Study Abroad - Admissions Requirements

The Admissions Committee appreciates maturity, independence, openness to difference, curiosity, and resilience. Applications from undergraduates in good standing at U.S. colleges and universities are welcome. Non-traditional students, post-graduates, and non-matriculated adults are eligible to apply for admission. All applicants must be emotionally, intellectually, and physically prepared for study abroad and must be 18 years of age or older.

The Institute for American Universities (IAU) admits students of any race, color, national origin and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. IAU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information in its administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs.

Once an application is complete, students can expect a response within 2 weeks. Admission is granted on a rolling basis before the application deadlines outlined below. For questions about an application, please contact our Office of Admissions.

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Aix-en-Provence, France

Applicants must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher to apply. Prior French experience is not required.

Students who are interested in participating in the French Honors Program must submit a French professor email contact in their application that would recommend their participation in the program. French Honors Program applicants also complete a language placement evaluation with their online application. Please note that all French Honors Placement Exams are due within two weeks of the application deadline. Exams received after the deadline run the risk of not being considered for the program and will be reviewed on a case by case basis. When completing the online application, French Honors Program applicants must submit their personal essay in French. 

Barcelona, Spain

Applicants must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher to apply. Prior Spanish experience is not required.

Students who are interested in participating in the Spanish Honors Program must submit a Spanish professor email contact in their application that would recommend their participation in the program. Spanish Honors Program applicants also complete a language placement evaluation with their online application. When completing the online application, Spanish Honors Program applicants must submit their personal essay in Spanish. 

Florence, Italy

Applicants must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher to apply. Prior Italian experience is not required.

Madrid, Spain

Applicants must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher to apply. Prior Spanish experience is not required.

Students who are interested in participating in the Spanish Honors Program must submit a Spanish professor email contact in their application that would recommend their participation in the program. Spanish Honors Program applicants also complete a language placement evaluation with their online application. When completing the online application, Spanish Honors Program applicants must submit their personal essay in Spanish. 

Tangier, Morocco

Applicants must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher to apply. Prior foreign language experience is not required.

January Term Traveling Seminars

Applicants must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher to apply. 

Application Deadlines

	Summer	Fall	Spring
Aix-en-Provence, France	Internship: March 1 March 15	May 1	October 1
Barcelona, Spain	Internship: March 1 March 15	May 1	October 1
Florence, Italy	March 15	May 1	October 1
Madrid, Spain	Internship & Service Learning Deadline: March 1 March 15	May 1	October 1
Tangier, Morocco	March 15	May 1	October 1
January Term Programs	October 1

*If an indicated deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the deadline will be the closest weekday/business day to the intended deadline.

Late applications may be considered after the deadlines on a space-available basis and require payment of the $1,000 non-refundable enrollment deposit (for J-Term programs, the non-refundable enrollment deposit is $1,500). 

In addition, late applicants should understand that they run a greater risk of not receiving their student visa in time (if applicable), may be enrolled in fewer of their preferred courses, and may have fewer of their housing preferences met.

Applying to IAU

Students are responsible for submitting the following application materials for all programs:

• Certification and Release Form - Complete and submit through the online application. 
  
  
• Study Abroad Approval Form - Your study abroad advisor will receive the form automatically via email after you have completed the Education section of the online application.  
  
  
• Unofficial Transcript - Submit directly in your IAU portal. This can be a screenshot of your unofficial transcript from your home university's portal. 
  
  
• $85 Application Fee - The $85 application fee is due with the online application where students will be prompted to make payment. 
  
  
• Enrollment Deposit - Starting with Fall 2022 programs, after students are accepted to an IAU study abroad program, the full enrollment deposit of $1,000 will be due by the established deposit deadline (deadline varies by term: May 15 for Fall, October 15 for Spring, or April 1 for Summer programs unless the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday and in that case the deposit deadline will be the closest weekday/business day to the deadline). Failure to pay the non-refundable $1,000 deposit by the deadline may result in a $100 late fee being added to the final invoice. The full $1,000 enrollment deposit will be credited towards the student invoice or in accordance with the billing procedures with the home institution. The deposit can be paid online through IAU's secure Payment Portal. If you are applying to one of IAU's January Term Traveling Seminars, please see below for instructions.
  

• Housing Preferences - Complete and submit through the online application.
  
  
• Copy of Passport - Please complete the passport form and submit a scan or photo of your passport through your MyIAU portal. Please note that for all IAU programs your passport must adhere to the following guidelines: it must be in good condition, with a date of expiration at least 6 months after the end of your stay in the Schengen area (Europe), and issued within the past 10 years and containing at least 2 blank pages.

• Student Photo - Upload your digital photo in .jpg format in your IAU portal. If you are accepted, this photo will be used to create your IAU student ID card and for other administrative and identification purposes. The photo should show your entire face from shoulders up. Please refrain from sending photos with sunglasses, hats or any other accessories that obscure your image. This can be a simple photo taken on your cell phone.
  
  
• Language Questionnaire & Placement Exam - All students are asked to complete the Language Questionnaire and a French or Spanish Placement Exam so that our Language Coordinators can ensure students are enrolling in the best language course for their level of fluency and knowledge of the language. These are merely assessment tools, so there is no pressure to receive a certain score. 
  
  
• Language Proficiency - For international students who are non-native English speakers, English proficiency and/or a TOEFL iBT score of 79 are required.

• Course Selections - All students must submit course selections by the application with at least two alternates for all terms, locations, and programs except J-Term. Course changes will be accepted for up to two weeks after the application deadline. After this date, any other course changes may be requested during the onsite add/drop period.

January Term students are responsible for submitting the following in addition to the requirements outlined above:

• Enrollment Deposit - J-Term students are required to submit a $1,500 deposit which is due by October 15th (unless the 15th falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday and in that case the deposit deadline will be the closest weekday/business day to the 15th). Failure to pay the non-refundable $1,500 deposit by the deadline may result in a $100 late fee being added to the final invoice. The full $1,500 enrollment deposit will be credited toward the student invoice or in accordance with the billing procedures with the home institution. The deposit can be paid online through IAU's secure Payment Portal.
  
  If the student is waitlisted for their chosen program and they do not wish to enroll in a different available J-Term program, the enrollment deposit will be refunded.