Get Started and Apply

We’re excited to have you join SiPN for the upcoming semester or summer! Below you will find important information regarding the application process.

At the time of application, all study abroad applicants are expected to meet the following requirements:

• Students must be currently enrolled in an accredited US Institution
• Minimum 2.75 G.P.A.
• Good academic standing at the home institution
• Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors (rising sophomores may apply); Graduate students may also apply for coursework relevant to their level
• Entry requirements: valid passport with a student visa (Summer program students don’t need a visa, more information is provided post-acceptance)

In waitlist situations, SiPN favors applicants from partner institutions.

SiPN accepts applications until the deadlines below. Home universities or schools may have their own study abroad deadline, so students should make sure to check with their advisors about any internal application processes they must complete in addition to applying directly to SiPN.

• Fall Semesters – March 30
• Summer Semesters – March 15
• Spring Semesters– October 10 (pre-application); October 15 (submission of all materials)

Note: Applications must be complete to be reviewed for admission. This means that all application materials and application fees must be submitted to the SiPN office in a timely manner, no later than 15 weekdays after the general application deadline.

All students will be required to submit a SiPN Course Pre-Approval Sheet as part of their application process. At the end of the semester, the SiPN On-Site Coordinator will receive transcripts from the local university where you took classes. SiPN will then develop a packet for each student that includes:

• a cover letter from SiPN
• a copy of the student’s signed and dated credit transfer pre-approval sheet from their home university
• the original stamped transcripts (in English) from the Portuguese university partners*
• a copy of the SiPN grade conversion table that serves as a useful guide for your home university officials for interpreting your performance on the Portuguese grade scale.

*For example, if you take 2 courses from our core curriculum at University X, but then a Portuguese language class from University Y, and 2 other classes from University Z (all quite doable given the close physical proximity of our member schools to one another), then at the end of the semester, such a student would have 3 stamped original university transcripts with grades in the 0 – 20 Portuguese scale, in English.

These materials will then be sent back to the student’s provided address, usually registrar/study abroad advisor at their home university for credit transfer processing.

For all member schools, transcripts are generally sent within 60 days after the last final exams (2ª fase). Fall semester grades therefore typically go out around late March; Spring semester grades are only sent in early-mid October and Summer session grades also in October.

Note: Final exam calendars vary slightly from school to school.

It happens to a lot of students: you plan on studying abroad one semester, and once you’re abroad, you wish you could stay the entire year. The good news is you can! With permission from your home university, students have the opportunity to apply to extend their time abroad with SiPN.

Additionally, SiPN offers substantial discounts for staying a full year or extending into the summer! Combining terms of study (e.g. a semester plus a summer program) includes a rebate. If students sign up for more than one semester/program/course, you are entitled to a reduction of the Comprehensive Tuition Fee of the second semester/program/course in the following amounts: