Learning Abroad Center

About Us

Mission Statement

The Learning Abroad Center is a leader in providing high-quality, transformative education abroad experiences to empower students’ cultural learning, academic growth, and personal development.

We believe in the power of international education to connect and enrich people and communities. We support these beliefs by acting in accordance with the following values:

Excellence. We deliver excellence in programming and student services through innovation and collaboration across the University of Minnesota and around the world.

Caring. Our work is human-centered. We are diligent and thoughtful about the safety, well-being, and dignity of our students, partners, and team members. We are mindful of the global impact of all that we do.

Inclusivity. We welcome and serve all students in an environment that respects and honors differences. We are committed to and accountable for strategically addressing barriers affecting marginalized groups.

Integrity. Our decisions and actions build the trust essential to global education and collaboration.

About the Learning Abroad Center

The Learning Abroad Center in the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance is the University of Minnesota's comprehensive resource for study, intern, community engagement, and research experiences worldwide.

The Learning Abroad Center staff and University of Minnesota faculty and staff participate in numerous leadership opportunities and serve on the advisory boards of organizations who provide and/or support education abroad programs. Through collaboration and individual attention, the Learning Abroad Center continues to promote empowerment, development, understanding, and responsibility in the global community.

The Learning Abroad Center offers a full range of advising and support services to students, including program selection, academic planning, financial planning, registration, credit, cultural adjustment, and reentry.

A variety of program options—180 programs in over 50 countries—have been developed to address the diverse needs of students. Programs vary in length, level, academic focus, teaching format, language requirements, cost, and degree of independence demanded of the participant.

The Learning Abroad Center works with many departments, administrative offices, and other units within the University to determine appropriate study abroad options for each major and minor, and to help students earn credit toward their degree through study abroad. With planning, students in any undergraduate major can study abroad and fulfill degree requirements.

You can help make the Learning Abroad experience possible with a gift to support scholarships. Your support is essential to enable students to expand their view of the world as they study in their chosen academic fields. Make a gift through the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance.

Annual Reports & Participation Data

Academic and Oversight Committees

These Committees constitute the primary oversight mechanisms in place for programs and their associated academic issues.

Images Used in Learning Abroad Center Materials

The Learning Abroad Center staff has long and thoughtful discussions about which images we use on our website and in our printed materials. We are thrilled by the generosity of study abroad alumni and Learning Abroad Center staff who are willing to share their photos and talent. Many of their photos resonate with our primary audience, undergraduate students. We strive to balance images that portray positive yet honest representations of the education abroad experiences, children and cultures. We pride ourselves on an ethical portrayal of study abroad experiences and cultural interactions US students will have abroad.

Past focus-groups have demonstrated that undergraduate students enjoy seeing active and experiential learning of past participants, internships and community engagement experiences at schools, orphanages, community engagement projects, etc. We have not received permission from the parents of the children included in our photos. We have sought out and received legal permission from the photographer to use their photograph. We are and will continue to be meticulous, thoughtful, and deliberate about which photos to use.