Travel Study FAQ

Travel Study programs are open on a first-come, first-served basis. You do not have to be a UCLA student to participate, but you must be at least 18 years old and have completed high school before your program begins. Students are required to be in good academic standing during the quarter/semester prior to participation. Most programs are geared for undergraduates and offer undergraduate course credit. Participants are typically college students ages 18 to 24.

Note: For certain Travel Study programs, additional requirements may apply (i.e. course prerequisites, language skills, major/minor requirements, etc.). Any such program-specific requirements are specified on the program brochure page.

Select your UCLA Travel Study program of interest on the Travel Study program discovery page. If the program is accepting applications, there will be a blue “Apply Now” button on the left-hand side of the program brochure page to initiate your program application. Carefully review, complete required forms, and submit your online application when ready.

If there is open space on the program at the time of your online application submission, you will be accepted to the program and invited to confirm your participation & submit a non-refundable $300 deposit. In order to secure your spot in the program, you must submit a non-refundable $300 deposit through a secure online credit/debit card form. If you pay by credit/debit card, an additional 2.75% surcharge will be assessed. Payments by e-check will not incur this surcharge.

We will accept applications for Summer 2026 Travel Study programs through March 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM PST. However, all spaces are first-come, first-served. Please note that some programs may fill after the priority enrollment window in December. If all participant spaces are claimed, new applicants will be added to a waitlist in the order of application submission.

Final Travel Study program payments can be made via MyUCLA or by check at the Cashier’s Office in 1125 Murphy Hall.

Students can typically begin to make final payments beginning early March. Payment reminders will be sent out via email when it is time to do so.

Only one application per term is permitted, including UCLA Travel Study.  Students cannot apply to both UCLA Travel Study and a Global Internship Program or UCEAP program for the same summer.  If you are interested in two Travel Study programs that do not have overlapping dates, please contact our office for guidance. If permitted to apply for and participate in two consecutive programs, you will have to pay two nonrefundable $300 deposits (one for each program).

This is a $50 one-time document fee which covers fees for first-class mailing of official transcripts, diploma and much more. Please visit the Registrar’s Office Website for more information.

All students on international Travel Study programs are required to have a valid passport. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the date you expect to return to the United States.

For instructions on how to apply for a U.S. passport, please visit: U.S. Department of State Website. Allow at least 7-10 weeks for your passport application to be processed if you do not currently have a valid passport. If you do not have a passport upon submitting your application, you will need to apply IMMEDIATELY in order to assure that your passport arrives on time.

Visa requirements vary by location and passport country. Your program coordinator will in touch with more information as needed.

If you are traveling to your program site under a non-U.S. passport, you should consult with the consulates for the countries you will be visiting to determine whether you need a tourist visa and/or any transit visas if you fly through another country on route to your destination.

We recommend you visit the Centers for Disease Control’s website for more information about health and safety abroad in your particular program location. We also recommend you visit the Ashe Center Travel Clinic to complete a health evaluation where they can provide advice customized to your health status and travel plans, immunizations, and prescriptions as needed.

To assist you with selecting the appropriate language curriculum, we have listed the mandatory prerequisites for each language level on the “academics” tab on the program brochure. If you are still not sure of your appropriate language placement, we recommend that you consult directly with the designated academic department advisor associated with the program (ELTS or Spanish & Portuguese).

Please be sure to choose the appropriate curriculum for you at the time of application submission, as changes post-submission are not possible due to space limitations.

If you are a UC student, Travel Study program courses are UC-transferable and will automatically transfer to your UC transcript in the fall.

Non-UC students should consult with an academic advisor and the Registrar’s Office at their home institution.

Past Travel Study participants can view and request transcripts on MyUCLA.

Housing varies from program to program. Visit the tab on your program brochure called “Onsite” to read a description of the program housing.

Exact housing addresses are typically provided 2-3 weeks before arrival depending on housing type. Homestay locations may be provided shortly before arrival.

Travel Study housing is required for all participants and is restricted to enrolled participants only. Independent housing is not permitted on Travel Study programs. The cost of accommodations cannot be deducted from the program fee.

Guests (includes spouses, children, other family members and friends) are NOT allowed in Travel Study housing or on any Travel Study related activity.

Travel Study does not assist with housing arrangements for family, friends, or other guests of Travel Study participants.

It is very important that you frequently check the preferred email address you have designated in MyUCLA. You will receive consistent communications from Travel Study with important information about your program & any pending tasks that require your attention via email. If you need to change the email used in our system to contact you, you must do so through MyUCLA immediately.

External (non-UCLA) applicants will manually enter their email when applying and should monitor that account accordingly.

Once accepted to a program, please do not confirm participation in a Travel Study program unless you are sure you intend to participate. Remember that your $300 deposit is non-refundable. See Cancellation Policy.

The deadline to cancel your Summer 2026 Travel Study program participation is March 11, 2026. After this deadline, you must notify IEO by email to request cancelling your program participation. Even though no refunds are possible after the cancellation deadline, we will assume you are arriving onsite and participating in the program unless otherwise notified in writing.

To officially cancel your participation in a Travel Study program, please email info@ieo.ucla.edu & your program coordinator. Please include your UID & Name of Program in your email.

Each Travel Study program consists of a required course curriculum. Students are automatically enrolled in this curriculum. All Travel Study courses must be taken for a letter grade. These courses are mandatory and cannot be dropped.

Exact courses for your program of interest can be found under the “Academics” tab on the program brochure page.

Please contact the instructor to discuss the details of your project, and then request to enroll by completing the Optional Course form in your application portal (not all programs offer an optional course). Travel Study will administratively enroll you in any requested optional courses in early June prior to the program start date. You can enroll up until the Friday of the second week of your program. Please note that optional fee-bearing courses must be paid for out of pocket and that financial aid is not adjusted until you have earned a grade in the course.

If you change your mind, you can drop yourself from the course– please also notify your Program Coordinator and the program director that you have decided to withdraw. Optional courses may be dropped through MyUCLA with a refund up until August 29, 2025 for the optional course; optional courses may be dropped with no refund until the last day of Summer Session C, September 12, 2025.

UCLA Travel Study offers short-term programs during the summer only. Courses are part of the regular UCLA academic curriculum and are taught by UCLA faculty. Programs are open to anyone age 18 or older. Students must be in good academic standing with a cumulative & term GPA’s of 2.0 or above. For UC students, courses automatically appear on your UC transcript.

UC Education Abroad (UCEAP) is an UC-wide program network that offers full-year, short-term, and summer programs. UCEAP is for UC students only. Courses are transferable. Please visit the UCEAP website for more information on UCEAP program options & eligibility details.

Each UC campus offers its own unique programming. Programs differ in content and location. To learn more about Faculty Led programs at other UC campuses visit:
a. UC Berkeley
b. UC Davis
c. UC Irvine
d. UC Riverside
e. UC San Diego
f. UC Santa Cruz

We encourage interested students to apply in the priority window (November 24, 2025 – December 1, 2025). This is both to secure a place on the program and to help Travel Study have a reliable sense of student interest. Programs with significant under-enrollment are subject to cancellation in mid-February. If a program is cancelled by Travel Study, students will be offered either a refund of their deposit -or- to switch to a relevant open program, pending availability.