Sent on behalf of Berkeley Study Abroad
Dear Colleagues,
On May 26, the system-wide University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) informed UC Berkeley students that 2020 fall and year-long programs have been suspended. In addition, the UCEAP reciprocity program has also been suspended and therefore Berkeley will not be welcoming UCEAP exchange students this fall.
The message UCEAP sent to students is at the bottom of this CALmessage. Berkeley Study Abroad advisers have reached out to students impacted by this news and are available to support them. Impacted students were encouraged to sign up for UC Berkeley classes during their Phase 1 appointment on CalCentral. Berkeley Study Abroad has notified the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office and students will be packaged accordingly for a fall start on the Berkeley campus.
Students may reach out to department/college advisors with academic questions about preparing for fall at UC Berkeley, how they can academically plan to study abroad in a future term, and/or expected graduation dates. Please do not hesitate to contact us at studyabroad@berkeley.edu if we can help you support students through this transition.
Thank you in advance for your support and care for UC Berkeley students.
Sincerely,
Berkeley Study Abroad
This message has been sent to all UC Berkeley faculty and staff
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Dear UCEAP 2020 Fall and Year Student,
Public health concerns due to COVID-19 have impacted the entire UC community. We all share the hope that some semblance of a healthy return to normalcy will soon occur. At UCEAP, we seek signs of normalcy by way of borders reopening and travel advisories being reduced to lower levels. Additionally, we also consider the likelihood of a second wave of COVID-19 and how well universities abroad will be prepared to support exchange students this fall. These uncertainties have led UCEAP to make the difficult yet responsible decision not to move forward with fall 2020 programming. All fall programs, regardless of the location, have been suspended this year and will not run, even if conditions related to COVID-19 improve.
A few items to note:
- Because your program has been suspended, you will not be charged any UCEAP withdrawal or UCEAP cancellation fees.
- Your campus study abroad office will notify your campus financial aid and registrar’s offices on your behalf.
- This week, you will receive an email from your UCEAP program specialist with details pertaining to options to either transfer your application to the spring, if possible, or to apply for the fall 2021 term.
- Your health clearance can be used again with UCEAP, through spring 2021, as long as there have not been any changes to your health. However, country-specific medical exams may not be reused. Your program specialist will contact you with more information.
- If you received a UCEAP scholarship, you will be notified separately regarding your options. If you received a non-UCEAP scholarship, please notify the organization funding that scholarship that your study abroad program has been suspended due to concerns related to COVID-19.
We understand the disappointment this news brings, especially given the amount of work you’ve done to prepare for your experience. Please know this decision was not made lightly; our concern for your well-being made this the best choice. We will do all that we can to support you and we hope that you will consider studying abroad with UCEAP in the future.
Vivian-Lee Nyitray, Ph.D.
Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director
