If you're interested in adding an international dimension to your college career, this is the place to start! Students attending Villanova University are encouraged to incorporate international aspects of education into their academic plans. The Office of International Studies (OIS) assists students in identifying overseas opportunities and facilitating the process of enrollment in overseas programs. Through the OIS, you can explore your options to spend a semester or year abroad, participate in a VU international summer program, or pursue an area studies concentration.

As American businesses expand overseas, the need for culturally adept employees, those who know about and are able to work across cultural boundaries, is increasing. Rapidly expanding technology and transportation connect all corners of the globe and to remain competitive among your peers from overseas, you need to be able to negotiate within a worldwide context. You can also strengthen your foreign language ability, increase your knowledge of a particular discipline, and enhance your classroom learning with experiential learning. Better still, through an overseas experience, you can gain a more global perspective that may allow you to see the rest of "the world with new eyes." If you take the time to include overseas study as part of your education, you may also reap the benefits of cross-cultural living within the boundaries of the U.S. It can help you succeed in our exceedingly multicultural American society. Many students describe overseas study as a life changing experience. It affects the way they relate to their own culture as well as to the rest of the world.

The OIS staff is ready to help you find the program and location best suited to your academic interests and level of preparation for overseas living. The OIS works closely with the faculty and administration across campus to facilitate as smooth a transition from life on the VU campus to an overseas locale and back again as possible. We look forward to working with you!