Spring season has come and Instagram feeds have filled with photos of students in beautiful places. Italy, Spain, Australia, and Ireland are only a few locations that students are drawn to study abroad in. RWU students have many different options when it comes to studying abroad.

If interested in studying abroad here, it is essential to know about the Spiegel Center for Global and International Programs. The staff within this building meets and works with students to discuss the best study abroad plan to fit their individual needs. Located in the Center for Global and Community Engagement, otherwise known as the Farmhouse across from Commons, experts are able to help students determine the perfect location to spend possibly a semester of their college career in.

Countless study abroad opportunities are available to students, in countries and continents near and far from Bristol, Rhode Island. The school has options for students in different majors in Europe, Africa, South America, and even Australia. This semester has already offered opportunities for students in Italy and other places around the globe.

Although RWU boasts many unique study abroad opportunities, there is definitely a ffavorite among students here. Kevin Hayden, Director of Study Abroad Programs, said that the school’s most popular study abroad option is the Florence Program. He claimed that this program “allows students a fantastic environment that allows for cultural immersion as well as a student friendly city.”

Stipulations are in place that establish which students are eligible to study abroad. Students must maintain full-time status, a clean judicial record, good academic standing, and an advisor or dean’s approval. Additionally, students must have previously declared a major and core concentration. 2.5 is the minimum GPA to study abroad, but some programs have a higher requirement.

Over winter break, the Spiegel Center released a new online application portal; it can be found at https://rwuabroad.rwu.edu. Hayden said, “This new system allows us to be more responsive to students and improve our process and procedures.” Creating a profile is simple, and

the website highlights unique features other than applying as well, such as a map search that allows users to pinpoint exactly which destination they want to study in. Study abroad programs in locations that people may have never known about, such as language programs in Russia or classes in Argentina and South Africa, are now right at students’ fingertips.