UW–Madison Signature study abroad program characteristics
Created specifically for UW–Madison students and has great potential to directly support UW–Madison mission and academics
May be led by UW–Madison
Program budget and fees are determined by IAP
Open to non-UW-Madison student enrollment on a program by program basis
Has minimum and maximum participant number requirements
Resource/time intensive
UW–Madison has most oversight over the program and the highest degree of responsibility towards the student of any program type
Of all program types, has the greatest ability to engage faculty on campus, create synergies with other UW–Madison internationalization initiatives and increase visibility of study abroad on campus and in the field of study abroad
UW–Madison programs can be developed in collaboration with a variety of different resources, including overseas exchange partners and other universities, program providers and organizations.
Fosters UW–Madison student-faculty interaction
Great for students who want a learning experience with other UW–Madison students
Exchange/Direct Enroll study abroad program characteristics
Internationalizes UW–Madison by bringing exchange partner’s students to UW–Madison campus
Program fee in part determined by student’s UW–Madison residency tuition
Most courses offered on these programs are not specialized for American students.
Usually offers a full range of university courses (good for students from non-traditional study abroad majors for whom there are not a large number of theme-specific study abroad programs in their major)
Utilizes minimal UW–Madison resources to administer
Participation is bound by the terms of the exchange balance, and enrollment tends to be small
Increases UW–Madison’s status and reputation abroad
Due to broad range of course offerings, marketing exchanges to students requires more outreach with departments to “match” specific majors to specific exchange partners
Can connect to many exciting inter-institutional cooperative possibilities (graduate/research/research opportunities, potential short term program hosts, etc.)
Exchange partner requirements (in terms of needing a partner who is an academic peer institution, offers full range of courses in English or in a language accessible to our students, offers the necessary student support services, offers courses and academic calendar that is compatible with ours), limit the number of suitable partner institutions
Can help support strategic partnerships (an institution abroad with which UW engages in multiple cross-campus collaborations and projects)
Usually for more independent students—student support offered varies more than with other program types
Generally allows students to be immersed in a more natural local student environment, but is based more on student self-motivation (as opposed to program structure) to do so
Affiliate study abroad program characteristics
Is not dependent on participant numbers
UW–Madison does not have direct oversight of program
Requires least amount of UW resources and takes the least amount of IAP staff time (on a per student basis)
Good to use in areas where strong support base is needed for students
Generally offers tailored, language immersion or thematic programs and curricula that target specific groups of students
Affiliate organization provides support and on-site emergency services
Functions mainly as a fee for service arrangement with the affiliate organization or university, typically limited engagement with UW–Madison faculty.
Generally specialized for US-based study abroad students, but not specifically those from UW–Madison
On average is the most expensive of all program types
Worldwide study abroad program characteristics
Developed specifically for UW–Madison students
Works well for undergraduate and graduate students doing independent research abroad