I strongly caution against attending any USAC study abroad program, I will outline why below. Firstly, the program is rather costly, & costs more than a typical semester at any regular university, with very little opportunity for study or financial

aid. Secondly, the highest-ranking of the staff & of the entire consortium tend to be dry, unhelpful, & needlessly/excessively punitive. Your entire academic performance & transcripts for the semesters attended are essentially in the hands of a strict, indignant, & ultimately unreasonable group of people. Ex: if you happen to get sick (as I did, after coming down with a terrible illness) & miss more than one day in any given class, you can expect to get -2% OFF YOUR ENTIRE GRADE! That's right - the ENTIRE grade, not simply for "attendance" or any a % of the grade - EVEN including a doctor's note. That's right, you could practically get hit by a bus, not be able to walk, & you were in the hospital abroad & didn't happen to waddle your way over to class on crutches for an elective course, you're SOL. This may seem excessive, but they are firm on no exceptions. Beyond that, the staff told me that there is nothing I can do, & the decision was final. This was a lie - there was a grade appeal process, & the window for it can close rather quickly, depending on what semester you are attending. USAC wants to put your academic career at risk & are the opposite of advocates for students, simply so they won't have to deal with your complaints. These transcripts go through American unis, so if you were hypothetically a diligent student otherwise, you can expect USAC to absolutely ruin/tarnish your transcript with their draconian policies. Do you really want to pay over $8000 to be treated like this by a place that isn't even a real university? My main contention is: this type of punishment is practically unheard of in real, reputed unis. Reputable unis accept medical forms & other official documents for excused absences. USAC is a consortium: a separate subgroup w/their own strange academic system. They override any administrative decision made in the unis they contract, so they solely determine the outcome of your grades. The vast majority of professors I had in this program were amazing & knowledgeable. Most of them were highly cultured & educated locals, & I am excluding them from this review. Some staff members are also local, & many are increasingly kind & helpful. This is primarily to warn you about how you will be treated institutionally by USAC. I would really recommend a program that at least has accountability with a university. That way, if you run into any issues abroad, you are not at the mercy of a consortium with increasingly uncommon academic procedures & a lack of common sense. I encourage you to deeply research the policies of any study abroad program before attending, & if you really want to be taken care of & represented in a foreign country, choose another program.