Navigating the Semester at Sea Student Portal: A Comprehensive Guide

Embarking on a Semester at Sea voyage is an exciting and transformative experience. The journey begins long before setting sail, with the Student Portal serving as the central hub for all essential information, resources, and tools. This article provides a comprehensive guide to navigating the Semester at Sea Student Portal, ensuring a smooth and well-prepared voyage.

Accessing the Student Portal

After receiving an acceptance letter to the Semester at Sea program, students gain access to the Student Portal. This virtual destination contains everything needed for voyage preparation, including important dates, deadlines, and personalized information.

Troubleshooting Access Issues:

Voyage Timing: If the voyage is more than a year away, access to the portal may not yet be available.
Deposit Status: Access is granted after the $1,000 deposit has been paid.

Key Features and Information within the Student Portal

The Student Portal is designed to provide students and their families with the necessary information to prepare for the voyage. Here's a breakdown of the key areas:

Finances and Payment

Deposit

To confirm participation, a $1,000 deposit must be submitted online. Cabin space is not guaranteed solely upon admission. This deposit serves as the first payment toward the total cost of the program and reserves a spot on the voyage.

Payment Methods: Deposits can be paid online or via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover).
Refund Policy: The $1,000 deposit is refundable until 90 days prior to sailing. Deposits are refundable past the 90-day deadline for waitlisted participants only.
Transferring Deposits: Students may opt to transfer their deposit to a future voyage up until the payment deadline for their current voyage. The deposit will then remain 100% refundable until the payment deadline for the new voyage. If the student's home institution cancels study abroad for the semester of the planned voyage after the payment deadline, the student may transfer to a future voyage or request a refund with no penalty.

Program Cost and Payment Plans

The entire balance of the program cost is due 90 days prior to sailing (excluding participants enrolled in the Semester at Sea payment plan).

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Payment Deadline: The entire balance of the program cost is due 90 days prior to sailing (excluding participants enrolled in the Semester at Sea payment plan). A penalty of $250 may be assessed on outstanding accounts after the due date.
Monthly Payment Plan: Students may break the program fee balance into chunks with more time to pay. The benefit includes having three additional months to make final payments.

Financial Aid

Semester at Sea is committed to making the voyage possible for all students and increasing access to the program regardless of income. About 60% of voyagers receive some type of financial aid. Students should work with their advisor to understand their expenses and need, how and when aid like loans and grant transfers, and what opportunities unique to Semester at Sea for which they would qualify.

*Students anticipating financial aid should plan to provide documentation of approval from aid source(s) indicating details of the disbursement to ISE. Necessary forms are provided to students. Documentation of any financial aid that is to be credited to a student’s account (such as Stafford loans or Parent PLUS loans) must be submitted to ISE by the payment deadline.

Financial Aid Opportunities: Even students who do not qualify for standard forms of financial aid (such as Pell Grants) on their home campuses may be eligible for scholarships through the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE) and Semester at Sea.
Application Process: Applicants are strongly encouraged to file the FAFSA and submit the Student Aid Report to the ISE along with tax returns from the most recent tax year and any supplemental information that might be helpful in our review. International students are also welcome to apply for any ISE scholarships.
Types of Aid: ISE offers a variety of need-based financial awards. Students who qualify for federal aid and loans can also receive ISE assistance.
External Scholarships: Applicants interested in Semester at Sea’s programming who meet FEA’s eligibility requirements could receive up to $5,000 per semester. Members of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars are eligible to apply for this award. Two $10,000 awards, three $5,000 awards, and one $5,000 award for CSU NSCS members are available per voyage. High-achieving Torch & Laurel Scholars are eligible to apply for this award.
Financial Aid Deadlines: Semester at Sea financial aid deadlines are typically 3.5 months prior to voyage embarkation date.

Fuel Surcharge

Semester at Sea, like any company, sets up a yearly budget based largely on estimates of fixed and variable costs with some room for variation. They are directly impacted from time to time just as everyone is in the travel industry and the maritime industry in particular, with periodic and significant overall increases in fuel prices.

Factors Influencing Fuel Costs: Depending on each port’s regulatory and environmental requirements, they have to consider at least two different types and grades of fuel, each with significantly different price points. Political unrest in certain parts of the world, as well as periodic natural disasters, also can contribute to increasing and unpredictable volatility as well, which in turn lends to overall instability and unpredictability in fuel prices. Fuel charges remain a material component of the overall cost structure.
Mitigation Efforts: Semester at Sea makes every effort to contain fuel costs through enhanced itinerary planning (which they conduct one to two years in advance), and through the use of standard advance fuel purchase commitment arrangements when appropriate. However, it is impossible to accurately predict what they might pay for fuel per voyage, port-to-port.
Fuel Fee and Surcharges: In order to facilitate financial planning, Semester at Sea may invoice students with a “fuel fee,” which at the time is their best indication of what the final “fuel surcharge” is expected to be. In advance of sailing, Semester at Sea may enact a fuel supplement surcharge for all participants, in the event that the average price for the blended types of fuel and related costs during the voyage is expected to exceed a certain budgetary threshold in pricing per metric ton, the amount of which will be offset by advance fuel fee billings/payments. These incurred costs include not only what is expected to be paid in various ports, but also include additional costs for fuel contracts entered into. These fuel contracts are intended to cushion the financial impact if future fuel prices became volatile. Such surcharges when enacted are necessary to offset the total excess fuel costs that exceed this budget threshold.
Managing Incidental Costs: During the voyage, students will bill expenses on the ship to an account. Students receive a monthly itemized statement and provide a credit card for mandatory expenses such as fuel surcharges along with incidental expenses like laundry and snacks.

529 Plans

State 529 plans can generally be used, with approval of the 529 organization, for study abroad. However, they will only release the funds to a Title IV institution so the check has to be sent to the academic partner, Colorado State University (CSU).

Academics

Semester at Sea offers global comparative education in academic partnership with Colorado State University, integrating comparative experiential study, interdisciplinary coursework, and relevant field classes in multiple countries.

*Semester at Sea’s passenger ship is outfitted as a globe-exploring university; a living-learning community that provides a platform for discussion, coursework and deep connections all while traveling to new locations.

Course Enrollment: Students from all majors regularly enroll in Semester at Sea.
Global Comparative Education: Global comparative education is a form of international study that identifies and connects the world’s peoples, patterns, cultures and traditions.
Gap Year Students: Gap year students can only enroll in 100 or 200 level courses that don’t require prerequisites.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of voyagers and crew are the most important considerations on any Semester at Sea voyage.

Medical Care: Medical Care for voyagers includes a combination of services and systems on-ship and within each country. The ship sails with a medical team who can address urgent medical concerns, similar to a visit to urgent care in the United States.
Health History Form: Each voyager completes a Health History Form which allows key medical determinations and information to be shared with providers on the ship and, when necessary, in-country providers. It is important to ensure all medical history information is shared so that the student voyager can receive accurate and timely care no matter the clinic, country, or condition.
Webinars: There will be a health and safety webinar geared for parents and family members a few months before the voyage. Part of the webinar will be specific to parents of Gap Year students, so be sure to attend if you are able.
Communication During Crisis: If you have a crisis related to your voyager, please call 1-602-693-0839, who will work to relay messages and information to our colleagues abroad. A lost passport, an ER visit, or being a victim of theft are all difficult experiences, but not an instance where ISE will automatically notify an emergency contact.

Voyage Preparation

Voyagers will receive all the information and support they need to get ready to sail the world with Semester at Sea.

Passport: A passport is required. If you do not already hold a passport, you should apply for one now. If you do have a passport, you should check its expiration date. Your passport needs to be valid for six months beyond the end of the voyage. We advise purchasing the largest passport book available.
Visas: Visa requirements vary depending on the countries included on the itinerary. Typically, you will need to secure two or three visas individually.
Packing: Each trip will have different needs, but the golden rule of traveling is to always pack light for more freedom and less hassle. Often times we are taking an in-country flight or transferring hotels, so packing light and bringing smaller luggage is highly encouraged to make it a stress-free experience. It’s recommended to bring sunscreen, hat, layered clothing, sneakers, camera and chargers/converters.
Flights: Do not book a flight prior to late evening of April 20. The clearance, disembarkation, and luggage retrieval process can take the entire morning of April 20. The closest airports to Bremerhaven are Bremen (approximately 45 minutes away by car or 1.5 by train) and Hamburg (approximately 2 hours away by car or 2.5 by train).

Shipboard Life

Semester at Sea’s passenger ship is outfitted as a globe-exploring university; a living-learning community that provides a platform for discussion, coursework and deep connections all while traveling to new locations.

Roommate Assignments: It is expected that most participants will have a specific individual in mind to live with and mutual roommate requests will be honored when possible, regardless of gender, as long as both parties are requesting the same cabin type. For those interested in a gender inclusive cabin who do not have a specific roommate in mind, please contact the Director of Student Life, Laura Roth, to discuss cabin placement.
Communication with Family: Plan to have a discussion with your voyager before they leave regarding communication and DO NOT expect or encourage them to communicate with you a lot. The students will be very busy! In addition to their studies and their in-country travel, they will be very involved with a whole new community onboard with many opportunities to get involved and meet new people. The experience while away from home has lots to offer your voyager. Communicating with loved ones across oceans and time zones brings additional challenges. Your voyager will also be very busy with travel, classes, field programs, and working to form new friendships and relationships through the Semester at Sea community.
Shipboard Services: You can still celebrate birthdays, admissions acceptance, moments of self-advocacy, and other milestones with cakes, massages, nail services, and much more. Please visit our shipboard services page to learn more about options and deadlines.
Cabin Phone Calls: The caller will be asked to provide a credit card that will be charged approximately $3.95 per minute. Your call will then be connected directly to your voyager’s cabin.
Managing Incidental Costs: During the voyage, students will bill expenses on the ship to an account. Students receive a monthly itemized statement and provide a credit card for mandatory expenses such as fuel surcharges along with incidental expenses like laundry and snacks.

Resources for Parents and Families

Semester at Sea transforms students into confident citizens of the world. As a parent, you play a critical role in supporting your child’s journey. Semester at Sea is one of the most rewarding and life-changing experiences your child can undertake during their college years.

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Family Support: Families make the experience possible through emotional, financial, and logistical support for many of our voyagers.
Privacy Rights: Semester at Sea prioritizes respecting the privacy rights of their adult student voyagers. To that end, they inform students when a family member or friend contacts ISE or the Voyage Leadership Team with a concern. This aligns with FERPA regulations and empowers students to advocate for themselves.
Communication Expectations: Plan to have a discussion with your voyager before they leave regarding communication and DO NOT expect or encourage them to communicate with you a lot. The students will be very busy!
Virtual Events: Engage in one of the virtual events designed to reach families throughout the world.
Social Media: Engage through social media by liking and following the links at the bottom of the page.

Additional Resources

Student Support Advisor: As questions arise, students and their families are encouraged to connect with their Student Support Advisor for personalized guidance.
Gap Year Support: Semester at Sea is here to support them from deposit to final disembarkation. To help them stay on top of pre-voyage tasks, make sure to ask them for their login and password for their student portal. This way you can get access to all of the information they have, see who their advisor is, and have access to making payments on their account.

Tips for Success

Regularly Check the Portal: Stay updated on deadlines, announcements, and important information.
Contact Your Advisor: Don't hesitate to reach out to your Student Support Advisor with any questions or concerns.
Attend Webinars: Participate in webinars designed for students and families to gain valuable insights and ask questions.
Plan Ahead: Start preparing early to ensure all necessary steps are completed before the voyage.

Travel Insurance

A Semester at Sea voyage represents a major investment for students and parents in both time and money. Semester at Sea strongly urges that travel insurance is obtained. To assist with this, Semester at Sea has identified a third-party provider of trip protection plans, Education Insurance. If you enroll in the voyage after October 16, you will have three weeks from deposit date to enroll in optional CFAR or IFAR coverage. This plan has a maximum trip cost of $25,000. Semester at Sea’s program fee is not refundable for any reason (including forced withdrawal for medical and/or mental health reasons) after the semester commences at initial embarkation.

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