Information for Prospective Students

It might actually be easier to list the places Colorado College students don't go. Since the Fall of 2021,  we have offered a combination of faculty-led or partner-led study away programming in 57 nations across 6 continents, including many destinations where students can choose between a faculty-led block away or a longer CC or Partner-led semester option.

Add to this more than 300 CC field study courses each year, where students spent anywhere from a day to 10 days away from campus, and it is easy to see that the state, the region, the nation, and the world are all landing spots for CC students, whether they are traveling with a class and a CC faculty member, joining a global partner program, or exploring on their own through a sponsored research trip. 

If you want an idea of where CC students have been in just the past few years, the map below shows every country where CC have taken students (gold), every country where students have participated in a partner-led semester away (green), and every country where both have occurred (blue). On the Field Study button you can see a similar map for the United States and our recent field study locations. 

Field study is an integral part of the academic experience at Colorado College. CC faculty utilize the block plan in innovative ways to allow students to experience their studies in ways not possible in traditional settings. From studying sustainable economies at local farmers markets or Geology at the Garden of the Gods, to studying the variety of religious traditions of the American Southwest, or taking in the great works at New York City's MOMA, CC classes go far and wide.

With support from our Field Study team, faculty at Colorado College teach innovative, unique, and effective field study courses and conduct field-based research. They can also take advantage of our two Mountain Campuses, the Baca Grande Campus and our Gilmore Stabler Cabin. 

WHAT?: A Colorado College course, taught by Colorado College faculty and sitting squarely in the curriculum of the college, but offered anywhere from Chicago to Shanghai. 

WHEN?: Whereas some schools 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 the school year and another 8-12 in the College's summer blocks. 

WHY?: 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.

WANT TO SEE MORE?: Visit our Current Year Blocks page to get a taste of what is available in a given year. Every year is different, but a range of off-campus courses across the entire curriculum is the norm at Colorado College. 

CC’s Career Catalyst Program brings professional experience into the classroom, and CC students out into the real world. These immersive courses connect liberal arts learning to hands-on, curriculum-connected projects in a wide range of industries. Career Catalyst courses are designed and led by faculty in partnership with the organizations and take full advantage of the Block Plan’s flexibility. Whether on campus or embedded at a partner organization, students work in teams to solve problems, collaborate with professionals, and gain the confidence and skills needed to thrive after college. 

Recent and upcoming Career Catalyst Programs include:

• Creativity and Innovation at Mattel (Los Angeles)
• Educational Nonprofits at National Geographic (Washington D.C.)
• The Art & Science of Convening with the Aspen Institute (Aspen + Washington D.C.)
• The American Judiciary at the Superior Court of California (San Francisco)
• Wildfire Journalism at Colorado Firecamp (Salida, CO)
• Creative Leadership at Old Navy (San Francisco)
• Movement Lawyering at Georgetown Law (Washington, D.C.)

Colorado offers opportunities for extended linguistic immersion through 2-block and 4-block experiences abroad, including:

• French in Nice, Paris, and Provence, France
• German in Berlin
• Italian in Central & Southern Italy
• Japanese in Osaka
• Mandarin in China & Taiwan
• Portuguese in Salvador, Brazil
• Spanish in either Spain or Mexico
• Russian in Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan

All CC language immersion programs are led by CC faculty, offering CC credit with no transfer needed, and align perfectly with our calendar so that a 2-block experience on campus can be paired with 2 more blocks on campus in the same semester. Visit our Semesters Away page to learn more about both the full semester (4-block) and half-semester (2-block) options. Our Summer in Spain program can be found on our Current Year Blocks Away page as a summer option. 

The Center for Global Education & Field Study curates a pool of more than 150 different partner-sponsored semester and academic year opportunities, including:

Exchange or direct enrollment opportunities at universities across the globe, including:

• The University of Regensburg
• Sciences Po University of France
• The London School of Economics
• Waseda University, Japan
• Oxford University, UK
• The University of Sydney
• University College Dublin
• Washington Semester through American University

Multi-disciplinary programs across all fields of study and designed for U.S. college students, including:

• The University of Alaska-Fairbanks's AlaskaMester
• CET Chinese Studies & Internship Semester in Shanghai
• CIEE Arts & Sciences at Yonsei University of Seoul, Korea
• College Year in Athens
• DIS Copenhagen or Stockholm
• BardNYC Semester in New York
• IES Semester in Rabat, Morocco
• IFSA Semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Syracuse University in Florence or Strasbourg
• Temple University in Rome

Targeted deep-engagement programs in fields like Computer Science, Mathematics, Environmental Studies or language study, including:

• Computer & Data Science with AIT-Budapest, Hungary
• Physics Semester at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland
• Buddhist Studies in India & Thailand 
• CET Film Production Semester in Prague, Czechia
• Geology of New Zealand with Frontiers Abroad
• IES Dublin Writers Program
• SIT Wildlife Conservation in Tanzania
• U. of Chicago Marine Biological Laboratory
•  

Colorado College wants field research and global study to be available to all students, which is why our financial models are designed to support students wherever their passion takes them. 

FIELD STUDY:  Most courses with field experiences have no added fees. Those that do advertise these in advance and students can seek aid awards from the Field Study team in our center. 

BLOCKS AWAY: All Block programs have a program fee to cover the on-site expenses. Block Away aid awards are available to cover up to 90% of both the program fee and the airfare for the program, and eligible students can earn up to two awards so that they can participate in more than one off-campus block.

LANGUAGE IMMERSION: For 2-block immersion programs, funds from the semester's tuition, room and board cover the cost of the study away program, which means students who live on campus and have a meal plan have no added cost.  Even airfare is included. For 4-block full semesters, students pay standard tuition and a program fee no larger than standard room & board on campus, again, no added cost. 

PARTNER-LED SEMESTER/YEAR AWAY: Students pay standard CC tuition, and instead of CC room & board, a cost analysis is worked out with our Financial Aid team, with student aid matching expenses so that their family's EFC (Expected Family Contribution) does not change whether the student is at CC or on any of our semester away partner programs. 

CAN I GET SUPPORT MORE THAN ONCE?: Yes, students at CC can get up to 2 Block Away Aid Awards and can use their standard financial aid for up to two full semesters. That is one of the reason nearly 1 in 3 CC students graduates with more than 1 study away experience, plus all the field experiences they sign on for.  

If you would like to learn more about how billing and aid works for CC off-campus blocks and semester study away options, please visit the dedicated sites linked here for each. 

When are the Study Away Fairs?: CC hosts a Semester Away Fair in Block 1 (September), a Summer Fair in Block 4 (December) and our biggest Fair, including all the next year's blocks away and semester opportunities, our Study Away Fair in Block 5 (January).  

When do students apply?:  For Blocks Away, the summer application window is early December through mid-January and the window for the next year's blocks away runs from late January through mid-March.  For Semesters, our recommended deadline (for our application and the partner application) is October 1 for spring semesters and March 1 for both fall semester and full-year programs.

Do students have to commit immediately to a program they apply for? No. While we ask all students who are accepted into a program to confirm their spot in that program soon after approval, every program has a later Withdrawal Deadline and students can opt to withdraw up until that date with no charge to them and no complications with adjusting their future course schedule.