Lyon has established formal tuition exchange agreements with Akita International University (Japan); the University of Poitiers (France, where payment of language center fees is required); the International University of Rabat, Morocco; and Belfast Metropolitan College, Queens University, St. Mary’s University College, Stranmillis University College, and University of Ulster, all in Northern Ireland, through the Irish-American Scholars Program and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. Lyon is also a member of the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC), which allows student exchange with schools located in Mexico, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, Canada, Honduras, Colombia, Iceland, Brazil, and South Korea, and the Universities Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC).
In most cases, the exchange is for a semester but some schools offer summer exchange as well. Students normally participate in a semester and year-long study abroad exchange programs during their junior year or the following summer. Applicants are required to have attended Lyon full-time for the academic year preceding their study abroad, have a Lyon cumulative GPA of 3.0, be in good financial standing, and have appropriate foreign language skills to be eligible to participate in a semester or year-long study abroad exchange program. In addition, each school may have additional requirements for admission. Students should get more information about their selected school’s requirements and application deadlines from the Lyon International Education office. Approval to participate in one of the exchange programs must be granted in advance by the Lyon International Education office with approval from the program and provost, students will register in NIS 300 and/or 301. Proof of medical insurance for the duration of the study abroad program is part of the approval process.
Exchange students will pay Lyon tuition, any tuition differential between Lyon and host institutions, and any required fees. Exchange students are solely responsible for transportation, accommodations, meals, books and supplies, medical insurance, passport and visa fees, and personal expenses and debts related to study abroad. However, they may use their Lyon grants to offset costs, provided they meet the eligibility requirement, and they may apply for outside scholarships. Scholarship information can be obtained from the International Education Office. Students who fail to fulfill the terms of the exchange agreement, or who fail to successfully complete the approved course of study, or who fail to return to Lyon for at least one semester following the exchange program will be required to reimburse the College for any program-related expenses beyond direct payments to the College by the exchange student. Lyon international studies grants are considered College expenses.
The second avenue of study abroad available to Lyon College students is studying at a particular foreign university or educational institution with which Lyon has arrangements to send Lyon faculty for a period of one month to one semester. At a study abroad center, some of the student’s classes will be taught by Lyon faculty and some may be taught by visiting professors from other universities or by host institution faculty. Currently, Lyon College has one study abroad center at the Vesuvian Institute in Southern Italy. The Institute offers accommodations and meals, has its own classrooms, and is connected with a UNESCO World Heritage site where students will have a chance to gain practical experience among some of the best-preserved Roman villas in the Mediterranean. Their website can be reached at https://www.vesuvianinn.com/ It will offer its first round of courses in July of 2021. The first program to be implemented at the Institute will be for computer science and data science majors and will feature extensive onsite practical work in GIS supplemented by classes taught by Lyon faculty. Italian language will be offered as part of the orientation. Students will be expected to pay for meals (billed by Lyon College), optional excursions, and incidentals. Additional programs are under development at the Mark Rothko Art Centre in Latvia and Jagiellonian University in Poland.
Lyon students may also participate in semester and year-long study abroad programs at institutions other than the approved exchange programs listed above. They will not be classified as Lyon students during the duration of such study, however. Accordingly, they are responsible for the full cost of such study abroad programs. Students are encouraged to apply for outside scholarships and may apply for a partial Lyon study abroad scholarship if they meet all the eligibility requirements for the grant. While prior approval to participate in such programs is not required, students should consider applying for a leave of absence. In all cases, they must request permission in advance to transfer credit hours from these programs to Lyon. This approval process is the same as for any transfer credit request, except that the written approval of the International Education Office is also required. As with all transferred courses, credit hours may be awarded toward program and/or graduation requirements, but the grades received in these courses will not be used in the calculation of the student’s Lyon GPA.