Dear Colleague,
Welcome to the CIS website – I hope that you find all the information that you and your students require to make an informed decision.
As I see it, the role of a study abroad provider is to be an extension of an institutions study abroad office. Many of you are attempting to grow study abroad on your campus without adequate resources to do so. In using CIS - our programs, staff, and resources - we believe that we can help you to achieve your education abroad enrollment goals.
If you have not had the opportunity to read our Mission and Values section of the website, I would encourage you to take a moment to do so as this will give you some insight into what we are all about. To summarize, CIS is a values-driven study abroad provider that doesn’t want to be the biggest, but we do want to be the best. We are fortunate to have a staff that is passionate about international education and similarly driven to provide a high level of customer service to you and your students. We are responsive, knowledgeable, and committed.
Just as importantly are the people overseas who will be receiving your students. Each of our program partners has been selected for the high quality of their study abroad program and also for their eagerness to work with students from the US. The staff at our host institutions, regardless of the country or program, is well versed in the host culture and also understands the unique qualities of American students and their home institutions. They see your students as a valuable addition to their institution, even if only for a short term.
In closing, I would like to thank you for visiting our website. Should you find any information lacking, please do not hesitate to notify me or any other staff member. We know how much you and your students rely on the web for information and we want to make our site as accurate and helpful as possible.
Sincerely,
Jeff Palm
Executive Director and Founder
We asked advisors what made CIS different and here’s what they said:
Knowledgeable staff: "CIS's knowledgeable staff is available at any given time to answer questions and assist students. They connect with students, parents, professor and administrators."
Innovation: "CIS is known for creative thinking outside the box in terms of new program initiatives."
Partner in implementation: "Whether it’s participating in orientation, facilitating the financial aspects, sharing materials (eg the advisor handbook), or offering recruitment strategies, CIS connects US schools with the host institutions that they represent."
Cost effective: "CIS has programs made for students looking for affordability where they would not be able to study abroad otherwise."
Personalized service: "With CIS, you can build personal relationships with the staff and director and feel that you have built a close affiliation with the organization. There is a shared commitment to providing program excellence."
Feedback: "Feedback is always shared and welcomed between CIS and US schools and this provides for better communication and investment at all levels."
Green company: "Many of our students are committed to living a Green lifestyle; knowing that CIS is a green company makes a difference to them."
Cooperating Partner Alliance
CIS's Cooperating Partner Alliance (CPA), simply stated, is an agreement between your institution and the Center for International Studies that allows us to become an additional study abroad resource for your office while also giving your students certain financial and service benefits. We believe it is a "win-win" situation for all parties involved.
How does the CPA work?
As study abroad participation continues to grow, there is a corresponding increase in variety - variety in program offerings, variety in the student's backgrounds, variety in student requirements for a program. CIS's Cooperating Partner Alliance was formed with this in mind. The CPA is a program designed to compliment, not compete, with your existing study abroad opportunities. Becoming a member of the Alliance program allows you to expand your list of existing study abroad programs and services to accommodate more of your student's interests, budgets and personal preferences.
Furthermore, your commitment to becoming and staying an Alliance member does not bind you to any set number of students you must refer. We will treat you the same whether you send 1 student per year or 10 students per semester. We realize that you want to have as many trusted programs as possible to offer your students and we would like to be one of them.
In addition, as a CPA member you and your students have access to certain privileges not available to non-member institutions.
Member Benefits
By becoming a member of the Cooperating Partner Alliance, both you and your students will benefit. The following apply to our CPA members:
Institutional Benefits
• Support of your office through annual campus visits, provision of promotional material and access to resource materials.
• Access to our CPA Grant Program. All of your students will receive a grant from CIS for their summer, semester, or internship abroad.
• First choice in attending a CIS Familiarization Tour.
• Unrivaled service to your office and other important offices on your campus.
• Institution-specific academic charts to help you find the overseas university programs best-suited to your students.
Student Benefits
• Application fee waiver for all CIS programs-a $50.00 value.
• Access to the CPA Grant Program.
• First class service from start to finish.
Becoming a CPA Member
Simply contact Kris Holloway, kholloway(at)cisabroad.com, Director of Institutional Relations, and she will discuss the possibility of your institution joining the Alliance.
Current CPAs
Adrian College
Albright College
Anna Maria College
Becker College
Bridgewater State College
Colby-Sawyer College
Columbus State University
East Stroudsburg University
Elizabethtown College
Ferris State University
Fisher College
Fitchburg State College
Florida Atlantic University
Framingham State College
Georgetown College
Greensboro College
Grove City College
Keene State College
Marietta College
Marshall University
McDaniel College
Merrimack College
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Plymouth State University
Roosevelt University
Rhode Island College
Saint Anselm College
Salem State College
Salve Regina University
Shepherd University
Springfield College
Suffolk University
Thiel College
University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa
University of Louisville
University of Maine - Orono
University of Maine - Farmington
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
University of Michigan - Flint
University of Nebraska - Kearney
University of New Hampshire
University of New Haven
University of Southern Mississippi
University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina - Upstate
University of South Dakota
University of Southern Maine
University of Texas - Arlington
University of Wyoming
Viterbo University
West Chester University
West Virginia University
Western New England College
Wheelock College
Wilberforce University
Worcester State College
Wright State University
As more universities and colleges internationalize, many are finding it helpful to utilize faculty-led programs to meet the diverse needs of the students on their campuses. We at CIS can assist in developing customized programs to meet the needs of your institution through a variety of program options and locations. Visit the Customized Programs section of this website to learn more about:
* Our Customized Program Options
* The Services We Offer
* Our Locations
* Current and Past Programs
“CIS’s assistance, support and good counsel were pivotal in establishing our customized program.
From helping design the unique program model to participating in our orientation for students and their
families to managing travel logistics and facilitating financial transactions, CIS has been a true partner throughout.”
Debra Regan
Director, International Programs
Plymouth State University
Ideally, your students’ study abroad program will allow them to take courses abroad that will fulfill graduation requirements at their home university. Because CIS works only with recognized universities abroad, there should be no difficulty arranging the transfer of credit back to the home school. This being said, advanced planning is crucial to ensure that both the home university and the host university have approved students’ course selection before leaving for overseas.
CIS requires, as part of the application process, students receive written approval from their home school study abroad advisor, academic advisor, or academic dean for all of the courses they wish to take abroad.
After students have completed their coursework at the foreign university and have made all of the appropriate payments, their home institution will be issued a transcript from the host school via CIS. In addition to the official transcript, we also provide a transcript translation sheet to facilitate faster acceptance of overseas credits. This process generally takes longer than in the U.S., usually about 8 - 10 weeks. Please keep in mind that students’ academic records will not be released if they have any outstanding financial obligations to the host university or to CIS.
For more specific information on transcripts, including our transcript translation sheets, please log into our advisor portal.
At CIS we have always been concerned that your students have a safe experience while they are overseas. We feel that our greatest responsibility is to ensure that we develop and implement programs that are safe, but encourage students to enjoy and explore the opportunities that are afforded to them while overseas.
We’ve developed a comprehensive Health and Safety section of our website, and we encourage you to visit this section to get more information about the services we offer, as well as general information about health and safety overseas.
Upcoming site visits
We do not currently have any planned site visits. Please check back later.
About our site visits
We at CIS host one to two group site visits each academic year. These visits allow study abroad staff, faculty, and college/university administrators to gain a first-hand perspective into our programs. They are excellent opportunities to observe classes and review curriculum, meet site directors, local faculty and students, visit the places your students visit, and absorb the location and assess the facilities.
Site Visit Inclusions:
• Full guidance of a CIS staff member
• All hotel accommodation (single rooms)
• Most meals
• Excursions
• In-country Transportation
Participants are responsible for air travel to and from the host country, visa expenses, and some meals. A limited number of travel grants may be available to help defray these costs for advisors whose travel budgets are limited. On the other hand, if your institution prefers to pay for all costs associated with the site visit, just let us know.
If you are interested in attending a site visit with CIS please complete the application form and return it to us as soon as possible. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the tour is full. CIS follows the Forum on Education Abroad’s standards for conducting program site visits. Click here to download the guidelines.
If you have any questions about our site visits, please contact Kris Holloway, Director of University Relations at kholloway (at) cisabroad.com.
“We were delighted with all aspects of the arrangements made for us; our guide was extremely competent, the accommodations were better than anticipated, and all services were provided in a professional manner.”
Dr. Hal French
Professor
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
“CIS’s assistance, support and good counsel has been invaluable to our office….they have been a true partner throughout.”
Deb Regan
Director, International Programs
Plymouth State University
Plymouth, NH
“CIS has always been there for us. From years ago when we were a small, growing study abroad office to now, they have been an invaluable resource and partner. I rely on them for their expertise in international education, their strong relationships with overseas universities, and their deep commitment to the students we serve.”
Youmna Hinnawi
Director of Study Abroad
Suffolk University
Boston, MA