An Individual Experience (IE) may be an individualized internship, project, research, study, or any other type of experience that does not fit into an existing BYU international study program. This independent option allows students to customize their own international, cross-cultural learning for BYU academic credit. IEs are secured by the individual student and are often found through networking with faculty, friends of the family, other students, and by looking for ideas online. Individual experiences may be in all industries and academic disciplines.
Individual Experience
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How do students find out about the IE option?
Students find out about the Individual Experience (IE) program in a number of ways. Most commonly, students talk with the department internship coordinator, who tells them that because it’s international, they need to meet with ISP. Alternately, students read about the option online or talk to someone in the Kennedy Center, meet with ISP, and then find out they need to also meet with the department.
When should students apply for their IE?
Spring 2022 Term deadline: 3 March 2022
Summer 2022 Term deadline: 2 May 2022
Fall 2022 Semester deadline: 28 June 2022
Winter 2023 Semester deadline: 26 October 2022
Ideally, students should apply for their IE three months before they plan to leave. This allows time for the application to be processed and students to go through the necessary steps, including the security briefing and cultural preparation seminar.
Students may apply later, but it will be up to the discretion of the ISP coordinator whether their application will be accepted. Students must still complete all the requirements even if they apply late.
Setting up an IE
Student must meet with Christopher Quinlan (204F HRCB) or his assistant, Rachel Mehling (101 HRCB) in the Kennedy Center to begin the IE process. Christopher or Rachel will provide all the documents needed to set up an IE program.
Currently, all prospective IE students must petition the University for their experience before moving forward with the rest of the IE process. Christopher or Rachel will provide the Security Petition form for students to fill out. Student will need to return this form by emailing it back to Christopher or Rachel. Students should anticipate a response from the University within 1 to 2 weeks after the petition is submitted.
After University approval, student will receive the appropriate IE documents from Christopher or Rachel, and will be guided through the process of setting up an IE. Please anticipate the IE process to take a few months to set up.
Because of the length of this process, we recommend the student contacts us at least 3 months before planned departure date.
Locations for an IE
Individual Experience locations may be almost anywhere in the world.
IEs are registered through the ISP office if they take students outside the fifty states. If it is an experience in a U.S. Territory (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, etc.), students should work with ISP.
Students may not travel to countries or regions restricted by the BYU Travel Policy unless they have petitioned and received approval from ISP. For safety, ISP has the right to accept or deny any proposal based on location, applicant language preparation, or applicant in-country experience.
Receiving BYU Credit for an IE
Students may do their IE to receive BYU credit if the credit is required for their major, minor, or graduation requirements. Credits taken overseas should relate to the type of experience, the geographical location, or the student’s academic discipline.
Students usually take internship credit, directed readings credit, advanced language conversation credit, or research credit. Other credits may be available; students should contact their academic department for specific information. Students may take as many credits as is required by their academic departments.
Students do not register themselves for their IE class; all credit to be taken overseas is registered by ISP creating a special international section of the appropriate departmental internship class or other credit. This will be done after the application requirements have been completed.
Faculty who wish to find out more about mentoring students on international experiences may visit with an ISP coordinator.
Housing for an IE
Housing is the responsibility of the individual student and should follow BYU housing guidelines.
Students may want to look for housing through the experience provider, family friends who may have lived abroad, or online resources. They may not live with local LDS families.
In the event that students have the cross-cultural opportunity to live with a host family, students should respect the impact they have on the lifestyle of the host family, especially when it comes to compensating for rent, utilities, meals, and transportation.
Cost of an IE
Students pay the $35 application fee and BYU tuition for the courses they are planning to take.
Students are responsible for all other expenses. The cost of IEs vary, but students will want to ask themselves the following questions to prepare financially:
—How many credits will I take and what will be the cost for my BYU tuition?
—How much will my airfare cost?
—Do I have a passport yet? How much does this cost?
—Do I need a visa to go to this country? How much will a visa cost?
—Are my accommodations and living expenses included by the experience provider company?
—How much will safe accommodations cost in this country?
—Will I need to take mass transit in-country? How much does this cost?
—Immunizations? How much will this cost?
Time Commitment for an IE
The length of an IE is flexible. Students should keep in mind that the “semester” or “term” for their experience may not fit BYU’s academic calendar, but by meeting with the ISP office, they may arrange a solution.
Travel
Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from their experience. Airfare reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent.
BYU Travel
280 HRCB | (801-422-6293) | travel@byu.edu
In-country, students are encouraged to take field trips to sites of historical and cultural significance, as long as the trips do not interrupt responsibilities to the experience provider or participation in Sabbath-day observances. These trips must also conform to the BYU Travel Policy.
For travel in or to countries on BYU’s Travel Restrictions List, all travel plans outside of the experience location need to be approved by Christopher Quinlan a minimum of three days in advance for security and cultural sensitivities, as noted above.
Funding Sources
BYU scholarships and federal financial aid will apply to tuition and program costs for students who are registered for a minimum of 3/4 time (9 credit hours per semester or 4.5 credit hours per term).
Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants.
Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also help. See kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships.
Contact
Interested students will need to meet with Christopher Quinlan or Rachel Mehling. To set up an appointment with them, please contact Rachel at rachel_mehling@byu.edu.