How to Commit to an Education Abroad Program

Signing the commitment documents in your LionsABROAD portal is a legally binding procedure. By signing these documents, you are financially committing to participating in your program and agree that you have read each document closely and understand the policies within them. There are financial implications if you decide to withdraw your application after commitment. Please take a moment to review the withdrawal policies on our website.

When you've made your decision to commit to participating in an education abroad program, you will follow these steps:

Log in to your Penn State LionsABROAD application portal
Carefully read and electronically sign the following three (3) commitment documents:
COMMIT - 1. Education Abroad Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
COMMIT - 2. Education Abroad MOA Appendix A: Conditions for Enrollment and Academics
COMMIT - 3. Education Abroad MOA Appendix B: Travel Health and Safety

You will not be considered fully committed to your program until you have read and electronically signed all three (3) documents in your application.

If you have decided not to participate in your selected education abroad program, you can also decline your approval at any time before the commitment deadline with no penalty. To do so, you should follow these steps:

Log in to your Penn State LionsABROAD application portal
Click the "Decline" button at the top of your program application

Review the Application Process and Timelines page of our site for the relevant dates and deadlines for each application cycle.

You may not defer your approval to a different semester.  If you are offered a place in a program for which you have applied and you can no longer participate in that particular program/semester, you will need to complete a new application for another semester. 

You are encouraged to decline your approval prior to the commitment deadline if you are no longer able to study abroad during the semester for which you applied.  If you choose to commit to your education abroad program and determine later that you are not able to or interested in participating in that program, financial penalties may apply depending on the time of withdrawal.

Please note that the processes described on this page do not apply to students participating in embedded programs.