Admitted Students

• Intent to Enroll
• Pre-departure Requirements
• Visiting Students
• Visa Information
• Orientations
• Program Policies  

Intent to Enroll

Upon receiving your admission letter, complete the Intent to Enroll form located in your online application account if you plan to participate in the program. You will have 14 days from the date of your admission letter to complete the form.

Selecting YES on the Intent to Enroll form will temporarily reserve your place in the program as you complete the program agreement and pre-departure documents that are required prior to course registration. There is no deposit but you should be aware of the withdrawal policy to understand the fees you may be charged if your plans change and you need to withdraw at a later point.

Pre-departure Requirements

After the Intent to Enroll, your next step will be to complete the pre-departure forms and requirements. Your admission letter includes deadlines and information about these forms. All the requirements must be submitted to our office before you will be registered for courses.

Visiting Students 

During the period of the program, visiting students are considered Penn students in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS). You are advised to become familiar with Penn policies as they do apply to you during this period. The main source for these policies is the Pennbook, available online at: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/osl/pennbook.html.

After submitting your Intent to Enroll form, you will receive a letter from the Registrar's office within 10-15 days with instructions and the Setup Code for your PennKey. A PennKey is required to access protected electronic resources at Penn including your student account, Blackboard courseware, library resources and Penn email account. You need to setup your PennKey in order to fully participate in the summer abroad program.

Enter your contact information, particularly an email address, in the Penn Directory (http://www.upenn.edu/directories/) so that you will receive all necessary communications.

You may view your student account by logging in to Penn Portal, http://medley.isc-seo.upenn.edu/penn_portal/portal.php 

Visa Information

Coming Soon!

Orientations

Each program will hold pre-departure orientation(s) on Penn campus in the Spring Term to provide important information about the courses and the program in general. Penn student attendance is required for all orientations. Visiting students will be sent printed materials from the workshops and are expected to ask the program director about anything they do not understand. There will also be a mandatory on-site orientation upon arrive in the host country.

Program Policies

Penn Summer Abroad's program policies are found in the Student Handbook. The following are highlighted here for your quick reference.

• Academic Requirements
• Course Registration
• Attendance
• Notify Advisors
• Drop/Add
• Withdrawal/Refund Policy
• Home stays
• Independent Travel During the Program
• Visitors and Guests Policy
• Student Conduct
• Alcohol and Drug Policy 

Academic Requirements

All Penn Summer Abroad programs, except for Cannes, require that you be enrolled for 2 credit units (CUs) during the program. The requirement for Cannes is 1 CU.

Course Registration

The College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) will register you for your summer abroad courses after you have confirmed your participation by completing the Intent to Enroll form and submitting the required pre-departure documents including the Program Agreement.

Attendance

Given the intensive pace of the program, attendance is mandatory for each lecture, site visit, or program-related activity. Unexcused absences from class will affect the final grade. Failure to attend program-related activities may result in your dismissal from the program.

Notify Advisors

You are responsible for notifying your academic advisors that you are participating in a Penn Summer Abroad program.

Drop/Add

Students must maintain the minimum required course load in order to stay in the program (1 CU for Cannes, 2 CUs for all other programs). Requests to change a class must be made in writing from your Penn email account to the program director. The program director will forward the request to the Penn Summer Abroad office with their recommendation to approve or deny. The final decision and processing of the drop/add request is made by LPS in consultation with the student's home division.

Please note that while you may be able to drop/add a course on your own using PennInTouch, doing so can be cause for dismissal from the program. Penn Summer Abroad's policy regarding drop/add and tuition refunds takes priority.

Withdrawal/Refund Policy

Notification of Withdrawal:
All notifications of withdrawal from the program must be made in writing to the Office of Penn Summer Abroad at summerabroad@sas.upenn.edu. The date the written notification received is the date by which the financial calculation will be determined.

Application Fee:
The $50 application fee is not refundable.

From registration (beginning March 22, 2010) to 30 days prior to the program start:
Cancellation fee of $500 will be charged.
Program fee will be fully refunded (minus the $500 cancellation fee)
Tuition fully refunded.

Less than 30 days prior up until program start date:
Program fee will be refunded 50%
Tuition fully refunded

Program start date and beyond:
No program fee refund
Except for Penn-in-Cannes, tuition refund will be granted for those who withdraw from the program within 5 calendar days after the program start date. For Penn-in-Cannes, which only runs for two weeks, there are no tuition refunds after the start of the program.

Exception for late financial aid notice:
Penn's financial aid packages for the summer programs are usually processed in late April or early May. The above penalties for withdrawing from the program after March 22 and prior to the start of the program may be waived if the financial aid package you receive cannot support the costs for the program this year. Notice of withdrawal and the request for a waiver of the fees must be made in writing to summerabroad@sas.upenn.edu. The request must state the reason for withdrawal and provide the date when you received the financial aid notice. Requests for the fee waiver due to the timing of financial aid are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Waivers are not considered for any other reason.

Home stays

Programs that use home stay arrangements coordinate with local partners in the country to place students in reputable and safe homes. Students living with host families are required to abide by the rules and policies established by the program with the host families. You will receive information about this, as applicable, from the program director. General requirements will include but are not limited to:

• Abiding by rules established for use of phone, internet, electronic appliances, etc.
• Advising the family if you plan to spend the night outside the home
• Using articles in the home with moderation and only as needed
• Abiding by emergency, safety, and health procedures as established

If you have a conflict with the host family, try first to work it out with them yourself. If the problem is not resolved, speak with your program director or local coordinator.

Independent Travel During the Program

If you plan to travel away from the program site during weekends or free time you are required to notify the program director in writing prior to your departure and to provide your itinerary and contact information. Failure to do so may result in expulsion from the program. You are not allowed to travel during program days.

Visitors and Guests Policy

If your family members and friends plan to visit, they are encouraged to do so before or after the program. Visitors are not a legitimate reason for an excused absence from class or program activity. Guests may participate in program activities only with the permission of the Program Director.

Students will not be allowed to house family members, guests, or students from other programs in their room, whether it is in a dormitory, apartment, hotel, or with a family.

Student Conduct

Students are expected to exhibit responsible behavior regardless of time or place. Before leaving for their program, students sign the Program Agreement and Limits of Liability Waiver, committing to abide by all program rules and codes of conduct. Failure to adhere to these expectations may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the program. For the full text of Penn's Student Code of Conduct go to: www.vpul.upenn.edu/osl/conduct.html. During the Penn Summer Abroad program, responsible behavior includes but is not limited to the following obligations:

• To attend classes and to meet academic obligations.
• To treat each person with respect and courtesy.
• Abusive language, hazing, threatening behavior, and disorderly conduct are strictly forbidden.
• To be sensitive to the cultural differences and to social customs of the host country.
• To refrain from stealing, damaging, defacing, or misusing other's property. Students are responsible for any damage that they cause to any property while in the program.
• To comply with program rules regarding housing.
• To abide by all applicable federal, state, and city laws.
• To observe the laws of the host country.

Alcohol and Drug Policy

Penn's drug and alcohol policy applies to students during Penn Summer Abroad. To review this policy, visit: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/alcohol/policy2.html.