CU Boulder study abroad, condensed
CU approves more than 400 programs in over 60 countries. That is great for choice and terrible for making a decision. Here is the structure underneath it.
The three program types
Almost everything CU offers falls into one of these, and the type matters more than the destination when it comes to cost, credit and how much support you get.
Global Seminars
Short faculty-led programs, usually two to four weeks over summer or a break, taught by CU faculty. Lowest commitment, easiest credit transfer, smallest cultural immersion.
Exchange
You enroll directly at a partner university and pay CU tuition. Cheapest route for a full semester, most independent, least hand-holding.
Partner / affiliated programs
Run by an outside provider such as CIEE or IES. Most support, most structure, most expensive. The majority of semester abroad students go this way.
The providers CU works with
These are the organizations that appear most often in CU-approved programs. Each runs its own program search, so the fastest way to see what is actually available in a given city is to search the provider directly, then confirm the program is CU-approved.
| Provider | Known for | Search their programs |
|---|---|---|
| CIEE | The widest spread of cities; large American cohorts and organized excursions | ciee.org |
| IES Abroad | Strong academics, often with direct enrollment alongside local students | iesabroad.org |
| DIS | Copenhagen and Stockholm only; well regarded academically, higher cost, strong support | disabroad.org |
| CEA CAPA | Internship placements alongside coursework | ceacapa.com |
| Arcadia | UK, Ireland and Italy; direct enrollment at partner universities | arcadia.edu |
| Syracuse University | Florence and Madrid centres with their own campuses | suabroad.syr.edu |
The one link that actually matters
CU's own program database is the only authoritative list of what is approved, what credit transfers, and what your financial aid covers. Everything on this page is a shortcut to help you narrow down before you search it.
How to narrow it down without losing a weekend
- Decide the program type first. Exchange or provider is the biggest fork, and it changes your cost more than the country does.
- Check your major's requirements before you fall in love with a city. Some departments only accept specific programs for major credit.
- Check the travel advisory level. A Level 3 country is unlikely to be approved regardless of how good the program looks.
- Then look at the visa. Our destination pages rate how hard each one is and how far ahead to start.
- Confirm everything with a CU Education Abroad adviser. They have the current version; we have the shortcut.
We are students compiling this to save other students time. Program availability, provider partnerships and credit rules change every year. CU's own database and your adviser are the sources of truth.
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We are students, not an agency. Everything here comes from people who went.