A block away is exactly what it sounds like, a Colorado College course, taught by Colorado College faculty and sitting squarely in the curriculum of the college, but offered somewhere other than on our Colorado Springs campus.  While many on-campus courses may include local or regional field experiences, a CC Block Away is a course with a significant portion of the course taught at another location across the USA or around the world.  These can be travel programs that comprise 10 or more days of a standard block or it could mean, and often does, that the entire block is taught at a different location.  Whether it is in other domestic destinations such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Hawaii, or an international destination such as recent blocks in Paris, Athens, Florence, Berlin, Costa Rica, India, or Slovakia. 

Whereas some universities offer 1-course short-programs only in January or May, at Colorado College, every block from September through Summer is a chance to take a course away from campus and blend experiential learning with fields of study ranging from the natural sciences to the humanities, arts, and everything in between.  In a typical year, Colorado College offers between 12-18 study away blocks during its eight primary academic year blocks, so any time of year could be the time to explore the world through a CC Block Away.  

All CC Blocks Away are Colorado College credit, no transfer required, and all are taught by CC faculty and filled with your fellow CC students, creating a learning community that shares the experience with you.  It is a unique study away opportunity, perfect for both the new traveler and the experienced globetrotter.

Colorado College offers a wide and varying selection of blocks taught off-campus every year. The blocks for the following year are announced in January and the application "window" for all blocks opens with a Study Away Fair.  The primary application window runs From January 30 through March 15.  All students who apply during this window for the next year's blocks (from Block 1 in August all the way through Block 8 in May) are automatically reviewed for a potential aid award to cover travel costs.

The Application Process involves the following steps:

4. Confirmation & Class Enrollment: Once all required forms are uploaded on Summit, students will be automatically registered for the correct off-campus course. If students complete pre-registration prior to the automated enrollment in their course, they should register for GS392 for the block when they will be in an off-campus course and this placeholder will be removed and replaced by the off-campus block once the student has completed the confirmation process in Summit.

Confirming does not lock students into a financial commitment, as all students have until their program's Student Confirmation & Withdrawal Deadline to withdraw with no financial penalties.  (For more information on withdrawals, please visit the Block Away: Billing & Aid webpage.

Applying to Multiple Blocks

It is possible to apply to multiple block away programs at the same time.  Just as with selecting a college, we recommend having a ranking for yourself of the blocks you have applied to.  Once you receive acceptance notifications, you can then determine which block you will join. You should then return to Summit to complete two tasks, first to complete the post-acceptance forms and confirmation for your chosen block, and second, to use the blue "Request Cancellation" button to withdraw from all of the other blocks which you have not chosen.  Failure to withdraw from the other blocks could lead to program fee charges once the Student Commitment & Withdrawal Deadline has passed. 

Participation in Multiple Blocks

It is possible to participate in multiple blocks away (Academic Year or Summer) within the same calendar or academic year, but there are some important considerations to take into account.  

• If you are anticipating Block Away Aid Awards as a means to cover the program fees and airfare costs, you should remember that all students are limited to 2 Block Away awards during their CC careers, so participating in more than 2 individual Blocks Away would require self-funding for the expenses of the trip. 
  
  
• While many travelers are able to visit our program destination countries without a visa, this is often limited to a stay of no more than 90 days within any 6 month (180 day) period.  This can produce issues for students who wish to join multiple programs in the same year, or to pair a block away with a semester or half-semester program. Most CC faculty-led programs do not qualify for longer stay student visas, so it may not always be possible to combine block and other programs in the same year due to visa constraints.  If you are considering any combination of programs in the same academic or calendar year, you should speak with Global Education to determine if you may have any visa restrictions that could produce issues for your planned combination of programs.  

All Off-Campus Blocks charge a program fee above the standard semester's tuition and room & board fees. You can find out all the details about block away program fees and aid available for our blocks away on the Blocks Away: Billing & Aid webpage.