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Arcadia Abroad

Why choose Arcadia Abroad?

Students from colleges and universities throughout the U.S. study abroad with Arcadia Abroad!

Internships, Semester, Summer, Custom Programs, Short-term programs, Faculty-led programs, Service Learning, Research Opportunities and Academic Year.

Our staff and faculty around the world support students with everything from academics and student services, to accommodation, health & safety and local community engagement. Building on over 70 years of international education experience, Arcadia Abroad leads the way in innovative programming for study abroad.

Scholarships

Arcadia Abroad Scholarships & Financial Aid

Arcadia Abroad Offers Need-Based Scholarships
Did you know that Arcadia Abroad provides financial aid to around 70% of students who apply for it? The scholarships are open to all current Arcadia Abroad applicants. Arcadia Abroad values equity, diversity, and inclusivity when awarding scholarships. Students who apply for scholarships will have the opportunity to write a 300-word essay. The deadline for applications is ongoing, so apply today!

Value
$500 - $2,500

Reviews

Default avatar
Laura
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Cork, Ireland

I spent 4 months living in Cork, Ireland with a bunch of other study abroad students from all around the world. I got to meet people from so many different places, and I made friends with a lot of them. Not only did we explore the local Cork culture and social scene and a lot of other places in Ireland, but we traveled to a bunch of nearby countries as well. I went dirt biking in Morocco with two other Americans, two Dutch guys, and a Belgian, and when I went to Munich for Oktoberfest, I came away with a group of native German friends and the instagrams of some Austrians as well. It was so cool to be able to mix with all these different cultures and see how other people live.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
I was hiking a mountain, Carrauntoohill, in Ireland with a friend, and it was cold and raining and there was an almost completely vertical part of the climb, and I thought we might get stuck on the top of the mountain and freeze to death, but I was just dramatic, and everything was fine, and on the way down we lost track of the path so we just ran down the side of the mountain and made it back to the car just as the sun was setting.
Pros
  • Irish pubs and live music!!
  • Beautiful nature and scenic views
  • Friendly locals
Cons
  • My toilet kept breaking :(
  • It was more expensive to fly out of Cork than out of Dublin
  • Very rainy and depressing weather lots of the time
Default avatar
Logan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

City, University of London Review - The Best 4 Months of My Life

When I think about a time I was the happiest, I think about studying abroad in London at City University through Arcadia and all of the traveling that I was able to do while I was there. I made friends from across the US and the world as we became like a family abroad. I had an incredible academic experience that not only expanded my knowledge and understanding of the topics I was studying, but also influenced my academic and career path. I left City University of London having learned a great deal and through a different perspective than I would have in the US, which is crucial. City has top-tier International Politics modules and lecturers, with many interesting topics, which played a role in why I chose City to begin with. The Forced Migration module that I completed at City is still my favorite class that I have ever taken and it prompted me to pursue the topic of forced migration even further and more in-depth once I returned to my home school. I thoroughly enjoyed the UK style of teaching and the focus on building students' knowledge base and understanding of the topics being studied. Having my grade rely heavily on two key assessments in an entire semester was daunting at first, but not having constant assignments allowed me to spend more time reading the recommended literature and to truly absorb what I was learning and understand the topics I was studying. I retained what I learned in a way that I often did not with the US style of teaching. Additionally, Arcadia provided incredible support from arrival and orientation until departure from the program. I also knew that they were always a resource for me to reach out to if I ever needed it. I loved that they planned different excursions and meet-ups for us. The Arcadia London staff truly provides a community for students studying abroad in England through Arcadia Abroad. Arcadia also provided our housing just a short walk from campus at the Thoresby House in Islington with the rest of the program participants. We had kitchens fully-stocked with all of the utensils we needed to cook in, laundry machines, bedding provided, and so much more. Thoresby House provided me a tight-knit community while I was overseas and also helped me form lifelong friendships. Another bonus about Thoresby House is that because of its location, there is lots to do, many places to shop and eat, and public transportation readily available nearby. Lastly, I fell in love with being abroad, and with London more specifically, making moving to London at some point a life goal of mine. London has it all: an incredible food scene (including Camden Market and some of the best gluten-free food I have ever had), many green space, lively/unique/robust neighborhoods, amazing public transportation, and so much more. London is also a travel hub, which allowed me to partake in many travel adventures outside of London, as well. It was the most worthwhile experience. From the Arcadia housing (location, format, living with the other Arcadia students, etc.), to the academics at City University of London, to the Arcadia London staff, to all of the experiences I had because of this program, I can say without a doubt that I would choose Arcadia Abroad - City University of London again. I only have positive things to say about the program.

Pros
  • Academics
  • London is a travel hub
  • Housing proximity to campus, food, and many things to do
Cons
  • Slightly outdated housing
  • Wish I had gone for longer
Default avatar
Ellie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Arcadia in Wollongong!

I had a fantastic time studying abroad with Arcadia at the University of Wollongong. After a very fun, educational, and supportive orientation in Melbourne, Arcadia staff members helped me settle into my dorm in Wollongong where I lived amongst primarily Australian students. I spent time at the beach, explored the blue mountains, and traveled to Sydney a few times to explore a bigger city. This experience gave me the opportunity to become an advocate for myself and try new things! 10/10 recommend!!!!!!

Default avatar
Daniel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Excited

I am really excited to study abroad. And this college is cheaper than other universities as well. I am from Nepal and right now studying on Bachelor 3rd year on the faculty of Humanities. I want to join a excellent University to extend my view, thoughts and ideas. As well as, want to study abroad. This university will be the perfect for me to create new thoughts and planning. After my Bachelor study, i am going to try this college and hoping for the positive response. I like to study Music or Sociology at there.

What would you improve about this program?
Will show more details about the study level and their costs for studying. It will help more and more intermediate students to know.
Default avatar
Caroline
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great time in Granada

Marta and Eugenia in the Arcadia Center were great! Eugenia found amazing homestays for everyone! Compared to other programs who send students to the CLM, I liked that Arcadia had less strict policies on attending group events/classes -- some programs you could not skip any classes. They also arranged fun optional group excursions for us.

Unfortunately, there is a required Arcadia class that was in its first year when I was there, and it was taught in English. If you're hoping to take all of your classes in Spanish, this is a disappointment. It was also a point of contention between students and staff, as the teacher did not seem well-versed in the subject matter.

I completely recommend doing a homestay! Everyone loved their host families

What would you improve about this program?
No more required class in English, better communication between Arcadia in Granada and Arcadia in Glenside as far as the expectations and purpose of that class.

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Michaela Anthony

Michaela Anthony

Why did you choose this program?

I chose Arcadia because

  1. they are partnered with my school,
  2. they offer a program in Wellington, and
  3. the program offers many opportunities to explore the country, making the most of study abroad and encouraging a healthy balance between study and adventure.

All of the comments I had heard from previous students who had gone through Arcadia were extremely positive as well.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

Arcadia assisted with finding housing, arranging the financial payments to the University in Wellington, and also offered activities and outings even after the initial orientation in Auckland. They took us to Abel Tasman National Park for a weekend and organized all of the transportation and housing, as well as an agenda for the weekend; they took us to Weta Studios for a tour of the practical effects workshops; they took us to a rugby game.

Food and most other activities were left for us to organize ourselves. I was assigned the housing at Everton Hall which, unfortunately, required that we pay for electricity, internet, and laundry. Arcadia offered some compensation for this, but it wasn't always necessarily enough; they were receptive to these comments from the Everton residents though, so hopefully, they'll be a little more on top of it in the future.

Personally, I really enjoyed the activities they planned/provided for us and I would highly recommend taking advantage of them. Additionally, over the two-week break nothing is planned which leaves room for students to plan their own activities. I went backpacking in the Tongariro National Park, two of my friends backpacked in the Fjordlands, and many of the other students in the program took the opportunity to explore the South Island either through bus passes or car rentals.

Food was relatively affordable, especially if you take advantage of the farmers' markets in Wellington (which are on Sundays year-round!). I was able to live off a food budget of around $60/70NZD (roughly $40/45USD). The exchange rate was the real hero of the trimester.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Take advantage of the weekend markets--not only are they fun but they are also pretty affordable and will help keep a budget. Also, get to know your flatmates! I got along really well with two of my flatmates but didn't really know the other two because they hid in their rooms a lot... Two of my good friends from the program, though, were homies with their flatmates, which made going over to their places a lot more entertaining (Kiwis are hilarious and very sarcastic, so be ready for that).

One helpful thing that the program managers told us during orientation was to keep in mind that, although study abroad is incredible and you'll have a ton of unforgettable experiences, not every day can be an adventure. So don't be afraid to take a day for yourself just to stay home and watch Netflix. Mental health is really important so don't feel like you're wasting your time if you wanna just chill for a day.

Wellington is honestly a dream, though, so take advantage of Cuba St. and the Te Papa museum and all the hiking that's just a bus or train ride away. It's a very walkable city so walk away!

WARNING: it is very hilly and windy, but gorgeous! Be prepared for your calf muscles to be t o n e d.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

I had a relatively light class load, fortunately, so I had more time to just bum around. But generally, I would walk up to campus and go to a cafe called Koha (Amazing establishment, by the way, and surprisingly empty most of the time! Definitely a favorite spot). Then I would go to class, hit up The Lab for a smoothie,* and play frisbee with some friends in Kelburn park for a bit.

Then I might go downtown to walk about or get coffee and do work. Tuesdays we almost always went to Rogue and Vagabond for tacos ($2NZD tacos--essentially free), and we almost always went to the night market for $6 samosas on Saturdays and the farmers market on Sundays for groceries for the week. I also quite often made dinner with friends--budget-friendly + quality time. A few weekends we did short backpacking trips or hikes.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I was concerned about being so far away from friends and family, especially with the substantial time difference between New Zealand and the States. I'm fortunate in that I go to college away from home so I've experienced the 'displacement' before. Still was a little intimidating though! I was also lucky because I knew another person doing the program, so I wasn't completely alone in a new country.

That being said, the program managers and staff are super sweet and supportive and available most of the time to help with any issues and the orientation in/around Auckland is a great opportunity for everyone to get to know each other which made the transition into Wellington even easier. We pretty much remained a squad the whole quarter, plus Wellington/New Zealand is pretty small so we ran into each other a surprising amount of times.

These are my own 'questions'/tidbits and fun facts so I haven't the foggiest if they will be of interest or help but here goes!

Hiking highlights around Wellington: Red Rocks (NOT the amphitheater in Colorado), Paekakariki, Mt Victoria, Colonial Knob, Mt McKerrow, etc.

Red Rocks has seals which are a sight to see! It's also a site of filming for the Lord of the Rings, fun fact: when Frodo, Sam, and Gollum reach the Black Gates and Sam falls down the rocky cliffs thing.
Paekakariki is drop-dead gorgeous. Mind-boggling, even. It stretches along the coast and has a few suspension bridges. Be warned though, it's a one-way track from one train stop to another and there are a lot of stairs... I would recommend starting at the north end of the trail because then more of the stairs are going downhill.

Mt Vic is in Wellington and pretty short, but also beautiful (like all of New Zealand) and is also a LoTR film site: the road out of the Shire when they run into the Black Rider.

Colonial Knob is pretty easy and through farm country, so lots of cows and sheep!

Mt Mckerrow is where we went backpacking one weekend. There are several tracks in that area and the Mckerrow track leads to the Clay Ridge Track which led to the campsite we were aiming for. These are 'advanced' tracks though (Department of Conservation rating) which means they're pretty steep and you have to pay attention to where the trail is going.

Budget hacks: As I said before, the farmers' markets are the move for produce. Very affordable, but bring your own bags and cash!

If you're into Taco Tuesdays, Rogue and Vagabond has those sweet $2 tacos.

Koha is great because it's essentially pay-what-you-can! Koha means gift in Te Reo Maori, so when you leave you're encouraged to leave a donation. The people who work there are super nice and accommodating. However, they mostly do just coffee, hot chocolate, and tea--nothing fancy like lattes and cappuccinos because they don't have the equipment. Sometimes they do have yummy baked goods though!

The Saturday night markets have a truck that does two sizable samosas for $6.

There are two supermarkets, mainly: Countdown and New World. I've found Countdown to be more affordable in general.

Also if you are 18 (which you probably are) and want a bargain, JJ's on Cuba St has $10 jugs and free pool/billiards upstairs (free if you buy a drink, so mostly free).

Also a bunch of good thrift shops around. We found a 'tour de thrift' of shops in the Wellington area.

Favorite things to do: Botanical Gardens (Botany). Beautiful and free. They're a great place to walk around or sit and read or chat or what have you and they're super close to campus. Plus there are GLOWWORMS here (so you don't have to pay for the caves if you don't want to! You just have to venture and find them).

Te Papa Museum: Also free (except for like one exhibit) and very fun and informative to wander around.

Watching the sunset on the water: Stunning. Need I say more?

Oriental Bay: Great place to hang if you want to go to a beach/pier area.

Mt. Vic: Great panoramic views of the city.

Cooking with friends/Movies and Wine nights: Great, low-budget way to spend time with the homies.

But, you know, it's your life so live it the way you want I'm not here to tell you what to do.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Jane Gunn-Lewis

Job Title
Director, New Zealand Programs

What is your favorite travel memory?

Yikes! I have so many!

Hitchhiking on the back of a truck on my own from Wadi Halfa to Khartoum across the Sudanese desert was hard, but special. Climbing up Mount Fuji in darkness to arrive at daybreak. Chugging down the Mekong from Luang Prabang In Laos on a little boat with my hubby and friends. Hiking the Milford Track here in New Zealand with four other families and all our teenage children.

Probably the best memories are as much about the people you are with, as they are about exotic locations.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current institution?

9/11 happened during my first semester and I have watched as universities become more and more risk adverse, and students have become more tightly connected to home through social media.

I don't think my core values have changed. I still want our students to push themselves, and discover their limits, and fully engage with the people and environment here.

Every year a student comes to me with a weird or wonderful or very sad and difficult situation and I still ask myself "what is best for the student?" and the rest is usually easy to do.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I LOVE reconnecting with alums. In 2007 a student and I used to joke that he would one day be a pilot and I would hear him do the "hello this is your captain speaking" and I would squeal 'Rich!!" and run down the aisle of the plane.

Last year he popped in to NZ to catch up with people he is still friends with 10 years later and he came to Queenstown to see me. He now flies a plane that goes faster than the speed of sound over Syria and Afghanistan for the American Air Force.

I just feel so touched to still be connected through Facebook with so many former students.

What makes your institution unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Arcadia University is about getting the right balance between nurturing students and encouraging them to engage fully with their new environment. I say to the students "If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space."

I was particularly proud last year when two of our Otago staff linked in with a local primary school and we got a relationship going where a group of our U.S. students visited the school each Friday and helped young Kiwis with their reading.

Through this our students got a sense of contributing to the local community and the local children had their eyes and minds opened to the world. Very special.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful institution?

Great communication. We tell our students and staff that we cannot help each other unless we know something is not right for them.

Good communication is honest and empathetic communication. Sometimes good communication means a hug in a time of sadness. And other times it is guffawing in laughter. The great thing about working in study abroad is that it is never boring!