Penn implements changes to study abroad application process following student feedback

Penn recently revamped its study abroad application process and software — the latest in a series of changes rolled out by Penn Abroad over the past year.

According to a Wednesday announcement, the new PASSPORT platform is set to take effect for spring 2027 study abroad applicants. Over the past year, Penn Abroad has updated its study abroad program caps, application timelines, and holding periods — changes that Associate Director Greta Kazenski said stem from recent community feedback.

Kazenski told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the biggest change made to the application under the new PASSPORT platform would be to the software.

“We are doing a big software upgrade, and all the same information will be there,” she said. “But the look is going to be very different in terms of the interface, how you search for programs, the different tabs, and where you find the information.” 

Kazenski added that another “big difference” is that students previously had to request that an application be opened, which a staff member would then carry out. Starting April 15, students will be able to open their own applications.

“We’re trying to make things as smooth and as user-friendly for the students and not stressful for our staff’s workflow too,” Kazenski explained.

Before the changes, students were required to have one backup option when selecting their study abroad program of choice. According to Kazenski, students are now required to have three alternates.

Just as in previous years, students will still need to seek academic approval from their home schools, but this step will now take place after students submit their application rather than during the application process. Students can now request approval on their own and track their applications to know when they are completed.

The number of caps on the amount of applications each program can receive will change from 15 to 25 for selective programs, and Penn Abroad will maintain the 40-person cap for other programs that it first introduced last April.

Kazenski said that the caps will be counted based on submissions rather than just open applications to ensure Penn Abroad is “really capturing students who are more interested in the programs.”

Penn Abroad also decided to move the study abroad deadline in the spring semester from September to June for selective programs. Kazenski said that under the previous policy, if students were not accepted to their first choice, they found out “really late” to apply to another option. 

The only exceptions to the new deadline are the programs offered by the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, both of which had applications due in January. 

The deadline to receive academic approval to study abroad in a selective program is now June 15. For non-selective programs, students must open an application by Sept. 1, and the academic approval will be due on Sept. 15.

“[If] students find out that they’re not going to their first choice program, they have more time to do their secondary application, and they don’t have to super rush in the fall, or they have a lot more choices where the applications aren’t closed already,” Kanzenski said. 

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