Program Details

Students are encouraged to get involved in JCU cultural, sporting and recreational activities. Common weekend trips are Mission Beach, Cairns, Daintree Rainforest, Hinchinbrook Island, Whitsunday Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. The JCU Office of International Affairs has a variety of excursions and programs for which students can sign up.

Students receive $800 from St. Lawrence University a couple of weeks before they depart for Australia. The main purpose of the money is for students to travel and learn more about Australia while they are "Down Under." In the past, students have used this money to travel within Australia, to travel outside Australia (to SE Asia, New Zealand, or Bali), to become SCUBA certified, and to hike Hinchinbrook Island and Mt. Bartle Frere. The Hinchinbrook hike, which normally takes 3 - 4 days, is very popular and reservations must be made months in advance. Please note that students can explore the Great Barrier Reef by snorkeling or SCUBA diving.

A small part of this money is intended to help with the costs of "settling in," which vary from college to college. We envision a $500/$300 spilt, with $500 for cultural enrichment and travel, and $300 for payment of your JCU student association membership fee upon arrival, for "settling in" costs and on-campus recreational activities.

Australian students normally use study breaks to study; therefore, SLU students should plan to do the same.

Keeping in mind that Australia is nearly as large as the continental United States and that there are long distances between destinations, students should plan to arrive early if they wish to travel throughout Australia or schedule such trips immediately after exams.