Step 3: Meet with your advisors

Applicants may be required to visit with one OR MORE campus advisors to receive approval for participation in a CCU faculty-led short-term program, semester or year-long education abroad program, or international internship.  Participants on faculty-led programs are recommended to meet with program leaders.

Education Abroad Advisors | College Advisors | Peer Advisors

Education Abroad Program Advisors

	Lori Patterson Title: Education Abroad Services Coordinator Phone: 843-349-2684 Email: lori@coastal.edu Office: LJSU A109 Hometown: Conway, South Carolina Education: B.A. in Communications, Winthrop University; M.P.S. in Rural Sociology, Cornell University Hobbies: Playing with my puppy Bubbles. What I love about Coastal: The students! Make an appointment  for general education abroad advising and completing applications for exchange and third party programs (semester or short-term) as well as international internships.
	Alice Van Doren Study Abroad Programs Assistant Phone: 843-349-6531 Email: avandore@coastal.edu Office: LJSU A-109
	Tamaray White Study Abroad Programs Assistant Phone: 843-349-6531 Email: studyabroad@coastal.edu Office: LJSU A-109
	Sheila Singleton Advisor for student-veterans and military dependents Title: VA Certifying Official Phone: 843-349-2464 Email: ssinglet@coastal.edu Office: LJSU B203A Hometown: Conway, South Carolina Education: B.A. in Business and Finance, Columbus State University Hobbies: Walking, practing yoga and spending time with the grandkids. What I love about Coastal: Everyone is so friendly and willing to help others.

College Advisors

College advisors know WHEN students can go abroad based on their unique degree requirements.

If you have questions about where to get started, you can reach out to the International Liaisons for each College:

College of Graduate and Continuing Studies - Dr. Wes Fondren (wfondren@coastal.edu)
Conway Medical Center College of Health and Human Performance - Dr. Fredanna McGough (fmcorma@coastal.edu)
Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts - Dr. Tripthi Pillai (tpillai@coastal.edu)
Gupta College of Science - Dr. Megan Cevasco -mcevasco@coastal.edu)
HTC Honors College - Dr. Russell Fielding (rfielding@coastal.edu)
Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences - Dr. Clayton Whitesides (cwhitesid@coastal.edu)
Wall College of Business - Dr. Monica Fine (mfine@coastal.edu)

To be approved for a CCU Education Abroad program, students work with the Education Abroad Services Coordinator to select courses abroad that fit into their CCU degree plan. Credit pre-approval for education abroad coursework is determined by the Center for Global Engagement in cooperation with the appropriate academic departments. If you are applying to an exchange partner or third-party provider program, you will be required to complete the Education Abroad Credit Pre-approval Form, which is provided during your initial advising appointment. Then, your assigned academic or faculty advisor will review this Credit Pre-approval Form to ensure that the credits you plan to earn abroad will keep you on track to graduate.

For a list of education abroad courses that are already approved by CCU for credit transfer, please use the Education Abroad Course Equivalency Search Tool. Please note that final enrollment in any education abroad course is determined by the exchange partner or third-party provider program, not CCU; therefore, even if an education abroad course has received CCU credit pre-approval, CCU cannot guarantee students' class schedules abroad, which is why students must identify preferred courses as well as alternate courses.

Confirm Your Eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years old by the time you go abroad.
  • You must be a sophomore by years, not credits. Students who began as freshman at CCU must complete two long semesters before becoming eligible to go abroad on an exchange partner or third party provider program. Transfer students must complete one semester before becoming eligible to go abroad on an exchange partner or third party provider semester program. All students maybe eligible to participate in a CCU faculty-led program provided they meet each program's eligibility requirements.
• You must have a CCU GPA of 2.5 at the time of application. Please note that many programs have a higher GPA requirement than our GPA requirement.
• You must be in good disciplinary standing at the time of application and remain so up to and including the term you plan to be abroad. If you are unsure whether you are in good standing, contact the CCU Dean of Students Office, dso@coastal.edu.
• You may MAY NOT go abroad in the last 15 hours of your degree plan (the same semester you plan to graduate) unless you participate in a faculty-led program.
• You may postpone graduation to go abroad but must be enrolled at CCU in the U.S. during the term in which you graduate.
• If your graduation date is before the program abroad is to begin, you must reach out to the Center for Global Engagement to discuss how you will either delay graduation or apply for readmission to CCU to participate in the program.

Peer Advisors

The goal of peer advising is to lead students to information that empowers them to make informed decisions about participating in a CCU Education Abroad program.  The Center for Global Engagement can put you in contact with recent education abroad returnees.

Liana Trebour Hometown: Little Egg Harbor, NJ Undergraduate Major: Communications Undergraduate Minor: Public Health Experience abroad: I traveled to the Dominican Republic to see my gradma's home country and heritage. It was beautiful there! What I love about Coastal: "I love the professors here at Coastal. I have made meaningful connections with many professors!" Motto: "Patience is a virtue."

Tamaray White Hometown: Piedmont, SC Undergraduate Major: Marketing Undergraduate Minor: History Experience abroad: Iceland with CCU Wall Fellows, Italy (2022) What I love about Coastal: "The quiet and calm campus environment, the amazing personal and professional growth opportunities I've gotten here, and the professors who are always happy to help." Motto: "There is always a light at the end of the tunnel."

Got Questions? Talk to Us! studyabroad@coastal.edu

A NOTE FOR NON-U.S. CITIZENS: If you are a non-U.S. citizen, you will need to understand how your immigration status can affect your ability to travel abroad with CCU. Please contact CCU International Student Services to meet with your International Student Advisor before starting the online application.