Global Education and Field Study

One Block Study Away, A CC Original

The Block Plan can make study away a reality for any student.

You have questions.  Sure. That's natural.  Blocks Away are a concept built out of Colorado College's unique block plan.  We hope we have the answers you are looking for.  Review the topics below and find out all you could ever want to know about our faculty-led, short-duration, intensive, immersive, blocks away and abroad.  

 

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, New Orleans, LA or Hawaii, or an international destination such as recent blocks in Paris, Athens, Florence, Patagonia, Costa Rica, Tanzania, India, or India. 

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.

Academic Departments report their schedules for the following year in early January.  It is at this time when Global Education is notified of all proposed off-campus blocks for the following year.  After a brief review period, Global Education puts together the full roster of Off-Campus Blocks for the following year.  Our goal is to have the full roster ready for publication by February 1st each year, in time for our Study Away Fair in early February, the primary application window in February and March, and well before official class registration periods for the Fall in April.   When the roster is announced, a new page listing all the off-campus block opportunities, will be added to the website, with a link in the drop down menu above and via buttons on all the primary Block Away webpages.  Announcements are also made through the "Today @ CC" website and email digests to all students, faculty, and staff.

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 in early February.  The primary application window runs through February and March.  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:

1. Research:  Attend the Block Away Fair, or visit the Global Education debagged to learn about each block offering.  Speak with the Faculty leader for each block, and speak with your advisor about how the block course fits with your academic goals. 

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS YEAR'S BLOCKS TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE.

ONCE BLOCKS FOR THE NEXT YEAR ARE ANNOUNCED, YOU CAN VISIT THEM HERE. 

2. Apply on Summit: All Blocks Off-Campus begin with an application form on the Summit online platform, using the Global Education portal.  Once submitted, applications are reviewed by the faculty leader for each block.  Leaders may also require additional application steps such as a questionnaire or interview about the course and the student's interests.  Admission requirements for each block may be handled differently, so interested students should contact the professor or department who is offering the course for any application/interview requirements. 
The application for aid awards is built into the program/course application.  As there is a limited aid allowance each year, students should apply during the application window to maximize their potential to receive an aid award.  Late applicants often can be shut out of aid consideration. 
3. Complete Online Forms:  Once accepted into the program, students receive copies of key forms and waivers which must be completed.  These are uploaded to the same Summit application already approved. 

4. Class Enrollment: Once all required forms are uploaded on Summit, students will receive the Consent of Instructor Code needed to register for the course during standard pre-registration and registration periods for the Fall or Spring.  Since only students who have been accepted into the travel program can enroll in the course, there is no need to use registration points or to be concerned about the course closing. 

The primary application window for Academic Year Blocks Away typically begins in early February and runs into late March.  A secondary application window exclusively for Block 7 or 8 programs is available each Fall during the school year's first block, though we recommend applying in the spring as some Block 7 or 8 programs may fill during this period and remain closed during the secondary fall window.  If a program remains open after the primary application window, students may apply later, however, aid awards are not as likely outside of the application window as all aid may be assigned to students who have applied during the February-March period.  

All Off-Campus Blocks charge a program fee above the semester's tuition and room & board fees.  This additional fee includes all on-site travel expenses (lodging, ground transportation, excursions, instruction, and international travel and health insurance when applicable).  Airfare is not included in the program fee, but is calculated as part of the overall cost for aid purposes, ensuring that aid awards cover an equal percentage of both the program fee and the anticipated program costs. 

While most blocks away during the school year include several group meals as part of the program, only a few include a meal allowance for students.  This is because the college provides those students who have a meal plan for the semester a one-block reimbursement of the meal plan charges so that these funds can be used by the students to cover the costs of individually purchased meals while away from campus on one of our blocks.  In the event that local costs are expected to exceed the meal plan reimbursement, the program may provide a supplemental meal allowance.

Yes.  Students who receive need-based aid for their studies on campus are automatically considered for an aid award if they apply for the off-campus block during the standard application window. Aid awards are based on the total anticipated cost of the program, which includes the program fee as well as airfare costs.  Awards are given as a percentage of coverage of this cost, ranging between 20%-90% coverage.  No students receive a 100% award. 

Aid award offset the additional program fee for the block away, and if the award is larger than the program's fee, the additional funds are provided to the student as a way to offset the cost of airfare to the program destination. 

No, it does not. Students taking 1 block away during the fall or spring retain their housing assignment on Colorado College's campus and are able to leave their belongings in their rooming assignment, with the exception being the final block of the year.  Students do not receive a refund of housing costs for a 1-block study abroad program as they retain their rooming assignment.  Students with a meal plan will, however, receive a reimbursement for 1 block of meal points as described above. This money can be used to purchase meals while away from campus. 

Not really. All Programs which span multiple blocks are considered either Semester or Half-Semester programs.  These have different application and financial models.  You can explore these programs on our Semesters Away webpage
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Study Away Quick Guides

Report an issue - Last updated: 01/19/2023