International Programs Cal State Monterey Bay

The CSUMB Office of International Programs offers a comprehensive suite of programs for both incoming and outgoing students and faculty.

Incoming Students

CSUMB routinely welcomes hundreds of students each semester from more than 30 countries worldwide. These students can study American Language and Culture; they can live and work alongside CSUMB domestic students for a summer, semester, or year on exchange programs; they can even earn a bachelor's or graduate degree at CSUMB. Thanks to the variety of these programs, students can spend just a few meaningful weeks on our campus or fully integrate through a multi-year degree.

Learn More about CSUMB IP

Outgoing Students

The CSUMB Office of International Programs offers a breadth of options for students interested in studying overseas through one of our many exchange programs, CSUMB faculty-led programs, affiliate programs, CSUIP programs, or domestically through the National Student Exchange. Options range from a few weeks to a full academic year in countless academic fields. All credits taken abroad transfer to CSUMB, so that students can continue to progress towards graduation while experiencing life and education in another country.

For an up-to-date list of locations and programs, please visit the CSUMB Education Abroad Website.

A few good reasons to study abroad:

  • To enhance your education. A study abroad experience adds a new perspective to your studies. You will see things from another point of view, which will help you develop your analytical and critical-thinking skills.
  • To progress toward graduation. Both domestic and overseas opportunities allow you transfer the credits you take overseas to CSUMB, helping to move you closer to your goal of graduating.
  • To build your résumé. Studying in another country or region of the country adds a new dimension to your career planning. In an age of global economies and information super-highways, experience abroad or outside California distinguishes your background from the rest.
  • To develop your self-awareness. We sometimes impose limitations on ourselves that hinder progress toward our goals. By leaving the familiar behind and encountering different people and places you will gain a better understanding of yourself and the world around you.
  • To understand another culture. Living and learning in another culture amidst the unfamiliar adds to your understanding of the diverse cultures in our world and can give you a maturity and perspective that can be gained in no other way.
Learn More about CSUMB Education Abroad

Different programs charge different amounts. The CSUMB exchange programs and CSU International Programs allow students to pay CSUMB or CSU tuition while abroad. Housing, meals and pocket money are paid at the host site. Often, studying abroad can actually cost less than staying at CSUMB. In some cases, where the cost of living is higher than in California, the costs may be greater than staying at CSUMB. Planning ahead and working with the advisors on campus are the keys to making studying abroad affordable.

In most cases, students can take the same financial aid they would receive if they were to stay on campus abroad with them. There are a few exceptions, but with careful planning, students can go abroad and take their financial aid and even additional scholarships with them.

Cost or Investment? Study abroad, when carefully integrated with your overall educational objectives, is a longterm investment in yourself and in your future. It is also an opportunity available to you as a student which will not likely be available to you at any other time in your life. The CSUMB Office of International Programs can assist you in your search for scholarships and financial aid that can make your dream of studying abroad or a different university in the USA come true.

Eligibility varies program to program and sometimes, country to country. Some programs are open to sophomores and above, others to juniors and above. Transfer students from California Community Colleges are eligible to apply directly from their community colleges.

Students must be in good standing at CSUMB and have a current cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or 3.0, depending on the program for which they apply. In addition, they must fulfill all coursework prerequisites. Some programs require one or more semesters of the location language while others allow students to study in English.

All CSU International Programs are for a complete academic year. CSUMB programs can be short-term and over the summer or one semester or an academic year.

Contact

Additional information and application materials may be obtained from:

CSUMB International Programs

Corporation Building, 201, Suite 207

100 Campus Center

Seaside, CA 93955-8001

831-582-4778

international@csumb.edu

Incoming: csumb.edu/international

Outgoing: csumb.edu/educationabroad

Developing intercultural communication skills and international understanding among its students is a vital mission of the California State University. Since its inception in 1963, CSU International Programs (CSU IP) has contributed to this effort by providing qualified students an affordable opportunity to continue their studies abroad for a full academic year. More than 20,000 CSU students have taken advantage of this unique study option.

International Programs participants earn resident academic credit at their CSU campuses while they pursue full-time study at a host university or study center abroad. CSU IP serves the needs of students in more than 100 designated academic majors. Affiliated with more than 50 recognized universities and institutions of higher education in 18 countries, CSU IP also offers a wide selection of study abroad destinations and learning environments.

Country Institution
Australia Griffith University, Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland, Western Sydney University
Canada Concorida University
Chile Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
China Peking University (Beijing)
Denmark Danish Institute for Study Abroad
France Institut Catholique de Paris, Institut Superieur d'Electronique de Paris, Universite d' Aix-Marseille (Aix-en-Provence), Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, Universites de Paris I, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII, X, XI, XII, XIII, Universite Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallee, Universite d'Evry Val D'Essonne, and Universite de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Germany University of Tubingen and a number of institutions of higher education in the Federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg
Ghana University of Ghana
Israel University of Haifa
Italy CSU Florence Study Center, Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
Japan Waseda University, University of Tsukuba
Mexico Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Queretaro
South Africa Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
South Korea Yonsei University
Spain Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Jaen
Sweden Uppsala University
Taiwan National Taiwan University
United Kingdom Bradford University, University of Bristol, University of Hull, Kingston University, Swansea University

Students participating in CSU IP pay CSU tuition and program fees, and are responsible for airfare, accommodations, meals, and other personal expenses. Financial aid, with the exception of Federal Work-Study, is available to qualified students and limited scholarship opportunities are also available. All programs require students to maintain good academic standing and disciplinary standing; many programs are open to sophomores or graduate students. California College transfer students are eligible to apply (to select programs) directly from their community colleges. Students must possess a current cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or 3.0, depending on the program, and must fulfill all coursework prerequisites. Additional program information and application instructions can be found on our website at www.calstate.edu/ip.