Parents
Laura Palilla
Assistant Director
Office of International Programs
Phone: 410-617-2910
Thank you for your interest in our study abroad programs! We want to help you better understand the Newcastle study abroad program and highlight distinguishing features and components that will interest you as a parent. More detailed and updated information is given to your son or daughter in information sessions, academic reviews, workshops, and pre-departure orientations. Once you read this information, we strongly encourage you to discuss this with your student. Please know all information is given to the students, and we ask students to share all of this with you.
Sending students abroad is a partnership that includes students, parents, university personnel, and our overseas partners. We realize that you will have questions, and if our website or your son/daughter cannot answer those questions, we will be happy to discuss the study abroad process and program information with you. However, due to the FERPA federal regulation (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act), we will not be able to discuss specific information regarding your student; however, if your student is willing to sign a waiver form indicating the specific information to be shared with you, we will be happy to discuss specific matters regarding your son/daughter.
We hope you find this information helpful in assisting your son/daughter to accomplish his or her goal of learning, living, and serving abroad. We look forward to working with you and your son/daughter.
General Information
Loyola students can study abroad at Newcastle University, which is a large research university (18,000+ students) located in northeast England in the city Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. The program is available for a single semester or for the full academic year. The fall semester runs from late September through mid-December and the Spring semester runs from late January through early June.
Travel to Newcastle
Students are financially responsible for their own airfare. Loyola will arrange a group flight from the New York/New Jersey area and students are encouraged to book this flight through our travel agent, STA Travel. They will fly to Newcastle together and return on the same group-flight. Any changes made to departure dates will need to be paid for by the student. Loyola does not pay for any flight deviations or tickets changes.
On-Site Support
We have an onsite team to support the students with any questions, concerns, illnesses, or other issues while they are in Newcastle. The Loyola Center team consists of an on-site director and support staff and this team will be the main point of contact for the students throughout the semester. The team is there for support 24/7 in case of emergency. Students will meet all staff members on their first day when they arrive at the airport.
The Newcastle International Office at the university is the office on the ground at the University that assists study abroad students. Students can seek help from anyone in their office for questions, advice, or any issues/problems that arise during the semester.
Students are expected to attend an international student orientation during the first week before classes. They will also have access to the wellness center, tutoring, and support services during their time at Newcastle University.
Arrival/Contact
The group will arrive in Newcastle the day after departure from the US. After getting their bags, a bus will be there to take them to their dorms. They will check into their rooms and Loyola Center staff will take them on a walking tour of the city and the campus.
Please remember that England is currently 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, and so it may be difficult for your students to contact you immediately upon arrival. You may be nervous and apprehensive, but please give the students time to get their bearings, figure out how to connect to wifi and contact home. Remember that no news is good news! The students are generally very excited and busy adjusting to a new life in their first couple of weeks so contact may be less frequent at first. It would be smart to determine a good time to talk with your student once they know their schedule so that you don’t lose contact.
Most students will take their smart phone overseas and purchase an international sim card with a data/talk/text plan to use during their time in Newcastle. It is highly recommended to use Skype, WhatsApp, or other social media apps in order to keep in touch with friends or family back home. Alternatively, students may buy British cell phones that have a "pay-as-you-go" plan and they can top up for free texting each month. This local phone is the best way to keep in touch with British flat-mates, other Loyola students, the Loyola Center, and local people in the Newcastle community.
Academics
Students at Newcastle take anywhere from three to six classes, depending on the credit weight of each class. These transfer back to Loyola as either 2.5 credit courses or 5 credits courses. The goal is for each student to take a combination of credits that adds up to 15. Students should have a free elective available as it is frequently used in the credit transfer. Students register for classes on-site at the beginning of the semester abroad, but should work with their academic advisor to have various courses selected before they arrive in Newcastle.
Students will find that the academic style at Newcastle University is very different to that of the United States. Classes are much larger than at Loyola and are often taught in a lecture style rather than a seminar. There is more focus on independent learning and students will often take classes that only have a final exam, or sometimes also a mid-term exam for their final grade.
More information can be found on the Academics page.
Length of Stay
This program has a fall semester and a spring semester. The fall program runs from late September through mid-December. Fall semester students take their finals at Newcastle before departing. Full-year students return to Newcastle in early January and take their final exams on Newcastle’s campus. The Spring program runs from late January through early June. Students are not allowed to leave the Spring program early to return home for summer internships and jobs. Instead, they should prepare to take all exams onsite in Newcastle in early June.
Insurance and Health
Students will have access to the National Health Service (NHS) while in the UK. Students studying for less than 6 months will need to pay out of pocket and be reimbursed by their US healthcare provider. However, this is at the discretion of the student's health insurance company. Students can visit NHS doctors or emergency rooms anywhere in the UK
Loyola requires that each student submits a copy of the front and back of their US health insurance card. We also ask for proof of international coverage from the US policy (either a letter from the insurance company or you can print the international policy description from your policy manual online). We are only asking for proof of overseas coverage for Loyola’s liability purposes. Since the UK National Health Service is not worldwide, and students are allowed to travel outside of the area of coverage, we need to know that your policy will provide a back-up if your student goes outside of the area of coverage. However, if your policy does not have any type of overseas coverage (not even the basic emergency basis), then it will be essential to purchase supplemental insurance.
Student Visa
American students studying abroad for the year are required to apply for Student Visa Route. The visa is an additional cost to the students. The students will pay for this approximately 60 days before departure. American students studying abroad for one semester only are required to obtain a Short Term Study Visa. This is requested by the student and granted by Immigration Control when entering into the UK.
The visa process is complicated and the steps are very time-sensitive. Therefore, it is imperative that students follow all instructions on applying for the student visa very carefully. If any step in the process is missed or followed incorrectly, it could result in being denied a visa to enter the country.
Guidance from Newcastle University on the student visa process can be found online.
Housing
Students live on campus in university dorms with other Newcastle students and other international students. Students will buy and cook their own food as there are no meal plans. Basic bedding is paid for by Loyola and provided.
Benefits
This is a full packaged program. Each semester of Loyola tuition and housing pays for:
- Tuition and room at Newcastle University;
- Orientation on-site and around the city;
- Occasional group meals; and
- Planned trips and activities throughout the UK with the Loyola center staff.
Meals
Students are responsible for their own meals, and have access to a refrigerator and cooking facilities.Each flat has its own equipped kitchen with microwave, toaster, stovetops, oven and freezer. Students can purchase kitchen items and food quite easily from stores in downtown Newcastle, which is walking distance from all of the dorms.
Money
Bank of America is partnered with Barclays in the UK, so your student has a Bank of America account, they can use Barclays ATMs and branches without incurring any fees. Students going for the full year also have the option to open up a UK bank account.
Other ATM and debit cards should work in all ATM machines. It is also advised that students contact their banks and credit card companies to inform them that they will be out of the country so that their accounts aren’t frozen once international activity occurs. While doing so, they should also check to see what international fees are incurred when using each of their cards i.e. ATM withdrawal fees, currency conversion fees, etc. Also, you should check to see if your student’s bank is partnered with any banks overseas.
Expenses
Students’ expenses in the United Kingdom will vary greatly depending on how much they travel, shop and go out at night. Newcastle is a very affordable city and the cost of living is considered low. However, most students will schedule trips over to the European continent as often as they can afford. The range for how much students spent overall last semester was $3,000–$6,000 USD. That is all inclusive of entertainment, traveling, food, shopping, and textbooks. It is a large range, but again, will depend on how much your student travels, drinks and eats in restaurants.
Criteria for Acceptance and Application Requirements
For the Loyola study abroad program in Newcastle, students must have a minimum 2.750 CQPA. Application deadlines are March 1 for Fall and Full year students and October 1 for Spring students. Applications for the full year in Newcastle are considered first before the single semester applications. Disciplinary records from the school’s office of student life are taken into consideration when reviewing applications.
