If you plan to travel internationally for personal research, to earn credits towards your degree, using Lawrence funding, or as part of a faculty-led course or program - and you won't be participating in a Lawrence-sponsored or - affiliated program - then your travel will most likely fall under one of the following three categories:

For each of these three types of travel, you will need to be cleared through the office of Off-Campus Programs before your travel can be approved. See below for details. Otherwise, for any questions, email us at OffCampusPrograms@lawrence.edu.  

Student Independent Travel

This is for student international travel - either solo or as part of a group but unaccompanied by faculty or staff - that is either supported by Lawrence funding or facilitated by a Lawrence organization or relationship.

If you are interested in doing student independent travel, then you must be prepared to start the approval process at least 10 weeks prior to departure. You will need to work closely with the faculty or staff member who oversees the LU funding or advises the organization or relationship enabling this travel (referred to here as the 'fund administrator') to get the proper approvals for travel. Fund administrators will not approve funding disbursement until travel registration forms are submitted and complete!

For complete details on the Student Independent Travel process, forms needed, and timelines for completion, please go to our Student Independent Travel document on SharePoint.

Proposal for Independent Student Travel Abroad

Students planning to use university funding for independent international travel for projects and research need to apply both to the Office of Off-Campus Programs as well as to the fund itself. To start this process, at least 10 weeks before your proposed departure date you must complete the proposal form linked here.

Proposal Form

Faculty-Led Travel

Any student traveling internationally with Lawrence faculty or staff, whether as part of a course or for some other purpose (such as research, conference attendance, voluntary work, or athletics) will be participating in faculty-led travel. Examples of faculty-led travel include the Seminar in Sierra Leone course, Marine Term course, or international D-Term courses.

Travel leaders will initiate the approval process for these types of trips. Once you are pre-approved to participate in faculty-led travel, you will need to complete waiver forms; personal information and contact documents, including a medical self-assessment; and upload your passport. Additionally, you will need to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Look for information from the Off-Campus Programs office and your travel leader regarding these details.

For complete details on this, please see the Process for Student International Travel with Faculty/Staff document on SharePoint.

Non-Affiliated Programs

If your off-campus program goals are not met by one of our affiliated programs, you may elect to participate on a non-affiliated off-campus program.

A non-affiliated program is a program sponsored by an organization or school that does not have a formal agreement for that program with Lawrence. Things to know about non-affiliated programs:

  • You will be considered on leave from Lawrence for the duration of the program
  • You will have to go through the official petitioning process to have credits and grades transferred to Lawrence
  • Lawrence scholarships and grants cannot be applied to program costs associated with non-affiliated programs, so financial aid will be limited.
  • Before applying for your non-affiliated program
    • You will need to apply to study off-campus through Off-Campus Programs
    • You will need to talk to Financial Aid to understand the costs of the program

Please keep in mind that by choosing to participate in a non-affiliated program, Lawrence cannot verify the quality of educational experiences at the host institution and may have limited ability to assist in the event of health or security concerns.