Frequently Asked Questions

Juniors Abroad is a transportation-subsidized cross-cultural course offered to any junior or senior student who has fulfilled the requirements. 

Transfers pay a “buy-in fee.” All requirements must be met, including a 2.0 GPA the semester before the trip, good standing with the university’s student life office, up-to-date immunizations, etc.

If you expect to graduate three years after starting at George Fox, you can still participate in Juniors Abroad. There is a “buy-in” fee, and you will have the same priority as a junior.

If you are a Running Start student planning to graduate after two years, you can obtain special permission to go on Juniors Abroad after your second year, but there is a “buy-in” fee.

Yes. International students may need visas that U.S. students do not need. If you are a non-U.S. citizen, you may need a Schengen Visa to enter Europe. You will need to travel to the consulate of the first country where you enter Europe.

Please read the information on the above link to see if you need a visa to travel to Europe and to obtain all of the information for obtaining a Schengen Visa. International students may have to travel to San Francisco to obtain their visas.

Yes. Seniors will have the same priorities as juniors and travel right after graduation.

Not unless you can be in two places at once. You can go on Juniors Abroad the following year and have the same priority as a junior. You are responsible for contacting the director of the Center for Study Abroad during the year of your trip.

Maybe. Airline tickets are purchased as a group. Thus it is up to the individual airline if they will allow a deviation from the group itinerary. Most airlines allow up to 20% of the tickets to deviate. There is typically an additional cost for changing the itinerary from the group itinerary. Again, this is determined by the airline.

If you would like to change your itinerary, you need to discuss this with the faculty leader as soon as possible after the start of classes in the spring. The faculty member will then contact the travel agent to determine if your itinerary is possible and what the additional cost will be. You must have all the information, including the actual return dates before the faculty member can contact the travel agent.

Note: Once you leave the group, all arrangements are your responsibility. 

Registration is in March the year before the trip travels. Information will be sent to all students the first of March each year. Students will sign up for a tent number which is coordinated by Student Activities, which determines the order for registration.

The Juniors Abroad program offers a variety of attractive destinations each May but cannot guarantee a trip to a specific location. To keep groups at a manageable size, trips are typically capped at 22 or fewer.

If the number of juniors signed up still exceeds space, the director of the Center for Study Abroad will work with students on waitlists to match them up with other trips. Students who have not made deposits by the December deadline will have their spots offered to students on the waitlist. Students are encouraged to make a second choice if they are not selected for their first choice.

Your total travel costs consist of two categories:

• Charges for airline tickets, lodging, meals, and other trip expenses. Everyone signing up for a trip will receive a statement and reminder of these charges included with your spring semester bill. Your non-refundable $300 deposit is applied toward these charges; half of the remaining balance is due March 1, and the remainder is due April 1.
  
  
• Out-of-pocket expenses which are not included in the trip charges include getting to the airport, passport charges, visas, cost of passport photos, cost of birth certificates or other documentation needed for passport applications, health-related expenses such as immunizations, spending money for souvenirs, snacks, postcards, stamps, independent meals, and optional excursions, etc.
  
  Your faculty trip leader will give you suggested guidelines at your group meetings during spring semester on the amount of spending money to take along for your particular trip. Typical amounts students take range from $200 to $600. Where possible, it is usually best to use ATM cards to obtain cash in foreign countries. Check with your individual faculty leaders to see if this is appropriate for your trip.
  
  
• Transfer students will be charged an additional fee, dependent on the number of semesters spent at George Fox.

Yes, everyone needs a passport. A passport copy is due on the first Friday of the spring semester, the year the trip travels.

• You must apply for your passport by Dec. 2, 2024.

Passport applications for U.S. citizens are available online at this  link . You must have an official copy of your birth certificate (official birth certificates are typically obtained in the county courthouse where you were born) and an official passport photo.

Detailed instructions and lists of charges are on the passport application. Please read these instructions carefully. You will need to turn in your application and show the supporting documentation at one of the official passport offices; the nearest office to Newberg is the Dundee Post Office in Dundee at 279 SW. 5th Ave. Call ahead (503-538-8250) to ensure a passport clerk is available. Have your photos taken at any place that does passport photos.

Besides a photo of your passport, some trips require visas, which often require additional passport photos.

Important Passport Info

Please note that your passport must be good six months after you travel. Also, if you obtained a passport as a child, you will need to get a new passport now that you are an adult. It is imperative that you begin the process of obtaining your passport as soon as possible.

Steps to getting a passport:

1. Obtain an official copy of your birth certificate (your parents or guardians should have this). If not, you will need to obtain a copy from the county courthouse (not the hospital) where you were born. This can sometimes be a time-consuming process and should be done as soon as possible.
2. Obtain a passport application online.
3. Obtain two official passport photos. You may need more depending on your trip.
4. Take money, passport application, passport photo, and birth certificate to an official passport office. Do not sign the application until you are at the passport office.
5. Some trips will require a visa to enter the country. See your trip leader next spring for further information.

International Students

If you are an international student, you may also need to obtain visas that U.S. students do not. Please check with your faculty leader or the consulate of the country you will be visiting for more information. It is essential that you begin this process as soon as possible since it often takes weeks to obtain visas.

Waitlists are updated periodically throughout the year. There is typically not much movement until November before the May trip. Between October and November, the waitlists change dramatically.

You must register for GEED 365 Cross-Cultural Experience (two credits) and GEED 465 (one credit). Once you register for GEED 365, you will then be automatically registered for GEED 465 in the spring before you leave on the study tour. Each course will be graded separately.

You can use the course credits to meet upper-division elective credits. If you wish to use the course in lieu of another course, please consult with your academic advisor, the faculty leader, and the course’s department chair.

Yes and no. The university provides emergency travel insurance through the insurer Chubb for each student. The university does not provide separate major medical coverage for students.

Typically, your current insurance, either through the university or through your parents, will also cover you while you are traveling. You are encouraged to check with your insurance carrier about coverage while you are traveling in a foreign country.