Pre-Departure Orientation
At your pre-departure orientations, you will:- Address expectations for your upcoming experience
- Hear from study abroad alumni and international students about their experiences with the culture of your host region
- Meet other students who are studying abroad in your host region or on your program
- Learn how to prepare for your upcoming experience
Additional pre-departure events
Mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation Meeting
All students must attend a mandatory pre-departure orientation meeting. There are no exceptions. For some programs, the session will be held in-person and others will be held virtually on Zoom. Please review your orientation schedule and location closely and follow up with your EA advisor if you have any questions. Click on your program type below to see orientation information:- Maryland-Led Short-term Programs
- Maryland Semester Programs (i.e. Maryland-in)
- Exchange, Affiliate, and Other Approved Programs
Mandatory Orientation Information
Maryland-Led Short-term Programs
Students participating in Maryland Short-term programs are required to attend a program-specific meeting with their program director. Your program director will give you the details about the time and date of your meeting.Maryland Semester Programs (i.e. Maryland-in)
Students participating in a Maryland Semester program will attend a program-specific orientation.| Spring 2026 Programs | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts & Humanities in London | Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 3:30 - 5:30pm | HJP 1102 |
| Clark-in-Madrid & ENGR Exchanges in Madrid | Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | 5:30 - 8:30pm | IRB 0324 |
| Maryland-in-Barcelona | Monday, November 3, 2025 | 4-6pm | HJP 0226 |
| Maryland-in-Copenhagen & Stockholm | Monday, November 24, 2025 | 4-6pm | TBC |
| Maryland-in-Florence (including ARCH and PHYS) Maryland-in-Perugia |
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 4-6pm | HJP 0226 |
| Maryland-in-Nice | Tuesday, November 5, 2025 | 3:30 - 5:30pm | HJP 2124 |
| Maryland-in-Rome | Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 3:30 - 5:30pm | ESJ 1202 |
| Maryland-in-Sevilla | Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 3:30 - 5:30pm | HJP 1102 |
| Maryland-in-Amman | TBC - refer to acceptance email | TBC | TBC |
Exchange, Affiliate, and Other Approved Programs
Students participating in UMD exchanges, affiliate, or approved programs are required to attend a pre-departure orientation.There are different sessions and time blocks for different regions and/or countries. You should attend the session for the location of your study abroad program.
Exchange, Affiliate, and Other Approved orientation sessions will occur in mid November, by country/regions as assigned below:
| Exchange, Affiliate, Other Approved PDO 1 | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
ASSIGNED COUNTRIES FORTHCOMING |
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 4:30 - 6:30pm ESJ 0224 |
||
| Exchange, Affiliate, Other Approved PDO 2 | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
ASSIGNED COUNTRIES FORTHCOMING |
Thursday, November 13, 2025 5-7pm ESJ 2208 |
||
Additional Pre-Departure Events
Community Coffee Hours
Education Abroad is hosting the Community Coffee Hour event series to create a more inclusive space for students to build community around study abroad planning and experiences. We are inviting prospective, admitted, and returned study abroad students for an afternoon of snacks, beverages, activities, resources, and panel discussion facilitated by Education Abroad staff tailored to each student group.
BIPOC Community Coffee Hour
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
2 - 4:30pm
HJ Patterson Hall Global Crossroads (outside the Education Abroad office in 1118 HJ Patterson Hall)
LGBTQIA+ Community Coffee Hour
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
2 - 4:30pm
HJ Patterson Hall Global Crossroads (outside the Education Abroad office in 1118 HJ Patterson Hall)
Supported by Dream of Coffee student organization