Summer Blocks Away Overview
A Summer Block Away is just what you might expect, a single course, taught by CC faculty, that takes place pretty much anywhere beyond the CC campus and El Paso county. Colorado College typically offers between 10-16 different destinations each year, ranging from cosmopolitan cities like Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Tokyo, to the rural Himalayas, the Ecuadorian rain forest, or the plains of Castile in Spain.
All coursework is CC coursework, built into our curriculum and requiring no outside transcripts or transfer of credit. The courses travel, live, and learn with CC faculty and staff, offered with our major and general education program, often offering collegewide graduation requirement options.
CC Summer Blocks Away are a chance to expand your studies, build towards a minor or major, blend disciplinary knowledge with experiential learning, and dip your toes into the welcoming waters of study abroad, maybe a stepping stone to a semester away someday, maybe just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore.
Once you have a program selected, apply on the Summit online platform (Global Education portal) by the end of January to be considered for both program approval and a potential financial aid award to help reduce the cost of travel. When you complete the Summit application for the CC Summer Program you are interested in, you are then automatically also reviewed for financial aid eligibility - there is no separate application for summer aid for Blocks Away. Awards can cover up to 90% of the course's program fee as well as the anticipated cost of airfare to get you there.
A Summer Block Away has two charges. The first is summer tuition. Most programs are 1-unit (1 block) courses, which means they have the standard charge for a summer block, just as if it were on campus. The great news is that if this is your first summer course at CC, the "Wild Card" grant is automatically applied to your account, wiping out the tuition charge as if it were a coupon or gift card for one free summer class.
The second portion of the cost is the program fee. These typically range anywhere from $1,500-$5,000, depending on the course, the location, and the length of stay. Program fees cover the costs on site for the off-campus course, including all housing, ground transportation, excursions, instruction, group activities, group meals, and both travel and health insurance (for international programs). The program fee also includes a meal allowance for any meals not set up as full-group meals. Summer Blocks have aid specific to this program fee. There is no separate application for aid.
Students approved for summer courses are automatically reviewed for aid eligibility. Students who receive need-based aid at the College for their academic year costs are eligible to also receive aid specific to the summer block away program costs. Aid recipients are typically notified of their award within 2 weeks of the application deadline, in plenty of time to decide if the program is financially viable for them.
Airfare is not included in the program fee, but is calculated as part of the program cost for all aid awards, meaning a student who receives a 60%, 80% or 90% award would receive that percentage of coverage for both the program fee and the estimated airfare charge (based on round trip to/from Denver).
If you are a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident: If you have never obtained a passport and are in need of financial support in applying for a passport to participate in a CC off-campus program, you may apply for an Academic Opportunities Grant to help cover some of those expenses.
If you have a U.S. Passport, be sure to check that the passport is valid for 6 months after the end date of your program. Many countries will not allow entry with a passport that is within six months of its expiration date.
- You may be required to obtain a visa for entry to the program’s host country when U.S. citizens do not. Visas commonly require paying a fee.
- You may need to schedule visa appointments through consular offices outside of Colorado and travel independently to these appointments.
- You may need to apply early in advance for these time slots.
- Financial aid does not cover any of these costs connected to applying for these visas for any block off-campus programs
If you believe you will need financial support in order to obtain the necessary visa for a program to which you have been accepted, please contact Global Education. Funds are available (on a limited basis) from Global Education.
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