Choose Your Program

Exchange programs allow you study at a university abroad and directly enroll in coursework as a visiting international student. Exchange programs tend to be the most affordable type of study abroad program because you pay regular SUNY tuition and mandatory fees plus your living, travel, and personal expenses. Depending on the cost of living in your choice of location, your costs to study abroad on an exchange program can be relatively similar to what you are currently paying to study and live on campus at UAlbany for the equivalent amount of time. Due to varying levels of on-site support and possible language barriers, exchange programs may require a higher level of independence. Exchange programs tend to have a higher level of cultural immersion because you typically enroll in coursework along with local students and taught by local professors. Most exchange programs are semester-length or year-long opportunities.

UAlbany has maintained a presence in Spain for over 50 years! An integral part of the UAlbany experience is spending a semester or summer on the UAlbany in Valencia, Spain program. Seize YOUR opportunity to be a part of this cherished UAlbany tradition. No prior study of the Spanish language is required and there is a variety of courses and academic tracks to choose from, including coursework taught by UAlbany faculty in the summer. Study psychology, communication, art history, politics and more with UAlbany in Valencia, Spain!

Study abroad programs are arrangements with overseas universities, institutes, and other educational entities by which you complete part of your degree requirements through educational activities outside the United States. Study abroad programs tend to exist in locations where an exchange program is not feasible, because coursework in English is not readily available or because a higher level of student support is required or desired. Study abroad programs can vary widely in cost, length, and type of coursework available. UAlbany offers a variety of study abroad programs during the semester (fall/spring/academic year), wintersession, spring break, and summer terms. Some study abroad programs offer language training and/or excursions and activities.

Faculty-led programs abroad are targeted opportunities for you to learn from UAlbany faculty experts in a particular field while traveling abroad to locations that are particularly relevant to that field. Study social policy in Africa, explore teaching and learning in Belize, and much more! The faculty led program options available are continually updated and refreshed.

NOTE: UAlbany faculty led programs are currently “on pause” through at least Summer 2023.

Internships are work-related learning experiences intended to develop hands-on skills within a certain occupational field. An international internships provides you with real-world, hands-on training, mentorship, and professional experience in your field of study. It also provides exposure to international business and culture, through which you gain valuable knowledge of other customs while increasing your self-confidence, characteristics often desired by prospective employers. Examples of placements include partner university labs, businesses, NGOs and not-for-profits, as well as IT, media, and design firms. Students with the greatest fluency in the local language have access to the greatest variety of internship placement options. Internships may range from part-time to full-time and from a few weeks to an academic year. There is no better preparation for entering today’s multinational corporations and multicultural wok environments than an international internship.

International projects at universities and research institutes prepare you for the future of research, which includes increasingly multi-sited and interdisciplinary projects and teams. STEM laboratories, environmental science field sites, archives, museums, and city streets are a few examples of where you can make discoveries and solve problems under the supervision of faculty experts from UAlbany and partner universities. Project duration and location vary widely, although summer is the most common time to research abroad.

Service learning is a process by which you learn by doing and experience personal development through organized volunteer activities. When actively participating in projects driven by local community priorities, you  apply your skills and knowledge in real-life situations, while gaining valuable hands-on work experience. Service learning abroad or global community engagement relies upon ongoing open dialogue and partnership with participating communities.