Standards of Good Practice
Proposed Revisions
A draft of the revised Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad was available for public comment on this page during the 30-period of June 1-30, 2019. Directly and materially affected individuals were welcomed and encouraged to share their feedback on the draft. View the draft and comments received below.
The first ballot of the Consensus Body closed on August 22, 2019 at 5pm EST. The votes tallied by the deadline were 26 affirmative; 17 negative; 2 members did not vote (total of 45 members). The ballot did not reach the two-thirds or greater majority necessary to approve the draft; 29 affirmative votes were needed (of the 43 cast). Feedback provided by the members of the Consensus Body has been forwarded to the Standards Update Working Group for further consideration.
The Standards Update Working Group is currently reviewing all feedback received and will use it to inform further revisions to the Standards, which will in turn be submitted to the Consensus Body for a second ballot by October 1.
Next update: November 1, 2019
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.
Our process for developing and updating standards prioritizes the core principles of due process for standards development as identified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI): Openness, Lack of Dominance, Balance, Coordination and Harmonization, Consideration of View and Objections, Consensus Vote and Appeals. Persons directly or materially affected by the Standards have the opportunity to have their voices heard in this important process.
Notification of Standards Development
Beginning October 11, 2018, notice is hereby given that The Forum on Education Abroad has convened a Standards Update Working Group with the intent of revising the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad in preparation for a 6th edition. The Standards Update Working Group is responsible for revising the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad and proposing new drafts to a representative Consensus Body.
The Consensus Body is responsible for voting to approve proposed revisions. The Consensus Body is made up of 50 members from diverse interest categories in the field: U.S. higher education institutions, higher education institutions outside of the U.S., education abroad providers, professional associations, service providers and charitable organizations, general interest members, and individuals from the governing bodies of The Forum. Following each draft, a 30-day public comment period will commence. Drafts of revised and proposed standards will be available on this webpage as they become available. All inquiries related to our standards development process can be directed to the Standards Manager at standards@forumea.org.
Read the Standards Development Policy
Timeline for Standards Development
| August-October | 2019 | Consensus Body voting until majority vote is reached in favor of the Standards updates |
| November | 2019 | Revised Standards announced and appeal period opened to any persons who have directly and materially affected interests and who have been or will be adversely affected by the revised Standards (30 days) |
| December | 2019 | Standards Manager responds in writing to each appellant within 30 days, appeals |
| January | 2020 | Board of Directors votes to endorse 6th edition |
| March | 2020 | Release of the 6th Edition of the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad |
| July | 2020 | 6th Edition of the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad takes effect. |
Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad, 5th ed. (2015)
The Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad support the complex responsibilities inherent in offering education abroad opportunities to students. They act as a means to develop, manage, assess and improve education abroad programming. As a commonly-developed and accepted set of standards, they provide a framework for accountability.
Each Standard is structured by:
- Statements: the broad principles of the Standard, detailed in bullet points. These define the aspirational best practices that should be applicable to any entity operating within the field of education abroad, according to their type of education abroad activity.
- a set of Queries following the Statement: prompts for evaluation, designed to elicit a response that demonstrates how the Standard is being met and encourages discussion rather than a yes or no response.
Supporting each Standard are:
- Fundamental elements: a dynamic feature defining essential expectations of implementing the Standards;
- Member Resources: a resource 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.
Standard 2: Student Learning and Development
Standard 3: Academic Framework
Standard 4: Student Selection, Preparation, and Advising
Standard 5: Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Measure
Standard 6: Policies and Procedures
Standard 7: Organizational and Program Resources
Standard 8: Health, Safety, Security, and Risk Management
» Submit a resource to the Standards Toolbox