The International Education Center

For complete information about applying to Georgia College, consult “International Admissions” on the menu to the right.  Georgia College is a Common App university!

• Admission requirements.
• Scholarship information.
• Application deadlines.
• Georgia College welcomes - and encourages - applications from students with disabilities, and from students from diverse and/or challenged and "at-risk" backgrounds.  All are welcome at Georgia College and beautiful Milledgeville.

The Center facilitates and coordinates international academic study, research, and internship opportunities for all Georgia College students, as well as partnerships and exchanges with institutions abroad. 

• Presently, nearly 300 Georgia College students - representing over thirty different majors - study abroad for academic credit each year in nearly two dozen separate nations worldwide. 

Students may study abroad on short-term programs - often with faculty in their majors - or through semester or even academic year-long programs at major universities throughout the world.

• Students may also acquire international experience - without travel - through Georgia College's innovative "Border-Free GC" opportunities.

Explore in detail the many options available for students to pursue studies abroad.

• Study Abroad general information.
• Frequently Asked Questions (including financial aid).
• Georgia College and the International Education Center welcome - and encourage - the participation of students with disabilities.

Safety, well-being and other related considerations are essential components of each and every education abroad program offered by Georgia College.  Georgia College adheres to the highest professional standards of safety and risk management in education abroad as established by the leading organizations in the field. 

• Georgia College is a member, for example, of the Forum for Education Abroad, the organization that has established the most widely-accepted standards of good practices related to studies abroad. The International Education Center adheres to, and implements, the Forum’s important Standard 8 on safety abroad and risk assessment. 
• In addition, the International Education Center monitors world events through a variety of government-based resources, including the U.S. Department of State, the Overseas Security and Advisory Council (OSAC), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as well as foreign-based resources, including (but not limited to): the British Foreign Service and Commonwealth Office and the Canadian Government's Foreign Travel Advice websites.
• Georgia College also works closely with its own foreign university partners, contacts, and study abroad affiliates for detailed "on-the-ground" understanding and assessments of local and regional events or concerns. 

All Georgia College-organized programs require students, faculty, and staff to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), a free service of the U.S. Department of State that facilitates the easy registration of travelers' plans with their destination's nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.  In this way, those offices are aware of participants' presence abroad and - in the event of need - may reach out to them directly. 

• Additionally, all study abroad students, faculty, and staff are covered by comprehensive medical and evacuation insurance plans specifically tailored for the unique needs and circumstances of study abroad participants.
• All of the above critical information (and more) is delivered in pre-departure group orientations and/or in one-on-one advising sessions.

For more information on these matters - or to pose specific questions related to studies abroad - kindly e-mail the International Education Center's study abroad specialists at studyabroadinfo@gcsu.edu or call the IEC office at (478) 445-4789. 

The IEC provides specialized assistance to the university’s dedicated – and student-centered - faculty members to conduct international research - and/or create and lead faculty-led study abroad programs – as well as providing valuable support to Georgia College’s international faculty and to international visiting scholars and artists-in-residence. 

• International research opportunities for faculty - such as the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Program are promoted, managed, and supported through the International Education Center.
• The university's Senior International Officer - the Assistant Vice-President for International Education/Director of the International Education Center - is Georgia College's designated Fulbright Scholar Liaison.
• For complete information about the Fulbright program and available opportunities, contact the IEC.

As a decidedly community-oriented unit dedicated to global engagement, the IEC organizes a strong array of cultural and informational programming, and provides support for community initiatives such as the annual Passport Fair - offered in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State - and the Connections community friendship and mentorship program that supports Georgia College's international students.

• Community members interested in becoming more directly involved with our international students should consider joining our Connections program.  Contact the International Education Center (478-445-4789) for complete information.

The IEC also advises and supports the International Club - one of the largest and most active student organizations on campus - comprised of both domestic and international students. 

• A collaboration of the International Club and the IEC, the annual International Dinner is the social highlight of both the Georgia College and Milledgeville social calendars.

The International Education Center is led by the center’s director, the Assistant Vice President for International Education, who serves as the university's senior international officer.  The director is supported by a full-time staff of four international education professionals with specializations in the fields of: Education Abroad; Immigration and International Admissions; and International Student Services - all of whom carry responsibilities related to student and faculty support, plus programmatic activities and initiatives. 

The office is further assisted by an administrative assistant trained in the complexities of international education and services, and a graduate assistant, plus several student interns and student workers having interests in service, diversity, and international affairs.  The work of the center is enhanced by the input of several committees with participation by faculty and staff, as well as by those who serve on the University System of Georgia’s system council and committees, including councils representing activities in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  The office and its staff maintain active memberships in the most important national and international professional organizations related to international education, including UNESCO, the International Association of Universities, NAFSA, the Forum on Education Abroad, EAIE, and many others.