Founded in 1981, Pitt Study Abroad develops programs and facilitates educational experiences in over 75 countries. Students can study abroad during the summer term, fall semester, spring semester or during a full academic year.

The program offers immersive learning opportunities for college students and professionals to gain deeper perspectives of international education outside of the U.S. and to practice language and intercultural skills.

According to Jeff Whitehead, Director, Study Abroad Office, University Center for International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, “We work with over 30 learning institutions around the country, so we have high volume.” This includes around 1,800 undergrads each year and 200 to 300 graduate students in professional development programs, like PhD research, medical rotations, service learning, research opportunities and internships abroad. 


In the Study Abroad office at Pitt, “We try to help students as much as we can in finding what it is that they need academically and professionally to meet their goals: everything from program selection to questions about locations prior to departure,” says program manager Gisselle Arce. “We try and guide them on filling out any paperwork they may need. We also serve as a resource for other students who are not undergrads. Graduate students, medical students, pharmacy students who are not necessarily what you’d expect – more professional students and their independent projects, whether that be an international medical rotation, international research dissertations… we spread our reach everywhere to try and help students across the spectrum of international academia.”