Weber State University is committed to maximizing educational experiences while also providing students with every chance for success. Studying abroad is one of the ways WSU provides those opportunities.

The main road block students encounter when deciding to study abroad is the cost. It is often thought that studying abroad is not possible for many due to the higher cost of education. However, students who want to pursue study abroad can choose from a wide variety of scholarships as a result.

“I received a grant that I used to do my exchange in Spain, which helped quite a lot,” Kelani Purvis, a communications major, said. “I think if someone has the opportunity to for an exchange and go and live somewhere else and take themselves out of their preconceived idea of how the world works, while you’re are still at a point like college where you can take the time to do that reasonably, l think it’s an incredibly amazing experience.”

There are 18 general study-abroad scholarships available, both national and international. Additionally, there are numerous foreign language scholarships sponsored by the Weber State Department of Foreign Languages, Weber State Study Abroad Scholarships, departmental grants and college grants for students who are interested in studying abroad.

Study Abroad, in collaboration with WSU and International Programs, recently unveiled the Study Abroad Exchange Scholarship. This scholarship is intended to help exchange students achieve their goal of studying abroad for one or two semesters.

Study Abroad offers two different kinds of programs: short-term and long-term options. The short-term program consists of faculty-led excursions lasting one to six weeks, usually over the course of the summer or spring break.

In accordance with the exchange program, they also offer long-term exchanges that may last up to two years or 1-2 semesters.

“We try to make this as affordable as possible, like with the short term program, you basically just pay for the price of the trip, and there is just a set rate of about $300 in tuition fees, and exchange program participants pay Weber State’s tuition, which makes the program great because they don’t have to pay international student tuition or out of state fees,” Myranda Hackley, global connections coordinator, said.

Mikayla Kanawyer, who’s majoring in interior design and professional sales, went on a one month study abroad to Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Scotland. Kanawyer explained that scholarships and prices she received as a student helped make the trip less expensive.

“My experience was amazing,” Kanawyer said. “It was a month-long trip and everything was planned out extremely well. The itinerary and price was well thought out and it would be nearly impossible for me to recreate this trip for the cost we were given as students.”

Students enjoy their time during the study abroad and recommend it to other students who wish to gain different experiences and opportunities.

“It really changed my life,” Elise Waikart, a communication and electrical major who did an exchange in Spain, said. “l ended up extending my semester for a few extra months which was awesome.”