Exploring Global Horizons: A Comprehensive Overview of the UCLA Education Abroad Program

The UCLA Education Abroad Program (EAP) offers a diverse range of opportunities for students seeking to broaden their academic and personal horizons through international experiences. Designed for international students, those currently enrolled in a degree program, freemovers, and those on a gap year, the program allows participants to earn transferable academic credits, experience life in Southern California, and enroll in UCLA Extension courses at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and professional levels.

Academics: A World of Educational Opportunities

Study Abroad at UCLA Extension allows students to enroll in UCLA Extension and UCLA courses alongside US students, working professionals, and international students. Many UCLA Extension courses offered to undergraduate students are the same courses offered by the UCLA main campus (same syllabus, course instruction, and curriculum), but are offered at a reduced tuition rate. Students can also explore the possibility of taking UCLA undergraduate courses offered by UCLA College of Letters and Science on the main campus through concurrent enrollment. It is important to note concurrent courses have a higher tuition rate and placements can be competitive.

Study Abroad students are able to select courses from the entire UCLA Extension course catalog as long as the course is credit bearing, they have met all the prerequisites of the course, are open to international students, and meet the requirements to remain in compliance with their student visa.

UCLA Extension Courses: Practical Knowledge and Skills

UCLA Extension offers a wide variety of undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and professional-level courses, all of which are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and approved by UCLA academic departments and the UCLA Academic Senate. The majority of UCLA Extension instructors are working professionals who are experts in their fields. These courses focus on practical application and provide students and professionals with the knowledge and skills they need for their careers.

It is important to note that if you are currently enrolled in a degree program, only your home university can make decisions regarding transfer credit. Therefore, you should ensure that your university approves all of the courses you enroll in while you participate in a UCLA Extension Study Abroad Program.

UCLA Campus Courses and Concurrent Enrollment

UCLA Campus Courses, also known as Concurrent Enrollment Courses, are courses taught on the main UCLA campus. UCLA Extension Study Abroad students are eligible to enroll in undergraduate courses offered by the UCLA College of Letters and Sciences. The College offers a wide variety of courses in the Humanities, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences.

It is important to note concurrent courses have a higher tuition rate and placements are competitive and not guaranteed. UCLA Extension Study Abroad students must also meet course prerequisites and have the instructor's consent to enroll.

Course Availability and Enrollment

UCLA Extension Courses:

Courses available: Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters
Enrollment is open to all until a course section is full
Course length varies from three weeks to eleven weeks per quarter, depending on the course
A full-time course load is considered to be at least three 4-unit courses for 12 units. Students can elect to take up to 20 units per quarter.
Courses are offered during the day, on weekends, and in the evenings.

UCLA Courses:

Courses available: Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters
Enrollment is on a space-available basis, and UCLA matriculated students have priority.
During the summer quarter, in order to enroll in UCLA courses, you must apply for UCLA Summer Sessions.

UCLA Extension and UCLA operate on the quarter system, with four 12-week sessions per year-Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Study Abroad at UCLA Extension offers UCLA Extension courses in all four quarters and UCLA courses only in Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Read also: Navigating Tech Breadth at UCLA

Enrollment Process for UCLA Extension Courses

If you decide to enroll in UCLA Extension courses, the enrollment process is simple. In the final phase of your application process you will be prompted to begin identifying which UCLA Extension courses, you want to take during your Study Abroad program. You will submit a Study Plan with your application for the International Programs-Global Education Office (IP-GEO) team to review and provide you with guidance in making the best choices to meet your individual needs and goals. You will then be notified when it is time to register for your courses and pay for your classes. This process is done fully online and is very easy to complete. Each visit will provide you with a general impression of the course, professor, and assignments.

In order to enroll in UCLA courses, you must first notify the professor during the first week of class that you are a UCLA Extension Study Abroad student who would like to concurrently enroll in their course. If you receive permission, complete the concurrent enrollment form request.

The Proposed Study Plan

The Proposed Study Plan, submitted during the application process, allows our IP-GEO advisors to provide you with guidance in making the best choices to meet your individual needs and goals.

Eligible Courses

Undergraduate courses are typically numbered 0-199, post-baccalaureate and professional level courses are numbered 300-499. Courses denoted X 400-499 are generally post-baccalaureate credit-bearing courses and lecture series in professional fields. They are designed in content, focus, and presentation style to standards of instruction used in professional-level degree programs. Credit earned in these courses may lead to the award of formal certificates by UCLA Extension and may be transferable for undergraduate or post-baccalaureate degree credit, subject to the procedures of the receiving institution. Courses with numbers 700-999 are non-credit bearing and are not open to Study Abroad or International Certificate students, as all courses must be credit-bearing to be in compliance with student visa requirements.

Transfer Credit

The decision to accept transfer credit from UCLA, UCLA Extension, or any other university, rests with your home institution. We recommend that you consult with your home university advisor, or study abroad consultant, to determine whether or not credit for specific courses at UCLA will be transferable.

Read also: Understanding UCLA Counselors

Measuring Units of Credit

Academic work at UCLA is measured in units of credit. These measure the amount of time that a student has devoted to a particular subject. One unit of credit represents three hours of work per week during the quarter, including both class attendance and preparation.

How to convert quarter units:

To convert quarter to semester units: divide quarter units by 1.5
To convert semester to quarter units: multiply semester units by 1.5
European units: 30 ECTS=22.5 quarter units

Official UCLA Extension transcripts are available at the end of each academic quarter. The transcript reports all UCLA Extension and UCLA courses, grades, and the academic credit earned for each course. UCLA Summer Session courses and grades are listed on a separate official UCLA transcript.

Full-Time Enrollment

In order to meet F-1 visa requirements, you must maintain full-time enrollment. A full-time course of study is 12 units of UCLA and/or UCLA Extension courses. Most UCLA and UCLA Extension courses carry four units of credit, so you will usually be able to enroll in three 4-unit courses.

Additional UCLA Study Abroad Programs

The UCLA International Education Office (IEO) offers three study abroad programs with a selection of over 180+ opportunities.

Travel Study: Study on-the-go for three to five weeks on a summer program led by UCLA faculty. Earn direct credit and satisfy degree and/or general education requirements. This program is open to everyone, but you must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma by the start of the program.
Summer Internships: Gain a competitive edge in the international job market with an immersive eight-week summer internship in your career field. Earn direct UCLA credit and satisfy degree requirements. All internships are for academic credit only and are non-paid.
UCEAP: Offers a wide range of international opportunities: immersive learning, language studies, internships, research, and educational trips with a selection of 160+ programs. Choose from summer, quarter, semester, and year-long options.

UCEAP: Expanding the UC Experience

As a University of California program, UCEAP expands on the UC experience. It introduces you to the people and places where ideas are born. Journeying to a new country, you'll encounter cultures, traditions, languages, and stories that surprise, delight, and expand your intellect. As you shift your view of the world, you'll test the boundaries of who you are and what you're capable of achieving. You'll discover unknown abilities that fuel your confidence and empower you to seize new challenges.

Student Experiences and Considerations

Immersing in a new culture, learning a different language, and exploring global opportunities - studying abroad can be an exciting opportunity during one’s college journey.

There are two main programs through which UCLA students study abroad: the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) and the UCLA Travel Study Program. UCEAP is a UC-wide study abroad program that allows students to take classes abroad through a local university while Travel Study allows students to take courses taught by UCLA faculty during the summer while abroad.

Over time, the popularity of UCEAP programs has steadily increased, peaking during the 2018-2019 academic year with 1,266 study abroad students. However, worldwide travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the UCLA International Education Office suspending all summer study abroad programs in February 2020. Since 2009, Europe has been the most popular study abroad region, hosting over 75% of all UCLA study abroad students. Within Europe, the UK was the most popular country with a total of 4,269 students, around 21% of all study abroad students. Over the past 13 years, the UK has consistently remained the most popular UCEAP destination, hosting over a quarter of all UCEAP students in that time period. Due to the pandemic, however, all programs had a significant drop in study abroad students, with some having over a 50% decrease from pre-pandemic levels. Since the loosening of international travel restrictions, the number of students studying abroad in some countries has returned to normal levels when compared to the pre-pandemic numbers.

Compared to Travel Study, UCEAP offers a broader selection of programs and countries where students can elect to study. Among UCLA Travel Study students, France was the most popular destination from 2009 to 2019, followed by the UK, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.

For some, making the decision to study abroad can be easy. With a plethora of available programs, making the decision of where to study abroad can be difficult. One significant factor in making this decision for some students is financial aid. With extra costs such as travel insurance, airfares, transportation and food, study abroad programs can be particularly expensive, especially for out-of-state students, with some costing over $40,000. For students receiving financial aid from UCLA, both UCEAP and Travel Study programs allow students to carry over and apply their financial aid packages.

The factors that lead to making this decision can vary significantly from student to student, making this process a personal experience.

Potential Challenges and Rewards

Studying abroad pushed me far beyond my comfort zone. I never imagined living alone in a foreign country, navigating daily life in my fourth language. What made the experience especially meaningful was the personal connection to my research: my aunt’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s inspired me to focus on better tools for understanding neurodegenerative diseases. My time in Rio de Janeiro was truly transformative. It taught me that success has many paths and inspired me to be a lifelong learner through travel, culture, and human connection.

Though nine months sounds like a long time to be away from home, it seems to have flown by in an instant. Studying abroad was not only for the sake of living somewhere else and receiving an education in another country, but also to show future generations of my family that it is possible to experience these types of opportunities.

Some students have noted challenges such as adapting to different weather conditions or navigating language barriers. However, many students have expressed that they got a lot out of the experience. They were able to learn about a new culture and travel to a country they’d never been before. A lot of the courses that they offered would have transferred really easily.

tags: #UCLA #Education #Abroad #Program #overview