Steps Prior to Your Departure
Step 1. Attend a Study Abroad Information Session
Study Abroad information sessions for non-UC sponsored study abroad programs are offered every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. in the UCSB Visitor Center during fall, winter and spring quarters.
Step 2. Check Leave Status Eligibility
You must be in good academic standing to be considered eligible for the leave status when studying abroad with a non-UC sponsored program.
You will need to make an appointment with your college prior to departure. Although there are no college-level requirements, your college does wish to discuss your plans in order to secure an easy return to campus. All students in the Colleges of Creative Studies and Engineering will need to make an appointment with their college advisor prior to submitting the leave request forms. For College of Letters and Science students, only students in senior standing (135 units or more) will need to contact their college advisor but it is strongly recommended that students discuss their plans with their department advisor.
Step 3. Check Travel Warnings
Prior to studying abroad, you need to check the following sites for relevant U.S. Department of State travel warnings and security updates and alerts:
Step 4. Apply Early
You will want to access the leave request form and waiver agreement, gather the appropriate signatures (as required), pay the non-refundable leave request fee, and submit your request forms before the designated deadline date. Once your leave forms are received and processed, you will receive notification via your UCSB U-Mail account.
Leave requests must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar at least four weeks prior to your departure term. Additionally, if you plan to travel to a country which is listed on the U.S. State Department's Travel Warning website, you must complete and submit the waiver agreement with your leave request form.
The non-refundable leave status fee is currently $60.00 and is payable to the UC Regents through the BARC Office.
Step 5. Determine Financial Aid Availability
If you are currently eligible to receive federal and state aid, you may be eligible to receive aid while you are studying abroad. This does require that the Financial Aid Office enter into a Consortium Agreement with your non-UC study abroad program. Contact the Financial Aid Office for additional information and to complete the required forms. Please be aware of the deadline dates associated with this process.
Step 6. Other Considerations