Pre-Departure Process
As a faculty leader, you might be returning from your latest study abroad program or this is the first time you are going through the pre-departure study abroad process at Seton Hall. Either way, this is your central hub to understand the entire timeline from how to make your approved Faculty Led Program go live to students to getting ready for departure with your roster of confirmed students.
New Programs: If you are still in the process of creating a new study abroad experience at Seton
Hall, explore our New Faculty Programs hub for details on that approval process whether you are a study abroad veteran, or this
is your first program.
Abroad Resources: To understand the resources that will be assist you and your students while on-the-ground in your host country, explore our Faculty Abroad Resources hub.
Connect with OIP: Faculty or administrators, email [email protected] for any questions you might have throughout the pre-departure process or better yet
sign up for a Global Chat where you can learn more about study abroad at Seton Hall by joining intimate conversations
over a complimentary beverage of your choice! All chats meet in-person in the Office
of International Programs: Jubilee Hall, Room 232. Click here to sign up for a Morning or Aperitivo Chat.
Launching Your Program
The following are the first required steps in ensuring your approved Faculty Led Program (FLP) launches smoothly and that there is plenty of runway to market your program. Click here for the full pre-departure timeline.
Assessments and Adjustments: If you have previously run this FLP, consider what changes you might make this time around. Click here for some items and questions you should consider.
FLP Intention Form: The cycle for recurring programs kicks off with the FLP Intention Form which asks whether the faculty leader intends to run the program during the upcoming cycle. The form is emailed to the faculty leaders of approved, recurring FLPs. When Interest Forms go live (see those dates below), both OIP and faculty leaders who successfully submitted their Intention Form, hit the ground running marketing their program through the program's dedicated webpage, digital outreach and campus presentations. As this outreach begins, faculty plan out finalized itineraries, program fees and vendor selection with OIP in advance of submitting the FLP Launch Form. The purpose is for faculty leaders have 9 full months to recruit for their programs ahead of their respective confirmation deadlines. Here are the key dates for the Intention Form:
- December 15 (Spring Embedded) and February 1 (Summer Abroad): Intention Form opens
- February 1 (Spring Embedded) and April 1 (Summer Abroad): Intention Form deadlines and Interest Forms go live
Significant Program Changes: If a faculty leader indicates on the FLP Intention Form there is a change to the FLP destination country, the faculty leader, the Program Term, or a Seton Hall chaperone assisting the faculty leader, then OIP will send a form for approval to their Chairperson, Dean, and the Office of the Provost (in that order).
FLP Launch Form: After recurring FLPs submit their Intention Form the next and final step is the FLP Launch Form in order for student applications to go live for the next cycle. The Launch Form asks faculty for updates on the following items: Program Dates, Changes to Enrollment Minimums/Capacity, Vendor Selection and Program Fee, DOS Travel Advisory Level, Website Content and a detailed Itinerary. Here are the key dates for the Launch Form:
- December 15 (Spring Embedded) and February 1 (Summer Abroad): Launch Form opens
- April 15 (Spring Embedded) and June 15 (Summer Abroad): Applications start going live for FLPs with completed Launch Forms
- August 1 (Spring Embedded) and October 1 (Summer Abroad): Launch Form deadline
Close Your Course: All FLP courses at Seton Hall are required to be closed (capacity set to zero) so
that students that are not approved and confirmed for the study abroad experience
cannot register for the associated course. All study abroad course sections must be
closed prior to a program’s application going live to students and as soon as they
are published on Banner.
Please Note: If a faculty leader decides not to go forward with their program after indicating
via the Intention or FLP Launch Form that their program plans to run during the upcoming
cycle, they can simply email [email protected] and OIP will change their programs status on the Study Abroad website.
Marketing and Outreach
A successful Faculty Led Program (FLP) is the result of two main components: faculty participation in recruitment and departmental strategy for curriculum integration and promotion. To best promote your program abroad, we recommend a thorough marketing strategy over a broad period of time.
Department Strategy: As faculty leader, you should notify all faculty within your department about the FLP to coordinate outreach efforts and achieve target enrollment through all department points-of-contract: newsletters, email blasts, events and class visits. If your department provides funding for study abroad scholarships for your program, notify OIP so we may promote it on your program’s webpage and in the Scholarships Abroad hub. If your target audience hears about your program from multiple points-of-contact in your department, the easier it will be to reach your target enrollment.
Flyers and Handouts: After your program has been approved via the Recurring Programs Form, the faculty leader and their academic department should create and post flyers around the department, in key campus areas, and on relevant Canvas course pages. After program approval, OIP will provide the faculty leader with a QR code that goes directly to the program’s web page and the study abroad email address for student questions. Faculty leaders should include this QR code in all promotional material. It is strongly recommended that all flyers be as succinct as possible with a priority on visuals over text. All specific details should be left to the program’s website, which the students can access via the QR code.
Class and Campus Visits: Short, compelling class and campus presentations hosted by the faculty leader and/or program alums are the most effective in-person marketing. The faculty leader should consider the program’s target student population and work with their department to compile a list of courses that are prerequisites to the study abroad program’s connected course. For example, if your program is a 3000-level course, perhaps think about visiting some 2000-level classes (with permission of the Chairperson and faculty) within your department that would lead into your course. In 2023, OIP began a strategic goal of visiting every CORE 2101 section and every Honors section (with the permission of their respective faculty) to spread the word on Seton Hall's Faculty Led Study Abroad Programs. Click here for more details on how OIP can help with targeted class and campus visits.
The Application Cycle
Students go through the following stages while applying to their study abroad program. You may find further details of what students are required to complete for each of these stages under the Summer Abroad Program Checklist. You can view the statuses of all your students through the Application Finder.
Pending: Students have started their application but have left certain requirements incomplete.
Application Submitted: Students have submitted their application and are now awaiting review from both the faculty leader and OIP. Please wait up to 24 hours after the student has submitted their application for their profile (GPA, major, biographical info) to update from Banner into their profile.
Approved: OIP will mark students as approved after the student has received faculty approval and has been verified to meet the University requirement of a 2.5 overall GPA. Applications may be approved after the chosen Application Deadline up until their Confirmation Deadline at the discretion of the faculty leader.
Withdrawn: The student has withdrawn their application – students may only withdraw their applications before submitting their application.
Committed: The student has committed and electronically signed the “Acknowledgment of Refund, Participation, and Withdrawal Policy.” Commitment is not confirmation of a seat.
Confirmed: To confirm their seat, the student must have signed the Acknowledgment of Refund and paid the nonrefundable deposit, which typically goes towards the overall program fee. Students can pay for their deposit through an access link in their student portal. Once these steps have been completed, OIP will update the student’s status to Confirmed.
Waitlist: If a student is approved for a FLP but that FLP has already reached a capacity of Confirmed students, the student will be shown a message that when they go to deposit via the TouchNet payment portal that the program is at capacity and they should email [email protected] if they wish to be added to the program’s Waitlist. OIP manages all FLP waitlists and if any Confirmed students withdraw from the program, with the faculty leaders permission, OIP will reach out to the next student on the Waitlist with instructions to Confirm their spot.
Ready for Departure: After students have completed the remaining pre-departure steps and paid the remaining balance for their program (if applicable), OIP will mark these students as “Ready for Departure.”
Review and Approve Students
You will receive an email issuing your log-in credentials for the study abroad portal. Once you have accessed the portal, you will be able to review all of your student applications. If you have difficulty accessing your portal and the review console, please contact [email protected].
Eligible Students: Beyond the specific qualifications of your program (pre-requisites, language requirements) all students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and students cannot be on disciplinary probation level II or higher at the time of departure. Faculty will have access to applicants’ academics including GPA, major and standing. OIP will review any disciplinary probation level of all confirmed students.
Reviewer Console: You will receive an email from the study abroad system indicating that a student has submitted their application. You can access the Applicant Review for that student through the provided link. In the email update from the study abroad system, click on Complete Review link to access the student’s application. You will need to log into PirateNet to access the Applicant Review. Because of the university’s security measures, please wait 24 hours after the application is submitted to view the student’s profile, as their data must sync from the Banner registration system. We advise that you do not approve students until after their applications are fully accessible so you can confirm whether they qualify for your program. Once a faculty review has been submitted, it cannot be changed. If you need to amend your review decision about an applicant, please email [email protected].
Understanding Student Melt: It is crucial that faculty leaders continue to approve qualified students for their program regardless of how many students have already been approved prior to the application deadline. Every study abroad program has what is called “melt,” in which a certain proportion of Approved students don’t end up Confirming for a program. You can never predict the exact proportion of “melt” your program will experience but generally most study abroad programs have at least half of approved students decide not to Confirm their spot. On rare occasions even a Confirmed students might withdraw for unexpected reasons, so it is crucial that faculty leaders continue to approve students. A good rule of thumb is that you want at the very least double the number applicants as your minimum enrollment. For example, if your program needs at least 10 students to run, you should aim for at least 20 approved students if not more. The higher the program fee, the more melt you may experience.
Application Finder: Through the Application Finder, you may view the total list of applications for your program. You may also view what stages these applications are currently in. You can also access pending and submitted student applications from this page by clicking on an applicant’s name.
Vendors and Payments
Vendor Selection: As part of the FLP Launch Form, faculty leaders will provide update details on the vendors they wish to work with along with updated program fee information and a detailed itinerary. Please click here for the essential information on the vendor and budgeting process.
Student Payments: During the Application Process, all nonrefundable deposits and final balance payments are made by the student through the Study Abroad Portal within TouchNet. Those payments are automatically placed in a program’s restricted fund setup by your School or College.
Vendor Payments: Payments to vendors are managed by your School or College coordination with the University’s Finance Team. Although the Office of International Programs, in coordination with the Office of the Bursar manages the collection of student program fees (via TouchNet), OIP does not manage payments to vendors. Please reach out to your school or college’s finance point-of-contact in your respective Dean’s Office for more information on how to proceed with vendor payments. All vendors must accept payment by check or ACH-Wire Transfer (Purchase Order’s preferred for international payments), not credit cards or cash advances.
Pre-Departure Timelines
Listed below is a comprehensive overview of all Faculty Led Program timelines which ensure all recurring programs have two semesters to recruit from and plenty of runway to build interest in their unique international experiences. Click here for details on the process behind the FLP Intention and FLP Launch Forms.
Spring Embedded 2025 - Recurring Programs
- December 15, 2023: FLP Intention and FLP Launch Forms Open
- February 1, 2024: Intention Form Deadline and Interest Forms Go Live (Marketing and Outreach begins)
- April 15: Applications Start Going Live for Programs with Completed FLP Launch Forms
- August 1: Spring Embedded FLP Launch Deadline for faculty leaders
- October 15: Priority Application Deadline for Students
- November 1: Confirmation (Deposit) Deadline for Students
- January 6, 2025: Final Payment Deadline for Students
Summer Abroad 2025 - Recurring Programs
- February 1, 2024: FLP Intention and FLP Launch Forms Open
- April 1: Intention Form Deadline and Interest Forms Go Live (Marketing and Outreach begins)
- June 15: Applications Start Going Live for Programs with Completed FLP Launch Forms
- October 1: Summer Abroad FLP Launch Deadline for faculty leaders
- January 15, 2025: Priority Application Deadline for Students
- February 1: Confirmation (Deposit) Deadline for Students
- April 1: Final Payment Deadline for Students
New Faculty Led Programs (2025 cohort)
- September 1, 2023: New FLP Submissions Form Opens
- April 1, 2024: New FLP Proposal Form Deadline
- May 1: Department Chair Approval Deadline
- June 1: Dean’s Office Approval Deadline
- July 1: Office of the Provost Approval Deadline
- August 1: Applications Start Going Live for Fully Approved FLPs with Completed FLP Launch Form