Studying Abroad in Georgia

Schedule an Advising Appointment: Obtain specific information from the Clayton State Study Abroad Team about study abroad programming opportunities. 

• Visit our Contact Us & Advising Website
• Select the External Study Abroad Program Advising Appointment

Check the host institutions Admission website for their 'Transient Student' process and if you have trouble finding these steps, give them a call or send the Admissions Office an email. 

Let them know you are looking to attend a study abroad program at the host institution. 

Reach out to the host institutions Study Abroad Office or Education Abroad Office to let them know you are considering applying as a Transient Student to attend the program. 

Ask the office staff how this process would work for you and what are the required steps to attend a program as a Transient Student at their institution. 

Note: Some smaller institutions may not have a Study Abroad Office or Education Abroad Office.  You may be working primarily with the Program Director (faculty member) leading the program.  Reach out to the Program Director leading the program to ask how you should proceed as a Transient Student.   

• Email the Clayton State Study Abroad Office for the Study Abroad Transient Authorization Request Form. 
  • This form will assist students with understanding how to meet with your Clayton State Academic Advisor and the Clayton State Financial Aid Office to determine if the program is right for you.  Email us at StudyAbroad@clayton.edu to request the form to get started.  Let us know in your email that you would like a copy of the 'Transient Student Course Selection Form for Study Abroad'.  In the next few months, this process will evolve for students.  Stay tuned while we work to update this process.   
• Tip: The Clayton State Study Abroad Office recommends that Clayton State students interested in studying abroad with another University within the University System of Georgia (USG), we recommend to begin applying as soon as possible due to admission deadlines with the host institution. 
• TIP: We recommend reaching out to the institution hosting the program of interest as soon as possible to understand how you can enroll in the study abroad program as a Transient Student. 
• TIP: In-state and/or out-of-state students would be considered transient / visiting students at the host university. 
• TIP: Students must be enrolled at a USG institution to receive the academic course credit on the study abroad program. 
• TIP: Students must be enrolled in the academic course on a study abroad program per the USG requirements for study abroad participants.

Students that enroll in any program that ends in August must note that these programs end after the Fall semester fee payment deadline for Clayton State University.  Due to the late end dates, these programs may delay financial aid release for Fall semester courses since your grades for these courses will not have posted to your official record.  This could result in your classes being dropped for non-payment. Please work closely with Financial Aid and the Registrar offices regarding this issue.

Students should endeavor to discuss with Financial Aid how your aid is disbursed, especially in relation to short-term semesters (eight-week sessions).  Undergraduate students should discuss how your aid is awarded and applied.  Next, determine if your aid will be made available to cover your study abroad program payments by the designated program dates.  Students must adhere to the study abroad payment deadlines and make all necessary payments accordingly whether aid has applied or not.  Students will meet with Financial Aid as part of the Transient Student Course Selection Form.

If the course does not meet the students graduation requirements, please note that this might jeopardize Financial Aid funding for the course abroad and the student may have to pay for their tuition out of pocket; while the academic credits may not count towards graduation.  This may also jeopardize any scholarships, grants, and similar funding utilized to pay for the study abroad program.

We suggest searching for a program on the USG Study Abroad Directory or by searching on Google. 

When using Google, try searching for the country of interest, the area of study (i.e. foreign language, chemistry, pre-engineering, etc.), and the University System of Georgia (USG), and study abroad program.  

• When visiting the USG Study Abroad Directory, search the directory for programs by country, keywords, and institution. 
• For example, if your major is history, add "history" or if there is a course you would like to take abroad add the course or subject (i.e. history, English, computer science, etc.) as a keyword when looking for a program. 
• All of the search fields do not have to be filled to locate a program. 
• The directory will provide a range of programs from across the State of Georgia. 
• Click on the program links that appear from the search to begin researching which program would be of interest.  

USG Study Abroad Directory

The University must be a public institution within the University System of Georgia (USG) such as Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, Columbus State University, Kennesaw State University, and other such institutions. 

Attending a private institution may not be applicable to apply the necessary academic credits to Clayton State University.  If you are interested in a private University’s study abroad program, speak with your Academic Advisor and the Registrar to see if the course will apply toward your graduation requirements.  Financial Aid may also work differently at a private institution.

While searching for a study abroad program, we recommend taking a look at our Budgeting for Study Abroad Worksheet, this will help breakdown the cost of potential programs and assist with determining a possible budget of program expenses. 

To access this form, login with your Clayton State credentials. 

After locating a study abroad program of interest, speak with your Clayton State Academic Advisor to ensure that the study abroad course credits will transfer and/or substitute any electives for your graduation requirements at Clayton State University.  

Please make sure that you work with your Academic Advisor on the process. This is part of the Study Abroad Transient Authorization Request Form.

Speak with a Financial Aid Counselor to see how your Financial Aid will apply for a study abroad program as a transient student at another University System of Georgia (USG) institution.  

• USG Institutions are public institutions. 
• When speaking with Financial Aid, highlight that you are looking at attending a host university in the State of Georgia as a Transient Student to attend a study abroad program.  
• Inquire how your aid will apply as a Transient Student and what you should know moving forward.  
• Verify with the Clayton State Financial Aid Office that the courses will be covered by Financial Aid.
• This is part of the Study Abroad Transient Authorization Request Form.

Contact the host University’s Study Abroad Office or Education Abroad Office to inquire if they have any special processes involved for Transient Students attending their study abroad programs.

This is not the Clayton State Study Abroad Office; this would be the office at the institution you plan to apply to as a Transient Student. 

Contact the host University's Admission Office to learn more about applying as a Transient Student to their institution.  Inform the Admissions Office that you plan to attend a study abroad program at their institution over the summer term.  

After speaking with the host institutions Study Abroad/Education Abroad Office and Admissions Office, follow their University’s instructions and/or procedures on beginning the application process as a Transient Student at their institution.

Verify with the Clayton State Registrar that the courses with the third-party will transfer to Clayton State for your degree/graduation requirements.

• • The Registrar and/or your Academic Advisor may also have to review how the academic credits will transfer for the program of interest. 
  • Work with these individuals to determine how the credits will transfer to Clayton State. 
  • This is part of the Study Abroad Transient Authorization Request Form.

As part of the Transient Student process, Clayton State students will need to obtain their Clayton State transcripts from the Clayton State Registrar's office to send to the Institution you plan to attend as a transient student.  

For details on this process, visit the Clayton State Registrar’s Website.

Please ensure that once you have completed the academic course at the host USG institution that your academic course credits are transferred back to Clayton State. 

This is the student's responsibility.  

This is part of the Study Abroad Transient Authorization Request Form.

Once a student begins the Transient application process with the host institution, the student will begin working with the host institutions Admission Office and the Study Abroad Office / Education Abroad Office.  Clayton State students must adhere to the host institutions and study abroad program policies and procedures, make all study abroad program fee payments, tuition, etc. to this institution.

Once admitted to the host University, the Clayton State student will be considered a Transient Student during the specified term at the institution hosting the study abroad program.  The Clayton State Study Abroad Office will only be able to assist with information pertaining to Clayton State.