CWU has extended its suspension of university-related international travel through the end of 2021.

This means the earliest that the office of international studies and programs could continue its education abroad programs is January 2022. 

“We have bilateral exchanges in Australia, Japan, South Korea, France and Scotland,” Steve Cook, the associate director of Education Abroad, said. “Through the large variety of programs available, students have options all over the world, including Antarctica.” 

CWU has also offered many faculty-directed programs in several other countries such as Ireland, Mexico, Belize, England, Greece, Italy, Macau and Guam.

Each program in education abroad has its own set of eligibility criteria depending on language fluency and majors. How the education abroad programs will be conducted and where education abroad will send students is still dependent on which countries will have opened up their borders by January 2022. Australia for example has closed its borders for international travel, and may not be an option for the coming academic year.

Beyond their education, students can explore the area of their host universities. Looking into the different opportunities the international universities offer can help students make the most out of their visit. 

“Students can also do internships, service-learning and research abroad,” Cook said. “Some students, whether as individuals or part of a club/organization, attend conferences or competitions. We’ve even had students and groups perform abroad.”

Education abroad not only plans to send students abroad, but also expects to host many international students on the CWU campus. Through the bilateral exchange program many international students are expected to come to CWU to study. According to Stacy Soderstrom, assistant director office of international studies and programs, CWU already hosts many international students. 

“Currently we have about 400 international students throughout our CWU programs,” Soderstrom said. 

Compared to the 500 international students from the previous academic year, CWU can expect to host even more in 2022.