Materials Science & Nanotechnology in San Francisco Bay Area, California

Study abroad is studying or working as a student in a different country, either virtually or in person to broaden your academic, cultural, and social horizons. Study abroad is what we do!

SAF is part of IES Abroad, a not-for-profit provider founded in 1950 with 140+ study abroad and internship programs around the world for college/university students. 

With our comprehensive study abroad application support, advice, and orientations, we make the process as simple as possible. Our close relationship with home and host universities should give you peace of mind, knowing your choice to study through SAF ensures you're safe and secure every step of the way. We guarantee housing for the duration of your study abroad adventure and are available whenever you need us, on the ground, to support you in every part of your experience.

Before you settle on a single program, consider what appeals most to you: a small or large campus, language development or for-credit study, academic prestige or building relationships and experiences, and many other factors. This website includes many useful tools, such as our Program Finder, to help you understand which program might be best for you. You can also connect with SAF's Study Counselors, youro parents, and home university staff to help you in your decision. SAF is here for you, too!

With decades supporting international study, we have gathered thousands of stories from SAF Scholars in hundreds of cities. For each destination, we have student blogs and location articles to help you in your decision. You may also be able to reach out to SAF Alumni or an SAF Student Counselor who can give you all the tips and helpful information you need as you prepare for life overseas.

Many host universities offer both merit- and need-based scholarships to short-term visiting students, often made available exclusively through the Study Abroad Foundation and applied in the SAF Program Fees. For more information on scholarships, see our scholarships page. If you're interested in university scholarships, discuss your goals with your SAF Student Counsellor.

For both SAF and IES Abroad, student health and safety is at the forefront of all we do. All SAF Program Fees include a mandatory health insurance policy. You submit a medical form to SAF as part of your application so our student affairs staff on-site have up-to-date information and can support your health and medical needs while abroad.  You can also read more information about our health and safety protocols. 

 Some SAF projects include escorted short-term tours, which are included automatically in the program's fee. Semester programs rarely include additional trips outside of the regular curriculum because each person has their own destination and travel requirements.

We love connecting students with our alumni! Our student blog and global ambassadors give you a comprehensive glimpse at the study abroad experience. SAF Alumni are often at recruitment seminars and webinars, so you can chat with them. If you would like a conversation with a SAF Alum, reach out to us to find out about next steps.

Study tours are action-packed academic experiences around a theme. They take in site visits, expert tours, cultural activities in a destination relevant to the topic you are studying.

A study tour is typically two to four weeks of learning by doing, sharing the adventure with a small cohort of likeminded students. You travel, dine, and live together during the tour, escorted by local subject experts.

On a semester program, you join a prestigious university as a fulltime student on a language program or relevant academic program. You attend academic courses with local students or well-crafted language courses to build your proficiency and confidence in the local language.

Some study tours carry credit, but whether you can apply it to your own degree course depends on your home university’s requirements. There are typically a small number of credits matching the time you spend in the classroom and active study.

Language requirements are typically high—you should be capable of maintaining an academic conversation with native speakers. Study tours are, after all, rigorous deep dives into a topic, taking you into global organizations, speaking with leaders in that field, discussing the finer details of the discipline.

Each study tour itinerary has activities, hands-on learning, visits, expert talks, and cultural experiences from dawn to dusk, and beyond. There is very little free time, so you are extremely unlikely to have time for a trip beyond the itinerary.

For the duration of your study tour program, you will be learning through doing, talking with experts, and seeing the reality of your chosen topic. Each program’s coursework is different, so check the courses section in the study tour description to get an idea of what to expect.  

You won’t be in regular classes with local students, no. However, program dependent, you might have some study contact with local students, but for the most part, you will work with students on the tour. There is a lot of material packed into a short period, with a lot to do and learn.