Study at leading engineering schools across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas through the Global Engineering Education Exchange, administered by the Institute of International Education. You pay your normal Illinois Tech tuition and earn full credit for coursework completed at the partner institution — which is why this is the least expensive way for an engineering student to spend a semester abroad.

Spend a semester, a summer, or a full year at an Illinois Tech partner university. Programs run across architecture, business, design, engineering, humanities, sciences, and computing — this is not an engineering-only pathway. Work with your academic advisor first so the credits map cleanly onto your degree audit before you apply.

Work alongside international researchers, conduct field studies, or complete a professional internship with a multinational employer abroad. This pathway produces the strongest resume line of the four, because it pairs the global credential with demonstrable technical work. Several of the programs below are fully funded.

Travel with Illinois Tech faculty during winter break, spring break, or summer for one to four weeks of immersive coursework. This is the right first step if you are a transfer student, a commuter, an athlete, or anyone whose schedule will not absorb a full semester away. It is also the easiest pathway to fund, because the total cost is smaller.

Up to $5,000 for undergraduates who are receiving a Federal Pell Grant at the time of application or during the program. Two supplements stack on top: up to $3,000 more through the Critical Need Language Award, for a Gilman-published combined total of $8,000; and up to $1,000 in supplemental funding for students conducting STEM research overseas. Gilman-McCain serves dependents of active-duty military using any Title IV aid.

Up to $25,000 for undergraduates studying a critical language for 25 to 52 weeks; $12,500 for 12 to 24 weeks; and $8,000 for 8 to 11 weeks, an option reserved for STEM majors — which describes most of this campus. Graduate fellowships also reach $25,000. Boren carries a one-year federal service requirement after graduation, which for many students is the benefit rather than the cost: it is a funded pathway into national-security and federal careers.

These cover tuition, travel, and a stipend. They are competitive, and they reward students who start the application conversation a year out.

Most countries require your passport to remain valid for six months beyond your return date. Check current processing times before you assume you have room, and apply for the visa only after the program confirms which visa category you need.

Enroll in STEP, the State Department’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, before you depart. It puts you on the local embassy’s list for security alerts and makes you far easier to reach in an emergency. Read the destination’s advisory level rather than the headlines about it.

Some vaccines require a multi-week series, so check destination requirements early. Confirm in writing whether your program’s insurance covers medical evacuation and mental health care, and carry prescriptions in original labeled containers with a copy of the prescription.

Meet with the Office of Global Services before you pay a deposit. Bring the program dates, the country, and your current immigration documents. This one meeting prevents the single most costly outcome in this entire section: a student abroad who cannot return on schedule.

Weak: Studied abroad at a partner university in Spain. Took engineering courses in Spanish.

Strong: Completed 15 credits of mechanical engineering coursework delivered in Spanish at a partner institution; collaborated on a four-person capstone with teammates from three countries, presenting final design review to faculty in Spanish. Adapted to a different engineering standards framework and documentation convention.