREE: Following your acceptance by the partner organization or program, you must return to Summit and record your decision of "Confirm" or "Cancel" on your corresponding CC Internal Application, to let CC know for sure where you will be studying in the upcoming semester or year. We request you do this as soon as you have made your decision, but no later than May 1 for the following Fall semester or full Academic Year.


For Spring Semester Away:

  • STEP ONE: The CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval opens in Summit on November 1 for the next academic year, and we strongly recommend you submit it on or before the Priority Application Deadline of October 1 for studying away in the following Spring semester. 

  • STEP TWO: Complete the partner program's application. This can be done prior to, simultaneous with, or immediately following submission of the CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval in Summit.  We recommend completing this step as early as possible, as many partner programs admit on a rolling basis, and may fill to capacity well before their advertised deadlines.

  • STEP THREE: Following your acceptance by the partner organization or program, you must return to Summit and record your decision of "Confirm" or "Cancel" on your corresponding CC Internal Application, to let CC know for sure where you will be studying in the upcoming semester or year. We request you do this as soon as you have made your decision, but no later than December 1 for the Spring semester.

These deadlines and processes apply to CC-Approved Partner Programs only.  For CC-led Semesters, please see the section below dedicated to the CC-led Semester and Half-Semester Away programs. 
Typically, 华体会 Students get in to their first choice program, especially when applying early, and so you may only submit one CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval to one top-choice program in Summit. The system is not designed for multiple semester-away applications from the same student for the same time period. Since you are very likely to get into your first choice program, especially if you meet any prerequisites the program has in place and are applying early, we recommend that students take time to carefully think through your program choice, based on your goals for your study away and using the tools on our Get Started page, and apply early for one top-choice program.

If you meet the program's requirements and apply early in the application cycle, you will likely not need a backup program. If you think you may need to consider a backup program, please set up a time to meet with Heather Powell Browne in Global Education, to discuss your best path forward.

If for any reason you do not get in to your first choice program, we will work with you to submit a second CC Internal Application for Study Away Approval and cancel the first one you submitted; be in touch with us to discuss this process.
 

Participation in Multiple Programs Close Together

It is possible to participate in a combination of semester away and blocks away during the same academic year or calendar year, however, there may be visa considerations which limit the viability of joining multiple programs too close together.

While many travelers are able to visit our program destination countries short-term without a visa, and many partner-led semesters away include a student visa specifically covering the dates of their program, there may be limitations and turnaround time on the kind of visa you will need for the countries you plan to enter and spend time in.

This can produce issues for students who wish to join multiple programs in the same year, or to pair a block away with a semester or half-semester program, or do two semester programs in two different countries. Additionally, most short-term CC faculty-led programs do not qualify for longer stay student visas, so it may not always be possible to combine block and other programs in the same year due to visa constraints.  If you are considering any combination of programs in the same academic or calendar year, you should speak with Global Education to determine if you may have any visa restrictions that could produce issues for your planned combination of programs.  

Simply submitting an application for semester study away (whether through CC or to study through a partner program) is not binding. Once you submit your application through Summit, there is always a window where you will wait to see if you are accepted, and then you will have to log back in to Summit and confirm your participation, if accepted and you decide to do the program.

We ask that you submit final confirmation to CC in Summit  of your plans by May 1 for Fall semesters away or full-year abroad programs, and by December 1 for Spring semesters away. That means you need to be accepted by your program by that point and have submitted any deposit which may be required to confirm your spot.

Always pay attention to financial commitment deadlines once you have confirmed for a specific study away program; there are always dates in the agreements you sign, after which you may be financially obligated for non-refundable costs if you later decide to drop your program. Also, any commitment deposit you've paid to your partner program or university abroad, if required, are often also not refundable for a late drop after an initial commitment decision is recorded.


Do not wait to apply for admission to your partner program, even if their application deadline is much later than the internal CC deadlines!

CC Faculty-Led Semesters and Half-Semesters
(see links to all in the first accordion section of this page)
FALL:  CC in Berlin; CC Russian in Bishkek; (CC TREE Semester is on hiatus, Fall 2025)
SPRING: CC in France; CC in Latin America; CC Chinese in Asia; (CC in Italy is on hiatus, Spring 2026)
Any time you are applying for a CC-led program, you only need to complete the one program application on Summit; look for the specific application for the program you are applying for. Ideally you will have also have talked with the faculty director of the program before you begin the application, to let them know of your interest and to learn more about any special application prerequisites that may exist.

The Priority Application Deadlines for CC Semesters and Half-Semesters Away in Summit mirror those for partner programs above:
March 1 for Fall CC Semesters and Half-Semesters
October 1 for Spring CC Semesters and Half-Semester
Applications after the Priority Deadline may be possible if the program still has space, but in general early application is always best once you know you want to apply!

While it is somewhat rare, there are times when a student may feel that the ideal program for their academic interests is not one of those offered by 华体会 in our list of CC-led and Partner-led programs. For information about petitioning for a non-approved program to meet an academic need, please see this page which outlines all of the specifics and requirements of the petition process at 华体会.

 

FAIRS & EVENTS in 2025-2026

SEMESTERS AWAY FAIR

Wednesday, September 3, 2025 from 12:00pm-2:00pm
Worner Center Lobby

Come learn more about all your opportunities to plan ahead for your study abroad for a semester or yearlong program! Representatives from all our CC Semesters Away and many of our 150+ partner programs and university options will be on campus for this fair -- where will you study?!

The Center for Global Education & Field Study, CC Financial Aid, and CC Accessibility Resources will also each have a table, as well as U.S. Passport Services, for questions about any of those important areas that you may have on the administrative and support side of things as well.


SUMMER 2026 BLOCKS AWAY FAIR
Thursday, December 4, 2025 from 12:00-2:00pm
Worner Campus Center
Come learn more about all the CC Summer 2026 programs all over the world, talk to the professors leading the courses, learn about how aid works, and get ready to apply!

SEMESTERS AWAY FAIR + BLOCKS AWAY FAIR FOR AY 2026-2027
Thursday, January 30 from 12:00pm-2:00pm
Worner Center Lobby

This is the biggest fair of the year, covering both your semester and year study away options, as well as unveiling all the individual CC Blocks Away for the 2026-2027 academic year! Come learn more about all your opportunities to plan ahead for your study abroad -- where will you study?!

The Center for Global Education & Field Study, CC Financial Aid, and CC Accessibility Resources will also each have a table, as well as U.S. Passport Services, for questions about any of those important areas that you may have on the administrative and support side of things as well.

show all / hide all

Report an issue - Last updated: