Start planning now for your study abroad experience by attending a host of interactive webinars at the University of Iowa's fall virtual study abroad fair, September 14 -17, via Zoom. 

University of Iowa students aren’t letting the current Covid-19 pandemic put a damper on their aspirations to gain relevant, global experience in the form of international internships. While international travel is on hold at the moment, alternatives exist in the form of virtual internships—experiences that offer many of the same aspects of a traditional in-person internship such as interacting with supervisors and colleagues, completing projects, and learning about the host country’s work culture. An added benefit of the virtual internship format is the opportunity for students to gain remote working skills—important to the new reality many professionals face today.

Quick thinking by University of Iowa Tippie College of Business leaders arranges last-minute summer work experiences for students whose internships vanished in the pandemic haze.

Despite a pandemic-induced early return, Taryn Lawler traveled wide and far during her time abroad and shares her transformative experiences through self-discovery. Keep reading to learn how Taryn expanded her boundaries and had incredible adventures in Europe!

I knew from the second I got my acceptance email from IES that I was about to start on a journey that would change my life and open up a world of opportunity and excitement, and I was right. The first six months that I spent in Italy were some of the best and most exciting of my life.

Although his study abroad experience was cut short due to the pandemic, PJ Hennelly spent a few transformative weeks in Europe, where he pushed himself out of his comfort zone, and realized that the world changes fast, and one needs to be prepared to take action at any point.

Would you like to study abroad during your time at the University of Iowa, but don't know where to start? Attend our weekly Discover Study Abroad info sessions to learn how study abroad works and find the right international opportunity for you!  

Administrators have had practice leading through crises before, and it helped them come together to respond to COVID-19 as a team.

During a time of extreme uncertainty, leaving many students’ semesters or college careers cut short, some students are finding a silver lining in the current adversity they are facing. Classes are being moved online, commencements are now virtual, and many are finishing their University of Iowa experience from home. Heejin Kim is an international studies and Asian languages student who will be a Spring 2020 graduate from Seoul, South Korea. Showing true Hawkeye spirit, Kim says she wouldn’t have changed a thing about her three and a half years at the UI.

Julia Reichart, a public health student at the University of Iowa, earned a 2020 David L. Boren Fellowship, and will spend next year studying Portuguese in Brazil. 

While this was certainly not the semester they imagined, two University of Iowa students found a way to continue engaging with their host country by reaching out to help a community they discovered through their time abroad.

Margot Allascheid, who received a BA in elementary education from the University of Iowa in 2019, is the winner of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Award to Spain for 2020-21