Standards of Good Practice

Setting the Standard in Education Abroad

Free for Forum members and non-members, the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad specifies minimum requirements, quality indicators, and a framework for continuous improvement for education abroad. This publication is available in English, Spanish, and French, and is applicable to undergraduate, graduate, professional, and continuing education, whether for credit or not for credit.

Please select your language below and complete all fields to download your copy:

Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad and Prompts for Self-Assessment in English
Estándares de buenas prácticas y Preguntas para la autoevaluación en español
Normes de bonnes pratiques en français

In English

prompts for self-assessment

En español

Preguntas para la autoevaluación en español

En Français

Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad (Sixth Edition)

Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad can be used as a tool to:

guide program development
evaluate program quality
advocate for resources and support
train new professionals
educate stakeholders such as parents, faculty, students, etc.
establish and maintain respectful, sustainable relationships between partners

These Standards represent consensus in the field of education abroad at the postsecondary level, but other constituents, including primary and secondary school educators or organizations offering education abroad programs for participants from countries other than the U.S., may also find them useful.

The Forum on Education Abroad is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission as the Standards Development Organization (SDO) for the field of education abroad. As such, it is The Forum’s responsibility to monitor changes in our field of professional practice and maintain, update, and promulgate the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad according to the needs of our field.

In 2023, The Forum's Standards Update Working Group and Consensus Body proposed and passed some minor adjustments to the Standards which made them more inclusive of the broad spectrum of learning experiences that fall under the umbrella of education abroad, particularly internships.

learn more about Standards development

Meeting the Standards

Throughout the Standards, use this guide established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to understand the expectations set by each clause:

shall indicates minimum requirements
should indicates recommendations
can indicates further possibilities for improvement

Supporting each Standard are:

Fundamental elements: A dynamic web feature defining essential terms throughout the Standards;
Prompts for Self-Assessment: These prompts are designed to allow you to self assess your current practices and identify any gaps to be in conformity with the Standards.
Member Resources: Resources featuring best practices, keyed to the Standards. These examples are vetted by The Forum’s Standards Committee, and are made available exclusively to Forum members,
Standards Guidelines: Guidance that contextualizes various specific areas of education abroad practices, particularly where these practices may differ from the same practice in the home campus context.

Unsure of where to start?

The Foundations in Education Abroad Toolkit provides education abroad offices with foundational knowledge to assist in establishing new or expanding existing education abroad programming in accordance with the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad.

Foundations in Education Abroad Toolkit

Resources

Log in to your member portal to access peer reviewed example policies and resources that meet the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad.

Have a resource that meets the Standards of Good Practice?
Submissions will be reviewed by the Standards Resources Committee. Resources that meet the Standards of Good Practice will be included as part of the member resources.

Submit a RESOURCE