Apply for a short overseas program

To ensure the subjects you study on an Overseas Short Program are credited back to your La Trobe University degree, you will need to request pre-credit approval.

This can be achieved by submitting the Global Experience Credit Approval (GECA) form.

If you already have La Trobe approval for an Academic led LTU subject overseas, a Clinical Placement or a Work Based Learning program a GECA form is not required. However you will need to upload proof of WBL approval to the  Overseas Short Program application form (Step 4).  If the  OSP is PART of a LaTrobe subject GECA is also not required.  (Proceed to Step 2 below)

Where a GECA form is not required, self-enrol into the La Trobe subject via StudentOnLine or submit a Variation Request – Exceptions form and attach your acceptance email from the academic to be enrolled by ASK La Trobe. (Proceed to Step 2 below)

For all others that do not yet have Credit Approval:  Complete the GECA form

Applications can take several weeks to process and should be submitted at least 8-12 weeks before the program begins.

To access the GECA form you may need to use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome via a computer (not mobile).  

You will need:

1. Your Study plan of which LTU degree subjects you intend to cover on your program. Whether you want credit approval for a core or elective subject from your LTU degree.
2. Details of the overseas program subject which you plan to enrol into including weblink and description/syllabus.

Check out these handy resources to help you complete your GECA application:

GECA Quick Reference Guide [890KB]

Once you submit the GECA form, keep an eye on your student email account for progress updates as you may need to provide further information or add additional subjects. Assessment of GECA applications and the final outcome  may take several weeks Once you receive a confirmation of approval, upload a copy of the credit approval letter to your OSP application documents in Step 4.

Once you submit the GECA form, keep an eye on your student email account for progress updates as you may need to provide further information or add additional subjects. Assessment of GECA applications and the final outcome may take several weeks Once you receive a confirmation of approval, upload a copy of the credit approval letter to your OSP application documents in Step 4.

Please note:

• If you require clarification about your degree structure and subject requirements, please contact ASK La Trobe.
• You need to discuss with your Course Coordinator about what sort of Overseas Short Programs could be credited to your degree.
• If you need to follow up on the status of your GECA application, please submit an enquiry through ASK La Trobe with all the necessary details and your GECA application reference no.

Register and confirm your participation in the short program directly with the program provider. Keep a copy of your confirmation document to add to your online application in Step 4.

Please note:

• If you are applying for an exchange place at a partner university, you will then need to contact La Trobe Abroad to be nominated.
• If you are on a La Trobe College-Led Academic Study Tour, please ignore this step and go to Step 3.

Complete Online Pre-Departure Module

You must complete the mandatory online pre-departure LMS module.

Log onto the La Trobe LMS and sign up for the La Trobe Global Experience Pre-Departure Module by searching "Global_Experience_Programs_Mandatory_Predeparture_module"

This module prepares you for your departure overseas and covers important topics including health and safety, academic requirements, culture shock, and more. This is another mandatory step that all accepted students must complete at least 4- 5 weeks prior to departure.

Before you complete this should have received your offer from your host university, if you have not please contact your La Trobe overseas program staff.

If you are a student who is part of the New Colombo Plan programs and or receiving a New Colombo Plan mobility grant, you will be required to do an additional mandatory NCP pre-departure module – note this is a requirement for receiving your grants.

Documents

You must submit the following mandatory forms at least 28 days before your departure from Australia.

Travel Insurance

All undergraduate and postgraduate students are covered automatically under the University's travel insurance for an Overseas Short Program approved by LTU and once all forms are completed and acknowledged by La Trobe Abroad.

Insurance cover for non-LTU approved activity is limited to no more than the total of Study days of an approved LTU activity. (Eg if the Overseas program is 14 days duration, you are only covered for 14 days of personal travel either side of the program. You are strongly advised to purchase your own travel insurance for any additional days of non-LTU approved activity.

The summary of the insurance policy is available and if you require an insurance certificate, you can find this on the LTU travel page:  Travel, Insurance office, La Trobe University

Please note:

• limited cover applies to students travelling to their country of residence see Travel to Country of Residence Policy [PDF 371 KB]
• students going to "Reconsider your need to travel (Level 3)" destinations complete the Risk Assessment Checklist [PDF 35KB]
• destinations deemed as "Do not travel" (Level 4) will not be approved
• please refer to the Smartraveller website to see the classification of your destination

We recommend you take the following information with you in case you need assistance overseas:

You can contact the Customer Care by telephoning Zurich Assist: +61 2 8907 5671 quoting Policy No. 33-2351790-ZCT for all students.

Once you have received approval for your GECA application, submit your Overseas Short Program (OSP) application Apply  Here

You will need to login with your La Trobe University Student Login if you are not accessing the application portal from campus.

You will need to fill in:

• Program Details
• Personal Details

Then attach the below OSP Supporting Documents to the online application as one document or in a zip file:

1. GECA certificate (Credit Equivalence Report)
2. Online pre-departure module completion postcard
3. Program confirmation/acceptance letter (NA for LTU study tours)

When you have completed all parts of your OSP application, please submit.

La Trobe Abroad will inform you whether your application has been successfully received and processed or there are missing parts that need completion. Please ensure that your bank details are entered into Student Online so that you can receive the Mobility grant.

Please note:

• If you are participating in a program with a partner institution on the exchange basis and are not required to pay for program fees, to be eligible to receive the program credits into your La Trobe degree, you must be enrolled at La Trobe for an exchange subject or cluster and pay your subject fees to La Trobe.
• If you miss any of the steps above and don't submit all the required documentation, you will not be eligible to receive a mobility grant or scholarship or receive credit towards your La Trobe degree.

Ensure that you keep a copy of all documents submitted for your own record

Mobility Grants

When you have a successful application outcome, you will be considered for a mobility grant or scholarship.

Payments will be made into the bank account on Student Online. It is your responsibility to ensure that your bank details are correct, otherwise you might not receive your payment.

Please note: as payments can take a few weeks to be processed, late applications may not receive any grant/scholarship funds in time for the program.

Additional Funding

If eligible, apply for the OS-Help Loan and continuing Centrelink payments.

For more information on the OS-Help Loan and other funding options, please visit our Program Funding and Costs page.

After completing your overseas short program, you'll need to ensure that your credits are applied to your academic record. Here's what you need to do:

1. Official Transcript or Completion Certificate: The host institution will send you an official academic transcript or a completion certificate upon finishing your program. If you have received an unofficial copy of your transcript, you must get it signed and stamped by La Trobe Learning  Abroad staff to confirm its authenticity.
2. Access the GECA Form: To initiate the credit application process, log in to the GECA form.
3. When asked if you have submitted a GECA form previously, select, ‘Yes, now I need to submit my Transcript/Certificate of Completion.’
4. Wait for Confirmation: You will receive an email notification once your credits have been successfully applied. Please allow up to 10 working days for this process to be completed.

Getting your credits applied is an important step to recognising and recording your academic achievements from your overseas experience. If you have any questions or need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to our team.

La Trobe Abroad would love to receive your feedback about the program. This feedback will help identify what students look for in an overseas short program and how La Trobe Abroad can improve services in the hope of providing more opportunities, to more students.

The basic Feedback Survey should only take a couple of minutes to complete, however if you would like to provide some more detailed responses within the survey, it would be very much appreciated.

Every semester LTA are on the hunt for returned students to become LTA Ambassadors. As an ambassador you will:

• Take over our Instagram for one week to share your experience
• Write or contribute to a MyLaTrobe article relating to your experience. It could be a solo article or a contribution to a listicle. We are open to suggestions!
• Participate in one of our events:
  - Info sessions
  - Exchange fair
  - Orientation
  - Pre-departure sessions
  - Open Day

You are also welcome to contribute more than once to any of the above! Plus, it will look great on a resume and you can build a portfolio of work to show prospective employers.

Before you go on your program and while you are there, keep this in the back of your mind when taking photos or think an experience is worth sharing. Take notes and it will make it easier to remember when you return.

If you are interested in becoming an LTA Ambassador, email us at studyabroad@latrobe.edu.au for more information.

Not quite willing to commit to be an ambassador? You can still help us promote exchange by sharing your stories. There are many opportunities to do this:

• Tell other students. Word of mouth is a powerful motivator.
• Write an article for LTA to be published through MyLaTrobe
• Provide us photos and captions from your program for us to share on our socials
• Tag your Instagram and Facebook posts with #ltaoverseas
• Help us out at of one of our events:
  - Info sessions
  - Exchange fair
  - Orientation
  - Pre-departure sessions
  - Open Day

If you are interested in promoting exchange as a one off, email us at studyabroad@latrobe.edu.au for more information.

Now that you’re back from your overseas experience, you can use your experience to gain credit as part of the Career Ready Advantage Award.

The program is designed to help you actively prepare for your life beyond La Trobe. It is structured to make it easy to record and build on your experiences – through part-time work, internships, and participation in volunteering, international exchanges, and other extra-curricular activities. By recording your activities and reflecting on your learning, you will build up a portfolio of experiences and evidence of skills, which you’ll be able to present to employers when the time comes to apply for graduate jobs.