Your Study Abroad Resource to Find Answers, Funding, and Programs

About Us

This site was created as a resource for students, parents, faculty, and administrators interested in study abroad. In it, you will find answers to common questions about study abroad given by our experienced mentors, including study abroad administrators, counselors, former study abroad students, and parents.

To find answers to your questions, type your keywords into the search bar above, or click on the main categories to the left to view the most commonly asked questions. Learn how to fund study abroad, decide on a program that best fits your needs and more while learning about the motivations and experiences of other students who have studied abroad. Get specific information on budgeting, housing, health and potential safety issues, as well as additional resources promoting diversity in study abroad within our Group-Specific Advice link. Here, information relevant to racial diversity in study abroad is available within four subcategories—Advice for African Americans, Advice for Asian/ Pacific Islander Americans, Advice for Hispanic/ Latin@ Americans and Advice for Native Americans.

In addition, see the Info to Support Diversity link to view organizations and articles dedicated to helping underrepresented groups study abroad. Look at the Funding Opportunities link for diversity scholarships that support academic advancement for underrepresented groups, as well as study abroad scholarships geared toward students from all backgrounds.

In our continued efforts to advocate for increased participation and diversity in study abroad, a variety of outreach materials are also available for your use, including PowerPoint presentations, posters and fliers. Download these free materials by clicking on the links in the Outreach Materials section on the left. Modify them according to your needs, whether you are a student about to make a presentation about your experience, an administrator wanting to promote your own programs, or anyone who is interested in reaching out to others and encouraging them to go abroad!

The PLATO Project

All Abroad is one of the products of The Project for Learning Abroad, Training, and Outreach (PLATO)—a national project developed by the Center for Global Education at Loyola Marymount University, and funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education with additional support from the IFSA Foundation. PLATO is an integrated study abroad training, certification, and diversity outreach program which provides comprehensive support resources for study abroad available to all U.S. college and university students - with special support for underrepresented students. PLATO responds to U.S. higher education's challenge to have no student left behind through the inclusion of a greater number of underrepresented students in study abroad, many of whom come from institutions with only a limited infrastructure to support study abroad students.

  • AllAbroad is a clearinghouse of resources, information, and mentors that promotes greater diversity among study abroad participants, including efforts such as K-12, Community College, Multicultural Services, and Community outreach.
  • AllAbroad.us supports a national outreach effort for underrepresented students for study abroad.
  • GlobalScholar.us, another project of PLATO, is the first national online curriculum to orient, train, and support students before, during, and after they study abroad, while highlighting the health and safety concerns of institutions and students. The Global Scholar Certificate recognizes returning study abroad students who have completed the Global Scholar curriculum and outreach.

Support from the U.S. Department of Education—FIPSE

PLATO is supported through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Comprehensive Program. The Department of Education promotes excellence in education for all Americans through educational support programs. The Comprehensive Program is FIPSE's central grant competition. The competition is designed to support innovative reform projects that hold promise as models for the resolution of important issues and problems in postsecondary education.

Support from the IFSA Foundation

The IFSA Foundation has provided support for the PLATO Project and intends to concentrate on projects that will provide much needed strength to undergraduate study abroad in the U.S. The mission of the foundation focuses exclusively on the advancement of study abroad as a major component of higher education in the U.S.

Partner Institutions

PLATO is administered by a consortium led by the Center for Global Education and the Safety Abroad First, Educational Travel Information (SAFETI) Clearinghouse at UCLA under the direction of Dr. Gary Rhodes. Partner institutions supporting PLATO include:

We hope that you will find this site to be a useful resource. We welcome your questions and comments-please go to Contact Us.