Stephen Ferst details barriers and the Japan APU exchange program

Of course, study abroad is not without barriers to participation.

Many of our students find that time constraints grounded in family and work obligations, curricular strengths that leave little room for electives, and of course financial barriers that burden their opportunity to study abroad.

At CUNY, we work every day to help students overcome these barriers, and our programming often demonstrates that work.

As an example, one of our programs at Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Japan, is a program that combines flexibility of academic programming, lower costs, and strong international student support.

APU is a special type of university in that it was founded based on the principle that it would serve all students, mainly from across the Pacific Rim, but also from across the world.

To do so, they pledge to offer 100% of their courses in both Japanese and in English.

The students come together on one campus to learn from their professors and from each other.

It's a true blending of cultures that forms its own unique.

environment and when visiting the campus our students see and hear the diversity of the world.

In the cafeteria they're likely to hear at least 50 languages being spoken around them as students mingle from over 890 countries and they do so as exchange students paying CUNY tuition and often receiving significant financial aid.

Making this program one of the most affordable around.

This is but one example of CUNY's global programs that cater directly to our students.

And while CUNY has developed a wide range of opportunities to serve the broadest range of students, those barriers I mentioned earlier can keep our students from studying abroad.

My colleagues and I work to lower these barriers every day through counseling and advisement by developing a wide range of program formats, especially shorter summer and winter programs, and by working in concert with our faculty and deans on academic alignment.

Through the coordination of financial aid and other scholarships for study abroad,

We also help our students obtain every dollar of financial aid that they are entitled to, ever mindful of our mostly non-residential students, many of whom live at home with their families and face now a steeper constraint in living expenses when studying abroad.

And while Ms.

Holland mentioned the overall numbers of students studying abroad each year, I wanted to also bring to your attention the ways in which that number

obscures perhaps the true work done by our offices across CUNY for our students.

Yes, 1,500 CUNY students study abroad each year, which also means that 1,500 students have just returned whose grades

Records, transcripts, and accounts must be updated.

1,500 students are preparing to go abroad.

They need guidance on academics and finance, travel, and cultural adjustment.

And yet there's likely to be another 3,000 students who go abroad who will unfortunately never have the means to do so.

So in short, CUNY study abroad professionals are working with over 7,500 students each year, preparing, advising, processing, and assisting in their dreams to study abroad.