CIEE Reviews

I was unsure how the program would be at first but the CIEE staff along with the fellow students in the program were extremely nice and outgoing. The educational program is fun, much of it is immersive cultural and food activities in either Merida or in day trips in other parts of the Yucatan. We learned words in the Mayan language as well as cooked Mayan traditional dishes and discussed/used local ingredients often. Even if you are super interested in history it is still really fun and interesting. Overall it was a great opportunity to meet new people and learn more about Mexican cuisine and culture!

It was a fun and enjoyable experience. The teachers and staff were great, the facilities were well organized, and I learned a lot about nutrition. Overall, it was a really positive experience, and I feel like I could continue to grow and learn even more from it.

I loved Paris so much! My teacher through CIEE was the absolute best. She was fun and engaging. I was nervous about having class for so long throughout the day but my professor made the time fly by. We were in bercy village which gave us access to many restaurants and stores right outside of our hotel. It was so much fun and I made so many friends. Exploring the city was exciting and the metro got a lot easier to navigate during my stay. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to study abroad!

I had an amazing time in my study abroad experience. The staff are wonderful and they were very supportive throughout the program. The housing was also excellent and it was great to live in a residential part of the city that was very close to the campus where I had class. I also really enjoyed the day trips that the program offers and they acted as a great way to get to know other parts of Portugal along with the culture. The classes were also great and the program offers a good variety of subjects.

I had a lovely time on CIEE's Paris study abroad program. The staff was super supportive and very responsive, creating an ideal environment for me to immerse myself in the Parisian lifestyle. They organized a number of enriching activities, both in Paris and outside (day and overnight trips to Normandy, Tours, and etc.), for students to participate in. I had a lot of fun traveling to the Loire Valley and Tours with CIEE. CIEE Paris created a perfect environment to be my home base for my semester abroad.

My experience abroad in Lisbon was amazing. There was the largest variety of food I had seen throughout everywhere I travelled in Europe. The Uber and Bolt rides are extremely cheap, making it super easy to travel to places like Sintra, Praia Da Ursa, and Ericeira that would normally be an expensive journey. The public transportation is very easy and affordable with the metro and bus system going nearly everywhere I could want to go. The weather was another game changer, with it never going below 50 even in December. The sunny days make the city lively and bright with people always out walking or biking. I can not recommend Lisbon enough for people who love food, drinks, a fun nightlife, immersive culture, beautiful landscapes, and a friendly community.

Studying abroad in Prague allowed to me to travel to other nearby countries! CIEE staff encouraged safety and gave useful tips when packing for the weekend! When traveling to different countries, there are other CIEE locations within those countries that you can utilize and go to if ever in an emergency.

CIEE is flexible and prepares you for your time abroad. They give tips of what to be aware of, what to carry with you, and who to call if ever in need of something.

They also respond via email very quickly and communicates with me clearly addressing all my needs

I absolutely loved my experience with CIEE study abroad program! From the start everyone was super attentive to your questions through emails. There’s also a ton of ways to save and make money by referring a friend, getting the app, and becoming an ambassador! The professor I had for my class was amazing and really was passionate about what he was teaching. I also loved how classes were only Monday Tuesday Thursday which allowed for travel on the weekends! You got to experience your country while also traveling experiencing other cities and countries.

I really loved this program. decided to do this program for my last summer before graduating (August 2025) and have no regrets.

The staff was very helpful in reviewing my application and matching me with an internship.

The process was easy. I met online with one of the staff members, who asked me about my goals and what I wanted out of this program, and pretty much got to know me. Then a month later, I got matched with an internship, and interviewed with 2 of the internship supervisors and a CIEE staff member. I knew immediately I would be working with them, seeing as the interview went great, and we both agreed on the call that we were very eager to work together.

Right before the program, however, I was a little lost as to what I needed to do; a lot of students were in the dark. BUT, the predeparture orientation was super helpful, let us know where we would be living during our program, what to do upon arrival, and what to bring with us to Tokyo.

Upon arrival, the CIEE members were visible at the airport in bright orange shirts, and they were ready to help guide us to the waiting area. We waited for everyone to show up and then took charter buses to our dorms. The next two days were very helpful orientations, and after that, we were on our own in the city, but this wasn't super scary since Tokyo is very safe.

The class, however, was a different story. The class was VERY easy, you met 3 times during the whole program, and submitted assignments on the CIEE canvas pages (different than your home inst.) BUTTTT I feel that the class could have used more staff oversight during its creation and curriculum writing. It's not super applicable to what you're learning. The teachers they chose were very nice, but in this program setting, I feel that either a culture class, a language class, or a career readiness class would be better.

The program is a bit expensive, even as a low-income student (-1500 SAI) I still had to pay $3,000 out of pocket, and that's including the scholarships that CIEE gave me. SCHOLARSHIPS, another great thing about the program! If you're from a low-income background like me, the financial need-based scholarships are pretty much guaranteed. The Gilman Go Global grant is very nice, it's a great ailment when the Gilman rejection comes in. What I didn't like, though, like was that the scholarships team never advertised that you (potentially) could receive more aid. I didn't know that I could petition for more aid as they present the financial aid appeal form (the form that could give you up to $2,500 towards your summer program) as a form to fill out if you "need to cancel due to financial need". I was scared to click this form because I was scared of automatically cancelling my application SOOOOO don't be like me, FILL OUT THE FORM!

Money aside, I loved my experience, I had THE BEST internship experience, and learned so much about my future career goals, and learned invaluable skills that I can (and will) apply in the future.

I really loved my time on the CIEE summer French program. Rennes was a great town to get to explore and the region of Brittany was beautiful! My French improved dramatically and I was able to finally overcome my fear of speaking French. The immersion aspect of the program was really helpful, especially living with a host family helped me experience French culture in a special way and feel like I was actually learning instead of just being a tourist. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in being immersed in French culture.