Beyond a classroom of four walls

Frank Peters became director of the Study Abroad Center in response to one of his biggest mistakes.

"I didn’t study abroad as a student, and have been involved with study abroad at Iowa State since 2000 because I don't want other students making the same mistake I did," he said.

As one of Iowa State's nine high impact practices, study abroad is a vital piece of the Cyclone undergraduate experience. ISU offers 110 programs with partner institutions, and in 2025, 58 faculty-led programs sent students across the world. Two of the reasons students cite most frequently for not traveling abroad -- cost and delayed graduation -- are myths that Peters and staff in the nine study abroad offices across campus (including National Student Exchange) work hardest to overcome.

"We have something that works for every major on campus," Peters said. "More than 96% of the credits that students take at a partner school abroad are used toward graduation requirements."

Iowa State has an impressive portfolio of opportunities -- in fall, spring, summer and winter session -- including 28 countries where students can study and pay less tuition than they do at ISU, Peters said.

The Study Abroad Center serves all students, with staff members who manage the partner programs and peer advisors who have studied abroad. They help students find the right program and answer questions from their own experiences. Each college also has a study abroad office that helps connect students to opportunities, mostly through faculty-led trips.

At Iowa State, 17% of undergraduate students study abroad by the time they graduate, and numbers are rebounding above pre-pandemic levels, Peters said. Whether it's a semester, a few weeks or 10 days, Peters believes all students gain something.

"A study abroad experience will not get you a job, but when you are in the interview and they say, 'give me an example of …' you can be ready with an international example and show that you have broader experiences," he said.

Here are a few examples of what study abroad looks like at Iowa State.

A satellite campus

Jen Hogan knows the question is coming before most students sit down to talk about studying abroad.

"When students visit me, they are already aware of the Rome program and ask when they can go," said the Design college's director of international programs. "It really is woven into the Design undergraduate experience."

Site of Iowa State's first fully licensed study abroad program, the leased Rome satellite campus is located in the heart of the city, five minutes from the Pantheon and 10 from the Forum. ISU is licensed and authorized through its membership in the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy, which ensures compliance with Italian regulations for foreign university programs. It's one of three licensed satellite campuses, joining College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' (CALS) campuses in Uganda and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hogan said the Rome semester-abroad experience has played a significant role in students' decision to attend Iowa State.

"A study abroad experience takes years to unpack," Hogan said. "Students become more confident, experiment with other aspects of design they're not aware of and see what they have only read about. The work in their portfolio expands and improves, and it helps them decide what kind of designer they want to be."

Since 1991, more than 3,000 third- or fourth-year Design students have participated, beginning with a prep course.

"The prep course goes over health, safety, security, housing and more," Hogan said. "Students who have been to Rome act as ambassadors for me during the course to help answer questions. We want our students to feel empowered to take on the challenge and enjoy it."

It is an immersive experience, with Italians teaching the same courses students would take in Ames. The Rome resident director and some of the six part-time staff travel to Ames annually when students put on a show of their work done across the ocean.

Hogan describes the Rome campus as a home away from home. Students typically live in a traditional Roman neighborhood -- a short commute to the ISU studio spaces -- and the housing coordinator leaves cake in the refrigerator of students celebrating their birthdays. The academic calendar aligns with the Ames campus, allowing families to visit during spring break or at the end of semesters.

During summers, other ISU colleges use the Rome campus with tailored curriculum for experiences lasting up to a couple of weeks. Every college except Veterinary Medicine has visited, and other schools -- including Kirkwood Community College -- also have used the campus.

Faculty-led programs

Iowa State offers a variety of faculty-led opportunities that last days to weeks. Since 2013, animal science professor Jodi Sterle has led 10 trips, with a total of 250 students, to Scotland, Wales, South Korea, Portugal, Japan and six times to the United Kingdom (U.K.).

"It's about two weeks in-country in May at the end of the semester," she said. "It works for students because it gives them a chance to go abroad and still do internships."

"It's how we make society-ready graduates that the four walls of a classroom wouldn't allow to happen." 

-- Jodi Sterle, professor of animal science professor

Sterle said what separates Iowa State's programs from most other universities is the commitment to learning before the trip and ensuring students get the most out of it. During the trip to the U.K., students see the oldest herd of angus cattle in the world. Throughout the semester students have assignments and research the breeds and historical sites they will encounter.

"Before they go, students are prepared not only for what to pack and how to travel safely abroad, but also in that subject matter," she said. "At other universities I have been at, students have been prepared to travel, but not the topic preparation."

That distinction is important for the animal science department, which has more than a thousand students and offers two to five faculty-led trips each year. The time spent in the classroom helps bond students and prepares them for the hiccups that inevitably come with travel, Sterle said. It can help build lasting friendships and, for a few, be transformative.

"I have taken students who have never been out of Iowa -- some have never traveled or been on a plane -- so support from their peers is very important," Sterle said. "I had a student who is now a young leader in the industry and going on a trip to France and Italy with 30 other students played a part in bringing her out of her shell. It's how we make society-ready graduates that the four walls of a classroom wouldn't allow to happen."

Support with a purpose

CALS was the first college to offer study abroad experiences, in the 1960s in agronomy and animal science, and now sends about 400 students to study abroad through the college office each year. Many of them benefit from a CALS scholarship program supported by a strong network of donors. In 2025, more than $225,000 in scholarships helped 416 students visit 43 countries.

"I have worked in the study abroad office for 21 years, and in that time we've had three students who visited all seven continents by the time they graduated," said Jodi Cornell, CALS study abroad director. "We are so fortunate that right now, any student that applies with a strong application will get, at least, a $1,000 scholarship. COVID helped us build up some funds when we couldn't travel, and the college really makes an effort to help students."

Sterle also led a trip to the U.K. for ISU alumni -- some graduated less than 10 years ago while others graduated decades ago -- to show the impact that their donations make. International travel is so important that CALS reimburses the cost of a passport to any student making their first study abroad experience.