Sacramento State students have probably heard about studying abroad, but how many know about the international studies program offered at Sac State?

“I know of it, but not much about it,” said Anya Marquez, a senior of psychology.

The Office of Global Education, located in a back corner of Lassen Hall, is not in plain sight, a possible reason why students don’t know much about it.

From paperwork to scholarships, the Office of Global Education is the place to go for any information regarding studies abroad. Informational flyers about programs offered through Sac State are available to all students, as well as workshops to assist students get into the programs.

Students can study anywhere from Argentina to Zimbabwe. If a student takes part in a program offered only at Sac State, all units that they complete overseas will count as resident units, alleviating the need to worry about units not transferring.

“Students can take their field of study in English,” said Janis Silvers, a study abroad adviser.

One program offered through the CSU system is a scholarship to study at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, for a year. Brian Berry, a senior in Asian studies, is a member of the program that leaves on Sept. 12.

“I’m an Asian studies major with a focus on Japan,” Berry said. “It was only natural that I would travel to Japan someday when the opportunity arose.”

Silvers said many programs only require a small amount of foreign language.

“Now’s the time to do it,” Silvers said. “This is a real opportunity that students can participate in. But you have to take that step.”

Some programs are more competitive and fees to get into these programs are higher.For instance, the Study Abroad program to attend Waseda University has an estimated cost of $2,274 for registration, whereas the program to study at Yokohama National University, offered exclusively through Sac State, has an estimated cost of $1,536.

These figures don’t include living expenses.

There are two major differences between the Study Abroad program and those programs offered only through Sac State.

First, the Study Abroad programs are usually a year long. The idea is to fully experience the assimilation into another culture.

Programs offered solely through Sac State have the same goal, but they realize not every student has the time or resources to spend a year overseas. Many Sac State programs have the option of going for a single semester.

Second, the competition to get into the Study Abroad programs will be much higher than for a program offered only through Sac State. At Sac State, a student only has to compete with Sac State students to become a member of one of the programs. For the Study Abroad program, a student must compete with applicants from all over the state.

Workshops are offered through the OGE for general information, scholarships, and the application process. There will be a Study Abroad Fair held in the Library quad on Sep. 20 from 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

There will be opportunities to speak with participants of the programs as well as exchange students at the various booths.