The University of Maine Farmington encourages students from every academic major to explore your opportunities to Study Abroad.

We believe that a relevant international experience not only enhances your academic qualifications, but it helps you to develop personal characteristics that will be appealing to employers and your community.

IMPORTANT: please read all of the following information carefully. There is nothing in here that you can afford to ignore.

You should aim to complete the first three steps a full year before your program begins. Missed deadlines and lack of planning are the primary factors that keeps otherwise eligible students from taking part in study abroad programs.

1) Research
Please be sure to visit the Office of International and Exchange Programs for advise about choosing a relevant Study Abroad program. UMF offers a variety of programs. You are strongly encouraged to investigate several UMF programs before researching outside programs. View the Program Map for a listing of programs recommended by UMF.

2) Check that the credit will transfer
You will work closely with your academic advisor, department chairs in other disciplines and the Study Abroad Director to complete a credit evaluation agreement prior to studying abroad.  Before you decide to apply for a any program, check to be sure that UMF recognizes the institution to which you will plan to apply. Download a Credit Approval Form.

If you learn that UMF won't recognize credit, you should begin researching again to find an appropriate program; however, this is rarely necessary. If your program is through a U.S. university, or through a study abroad agency, you will need to let us know which institution will prepare your transcript at the end of your study abroad program i.e., is it the institution who is ORGANIZING the program, or the institution at which you will actually be studying.

3) Applying for a non-UMF study abroad program
You must create an online Study Abroad Account. Do not submit online applications to non-UMF programs without prior approval from the Office of International and Exchange Programs. Once you have confirmed that UMF will recognize credit from the intended host institution, you can begin the application process.

4) Approval and Acceptance
Once you have received a formal letter of acceptance to your program, notify the Office of International and Exchange Programs and update your application status in your online account. The Study Abroad Director will work directly with the program provider to develop a billing process which allows us to bill you for your program and for UMF financial aid to be applied toward your program.