Parents & Families

Thank you for lending your support to an educational experience that just may be the best experience of your student's college career!

Education abroad is transformative. It allows students to learn about another country firsthand, while promoting personal, academic, and professional growth. Education abroad helps students distinguish themselves in a globalized, competitive economy. Each year, over 900 UNL students earn credit abroad in around 50 different countries. Moving forward, we hope that even more UNL students will take advantage of the opportunity.

The Global Experiences Office offers a wide variety of options to address the diverse needs of students. We work with UNL departments to develop faculty-led programs, with foreign institutions to create reciprocal exchange opportunities, and with affiliated study abroad organizations to expand our program offerings. We want your student to choose a program that best fits them. We share your desire to make this experience a good investment of your family's time and money.

If you have questions at any stage of this experience, we encourage you to communicate with your student so they are aware of your interest and concerns. We also encourage you to explore the resources on this page, as well as the entire Global Experiences website. If, after talking with your student and reading this site, you still have questions, please feel free to contact the Global Experiences Office at educationabroad@unl.edu or 402-472-5358. The GEO staff provides students with advice from advisers and coordinators; web resources; pre-departure orientation; and referral to outside units such as academic and financial aid advisers and the UNL Travel Clinic. We are committed to working with each student to insure that their individual needs are addressed before, during, and after their experience abroad.

Student Responsibility and Privacy

The Global Experiences Office is student-centered, and we expect students to actively assume responsibility for the preparation process. When students go abroad, they will be responsible for themselves in an unfamiliar environment. The GEO staff purposefully communicates with and sends all correspondence directly to students. Many steps in the process, such as visa applications and financial aid, require highly specialized assistance. In response to some questions, the GEO staff may refer your student to a website, an email, or another contact. While we are pleased to answer your questions, in some cases we cannot share information out of respect for FERPA student privacy regulations. Please share your questions and concerns with your student, and ask them to serve as the family representative.