Pre-departure Checklist

You've submitted your application. Now what?

It may take up to 4 weeks after the application deadline for you to receive an update, but once you are officially offered a placement abroad, it is important to "commit" in Aztecs Abroad as soon as possible. This will allow you to move forward with the "post decision steps" that are required by SDSU before your departure.

Financial aid may be used for SDSU-approved study abroad programs. Ensure you have completed the FAFSA and notified any outside scholarships or loans of your plans to study abroad. Students receiving financial aid for ISEP Direct and Partner programs are required to complete a Special Enrollment Agreement or a Contractual Agreement prior to departure, and complete a Verification of Enrollment upon arrival abroad. Specific instructions can be found in your Aztecs Abroad post-decision steps.

Each spring and fall, SDSU holds a Pre-Departure Health & Safety Orientation, which is mandatory for all global education participants. This usually takes place in April for summer and fall departures, and in November for winter and spring departures. You will receive exact dates from the Global Education Office once you have been accepted to your program.

As soon as you have submitted your application for a program abroad, it is time to find out whether you will need a visa for travel to your host country. This depends on your citizenship, the place(s) you will be traveling during your program abroad, and the length of your program. Once you are officially accepted, it will be your responsibility to find out what documents you are required to submit to the embassy or consulate and to follow all necessary steps to obtain the appropriate visa or residence permit in time for your departure.

The Undergraduate Academic Approval Form (AAF) helps track your advising and credit pre-approval prior to your participation in an approved SDSU global education program.

  • Verify that SDSU will accept credits from your host institution
  • Pre-approve courses to be taken abroad
  • Used with international program transcripts to evaluate degree requirements

This form is not used to officially register you in classes, but should be used as a blueprint of possible classes.

All global education program participants earning credit from an institution abroad must complete an AAF, even if you are not applying credit towards a particular degree requirement.

Students can access the form only after they have been "Accepted" in Aztecs Abroad.

Academic Advisor Resources
AAF Academic Advisor Handbook