{"id":22,"date":"2014-11-13T14:22:45","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T14:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/?page_id=22"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:10:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:10:16","slug":"getting-started","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/getting-started\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>1. <strong>Browse:<\/strong>\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1kLzwk85bDesr8jUZ1yF7SmWJK_gFUgVKajeAZINtGjU\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Program Finder&#8221; Sheet!<\/a><br \/>\n2. <strong>Passport:<\/strong> Make sure you have one that will be active for 6 months after your desired program end date. If you don&#8217;t, please do this as soon as possible because it can sometimes take months to carry out. <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/passports.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Find more information about this process.<\/a>.<br \/>\n3. <strong>Read:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/frequently-asked-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><br \/>\n4. <strong>Sign up:<\/strong> 1-1 advising appointment using the &#8220;scheduling&#8221; buttons on our website.<br \/>\n5. <strong>Create:<\/strong> Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/smcm.via-trm.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Via TRM, the SMCM OIE&#8217;s application platform,<\/a> and create an account (or sign in with your existing account).<br \/>\n6. <strong>Apply:<\/strong> When you&#8217;re ready, click \u201cPrograms\u201d at the top of the page, filter to find the program you\u2019re looking for&#8230; and&#8230;.Click \u201cApply Now!&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Deadlines:<\/h2>\n<p>Program Applications<br \/>\nJanuary 1 \u2013 Summer Study Tours<br \/>\nMarch 1 &#8211; Priority Deadline for AY and Fall Scholarship Consideration<br \/>\nMarch 15 \u2013 Academic Year and Fall<br \/>\nApril 15 \u2013 Summer<br \/>\nOct. 1 &#8211; Priority Deadline for Spring Scholarship Consideration<br \/>\nOct. 15 \u2013 Winter and Spring<\/p>\n<p>Non-SMCM Program Proposals<br \/>\nMarch 1 \u2013 Academic Year and Fall<br \/>\nApril 1 \u2013 Summer<br \/>\nOct. 1 \u2013 Winter and Spring<\/p>\n<h3>Eligibility Requirements:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Minimum GPA: ~2.5<\/li>\n<li>Sophomore standing<\/li>\n<li>Be in good behavioral and academic standing<\/li>\n<li>At the time of applying for a visa, if necessary, must have a passport active for six months beyond program end date.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Programs often have higher eligibility requirements, especially regarding GPA and language-level. Always check your program\u2019s requirements before you apply to see if you are a good candidate for that program. Please do not hesitate to ask your Study Abroad Advisor in the OIE for help!<\/p>\n<p>If you plan on studying abroad in your last 2 semesters at SMCM, please read our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/academic-and-judicial-policies\/\">Policies Page.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Global Scholars Distinction (GSD)\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nDid you know that you can apply to be a Global Scholar if you are participating in an international experience? For more information, please see the \u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2022\/03\/The-Global-Scholars-Distinction-Learning-Contract-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Global Scholars Distinction Learning Contract.<\/a> Once you commit to study abroad, you will have the option to sign up for this distinction.<\/p>\n<p>Curious about the GSD? Check out some example portfolios from our Global Scholars!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. Browse:\u00a0 &#8220;Program Finder&#8221; Sheet! 2. Passport: Make sure you have one that will be active for 6 months after your desired program end date. If you don&#8217;t, please do this as soon as possible because it can sometimes take months to carry out. Find more information about this process.. 3. Read: Frequently Asked Questions<a class=\"tribe-events-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/getting-started\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" > Find out more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":187,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-22","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry","6":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/187"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2328,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22\/revisions\/2328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}