The Interim and May Away Study Away Courses
The Interim is that class term held during the month of January in which students take only one course and instructors teach only one course. Both study away courses and on-campus courses are offered. All who enter as first-year students are required to take an Interim course during their first year and must successfully complete three of the four Interim terms offered during a typical four-year course of study. For students who transfer to LaGrange College, adjustments are made in this requirement based on academic standing at entry.
May Away, an academic study away-only term, features a three-hour study away course which requires 120 hours of student engagement. Pre-travel and course preparation will likely begin during the preceding spring semester, with a sufficient number of faculty/student hours to fully prepare students for the study away component. This preparation may include on-campus and on-line sessions. Even though students will begin coursework, the official start of the May Away term is the day after the last scheduled final exam day for spring semester.
May Away study away will begin within a few days after graduation; no on-campus housing will be provided for May Away students (faculty and students will meet at the airport or another pre-arranged place). Students eligible for May Away free tuition will be those who are full-time students in the preceding spring semester. Exceptions would be those students who have already used the annual allotment for the January Interim term because of their full-time status the preceding fall semester and are therefore not eligible for free tuition in May. Students are able to take advantage of the free tuition only one time during an academic year. Travel vouchers and transfer student travel scholarships may be used for May Away courses.
Graduating seniors may enroll in a May Away course. These seniors will be able to walk for graduation, but will not receive their diploma until the following May after successfully completing the May Away course. Graduating seniors will have to file a graduation petition and a pre-completion request with the VPAA by February 1.
A student may take both a January Interim term course and a May Away course during the same academic year. May Away courses count toward the required total number of Interim courses for graduation.
May Away courses will follow the same calendar path as travel courses taught during the January Interim term. These new study away courses are available for student application beginning in February for the upcoming academic year. In this way, all study away courses (January and May) are offered to the current year’s students at one time.
Being allowed to study away as part of the curriculum of LaGrange College is a privilege; approval to study away is not automatic but may be granted through the Office of Global Engagement based on:
As part of completing the on-line application, students must make contact with the course instructor to obtain all necessary information, requirements, and the permission and signature of the instructor. Eligibility for all travel courses requires that the student:
Costs and Refunds
The costs listed in the online brochure are the anticipated per-participant travel charges for that particular course and include a fee for emergency health and travel insurance. It is possible that these costs may require adjustments. If so, you will be notified by email and it will be updated on-line.
Please follow the on-line application instructions, How to Apply, found at Getting Started.
Students are not permitted to bring accompanying guests. Non-LC students will need to be admitted to the College as a transient student. Once admitted, they will need to pay the required tuition and the course fee, and complete the online application and approval process.
May Away, an academic study away-only term, features a three-hour study away course which requires 120 hours of student engagement. Pre-travel and course preparation will likely begin during the preceding spring semester, with a sufficient number of faculty/student hours to fully prepare students for the study away component. This preparation may include on-campus and on-line sessions. Even though students will begin coursework, the official start of the May Away term is the day after the last scheduled final exam day for spring semester.
May Away study away will begin within a few days after graduation; no on-campus housing will be provided for May Away students (faculty and students will meet at the airport or another pre-arranged place). Students eligible for May Away free tuition will be those who are full-time students in the preceding spring semester. Exceptions would be those students who have already used the annual allotment for the January Interim term because of their full-time status the preceding fall semester and are therefore not eligible for free tuition in May. Students are able to take advantage of the free tuition only one time during an academic year. Travel vouchers and transfer student travel scholarships may be used for May Away courses.
Graduating seniors may enroll in a May Away course. These seniors will be able to walk for graduation, but will not receive their diploma until the following May after successfully completing the May Away course. Graduating seniors will have to file a graduation petition and a pre-completion request with the VPAA by February 1.
A student may take both a January Interim term course and a May Away course during the same academic year. May Away courses count toward the required total number of Interim courses for graduation.
May Away courses will follow the same calendar path as travel courses taught during the January Interim term. These new study away courses are available for student application beginning in February for the upcoming academic year. In this way, all study away courses (January and May) are offered to the current year’s students at one time.
Being allowed to study away as part of the curriculum of LaGrange College is a privilege; approval to study away is not automatic but may be granted through the Office of Global Engagement based on:
- A completed application, including instructor permission, references and required travel documents
- The student’s fitness for travel
- Meeting all academic, procedural, financial, and other prerequisites
Registration:
The Interim on-campus courses will be announced the beginning of September and online registration will be the last week of September. The Registrar's Office will notify all students with instructions on how and when to register.Study Away Courses
Important dates and deadlines:
Mid February – Applications accepted on-line.
Mid March – Deadline for completed applications.
Late March - Students will be notified by email if approved. If there is still space in an Interim study away course, it will reopen and continue to take applications. May Away courses will remain open until October 1.
April 15 – $500 deposit or another specified amount from all approved travelers is due in the Business Office.
End of April – The list of approved and deposited students will be submitted to the Registrar by the Office of Global Engagement. The Registrar will enter all students into their selected courses.
May-September - Payments on your course fee may be made through the Business Office.
September 10 – Course fee paid in full through the Business Office. Refunds are no longer available after this date.
October 1 – All travel documents completed and a valid passport are submitted in your online application.
January - Interim begins.
Eligibility Interim
May 31 – Deposit will no longer be refunded after this date.September 10 – Course fee paid in full through the Business Office. Refunds are no longer available after this date.
October 1 – All travel documents completed and a valid passport are submitted in your online application.
January - Interim begins.
May Away
October 1 - Applications close and the $500 deposit or another specified amount from all approved travelers is due in the Business Office.
October 31 – Deposit will no longer be refunded after this date.
February 1 – All travel documents completed and a valid passport are submitted in your online application.
February 10 – Course fee paid in full through the Business Office. Refunds are no longer available after this date.
May - May Away begins.
October 31 – Deposit will no longer be refunded after this date.
February 1 – All travel documents completed and a valid passport are submitted in your online application.
February 10 – Course fee paid in full through the Business Office. Refunds are no longer available after this date.
As part of completing the on-line application, students must make contact with the course instructor to obtain all necessary information, requirements, and the permission and signature of the instructor. Eligibility for all travel courses requires that the student:
•Is age 18 by January 1.
•Has a valid passport that will not expire within the time limit specified by the country visited. LaGrange College strongly recommends that your passport be valid for at least 6 months beyond your planned date of entry into the country you are visiting.
Costs and Refunds
The costs listed in the online brochure are the anticipated per-participant travel charges for that particular course and include a fee for emergency health and travel insurance. It is possible that these costs may require adjustments. If so, you will be notified by email and it will be updated on-line.
If you need to withdraw from the course, you must email the Office of Global Engagement so it is documented. The date of the withdrawal could affect the amount of a refund.
Refund Schedule:
Interim:
- May 31: Deposit will no longer be refunded after this date.
- September 10: Final payment for course is due. Refunds are no longer available after this date.
- October 31: Deposit will no longer be refunded after this date.
- February 10: Final payment for course is due. Refunds are no longer available after this date.
Non-Student Participants
For those courses that will accept non-student participants, an additional 10% of the published cost will be required. Program providers may also charge an additional fee.Please follow the on-line application instructions, How to Apply, found at Getting Started.
Students are not permitted to bring accompanying guests. Non-LC students will need to be admitted to the College as a transient student. Once admitted, they will need to pay the required tuition and the course fee, and complete the online application and approval process.
Airline Upgrades and Flight Deviations
If participants want to upgrade their airline ticket, they must pay for the difference in price between the upgraded ticket and the student’s economy airfare ticket.
Participants on faculty-led study away courses travel together as a group. In rare and specific cases, students may be granted a flight deviation to travel separately from the group or purchase their own ticket. Flight deviations will not be granted in the following cases:
1. Participant wants to use air miles or thinks they can find a cheaper ticket individually.
2. Participant wants to join program late or leave early (e.g. for personal reasons).
Faculty are expected to fly to and from the program destination with the student group and on the same flight as the student group. Any deviations must be pre-approved by the Global Engagement.
Students who think they may qualify for a flight deviation must contact Global Engagement before September 1 for information about the flight deviation approval process.
These travel programs offer opportunities for off-campus study either beyond the campus or beyond the borders of the United States. Such travel inevitably involves risk: accident, injury, illness, civil unrest, and other unforeseen circumstances. These risks are ones which neither those who sponsor travel nor those who travel can control. Participation in such an off-campus study program is purely voluntary on the students' part. As a condition for participation, LaGrange College requires that student travelers and their parents read and execute liability releases and other documents which signify they acknowledge, accept, and assume all risks. The College expects that students and their parents will use their own due diligence in informing themselves of current global conditions and in determining whether they wish the students to travel to given sites. The LaGrange College State Department Travel Warning Policy will determine if travel will be approved and it additional waivers need to be signed by the students.
Students participating in College-sponsored travel are expected to comply with all rules of behavior set forth by the course instructor and the College. After approval for travel is obtained, the College may terminate the student’s travel approval based on any disciplinary or other concerns which the College deems would make the student unsuitable for travel. Non-compliance with behavior rules during a trip may make the student subject to dismissal from the trip and the course, requiring the student to pay for an early departure for home.Although no major revisions are anticipated, LaGrange College reserves the right to make necessary changes in the status, costs, requirements, or other details of its faculty-led, study-away courses. Any course may be canceled for adequate reason, such as lack of sufficient enrollment or a U.S. State Department Travel Warning.