Jan Term Travel Registration
Apply. Select. Submit. Depart.
Step #0: Check your passport
International travel requires a passport which must be valid through July 2025. If your passport expires before then, you must renew your passport and expedite the application.
Non-US passport holders are responsible for researching if you need a visa for the country(ies) you are going to and may be subject to additional costs.
1. Pre-registration
Registration priority
Priority for Travel Registration and Travel Scholarship allocation is based foremost on class standing at the time of registration (i.e., total completed credits):
- Senior (90 or more completed credits)
- Junior (60 or more)
- Sophomore (30 or more)
- First year (fewer than 30)
Double-check your academic evaluation early and contact the Registrar's Office if you have any questions or missing course credits.
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Submit by Thursday | Travel Lottery & Scholarship FormCompleting the Jan Term Travel Lottery & Scholarship Form is the first step to beginning the registration process. You must submit this form in order to enroll in a Travel course. This form closes on Thursday, Sep. 19. Travel Lottery FormThis form collects your contact information and courses of interest (required) as well as your Travel Scholarship application (optional). Submission of this form does not guarantee enrollment in any course but is required for registration. You can submit more than once to update your response. Travel ScholarshipQualifying students can receive an award of 75% of the course fee for their enrolled course. The deadline to apply is 5:00 PM, Wednesday, Sep. 11. Scholarship details & eligibility → |
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Tuesday | Travel Scholarship WebinarLearn more about the Jan Term Travel Scholarship and the eligibility requirements and get all your questions answered about this amazing financial opportunity. |
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September | Fall Information SessionsCome learn about the courses and expectations, ask questions, and get instructor approval for a chance to enroll! Attending at least 1 Info Session and getting instructor approval are required in order to enroll in a Travel course. |
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Wednesday | JT Travel & Study Abroad FairMeet the Travel instructors and learn about all the Travel course offerings for 2025, as well as the Study Abroad opportunities for the coming spring. |
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Friday | Travel Scholarship recipients announcedIf you applied for the Jan Term Travel Scholarship by the September 11 deadline, then today’s the day to learn if you won! Scholarship details & eligibility → |
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September | Deposit windowYou will receive an email confirming all your instructor-approved courses on Monday, Sep. 16, and a reminder to submit your travel deposit between the morning of Wednesday, Sep. 18, and end of day on Thursday, Sep. 19. Deposits & clearancesSubmitting a travel deposit and receiving clearance from both the SMC Business Office and the Student Success Office are required in order to enroll in a Travel course. This will require:
Opt-out optionTo opt out of the Travel Registration Lottery, complete before 8:00 AM Monday, Sep. 23. Students who opt out will not receive any more communications about the Jan Term Travel registration process for the current cycle and will be ineligible to enroll in any JT Travel courses for this year. Students who do not opt out are committed to the Travel Lottery process and will be responsible for any remaining course fees if enrolled. If a student does not ultimately enroll in a travel course, their deposit will be credited to their student account. |
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Friday | Lottery confirmation emailAt 5:00 pm on Friday, all students who submitted the Travel Lottery Form and are eligible to enroll in a Travel course will receive an email containing:
Registration numberThis number represents each student’s spot in the Lottery queue. To ensure the most equitable registration process, only class standing is used in determining how high a given student's registration number might be; no other academic or administrative factors impact registration order. Within each class year, each registration number is assigned at random (e.g., seniors: A-001 to A-100, juniors: B-001 to B-100, etc.) using a random-number generator for the most unbiased results. Lottery time slotThis time is based on a student's registration number, each being drawn in numerical and alphabetical order on the student's Lottery Day. Lower numbers are drawn first, and higher numbers last (e.g., A-001 comes before A-002, which comes before B-001). EligibilityStudents are ineligible for any courses for which they have not attended an Information Session and received instructor approval. Students are ineligible to participate in the Lottery entirely if they have not:
Course rankingsEach student will receive a list of all of their instructor-approved courses, sorted in order of preference based on the rankings indicated on their submitted Travel Lottery Form. Course rankings will be used to determine auto-enrollment preferences if the student is absent during their Lottery Day time slot, and can be updated by emailing janterm@stmarys-ca.edu before 8:00 AM on Monday, Sep. 23. |
2. Lottery Day
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Monday | Deadline to change course rankingsEach student will receive a list of all of their instructor-approved courses, sorted in order of preference based on the rankings indicated on their submitted Travel Lottery Form. Course rankings will be used to determine auto-enrollment preferences if the student is absent during their Lottery Day time slot, and can be updated by emailing janterm@stmarys-ca.edu. |
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Monday | Deadline to opt outAfter submitting the Travel Lottery Form, you can opt out of the Travel Lottery and Registration process at any time before the deadline. Simply fill out the to stop receiving Jan Term Travel reminders and notifications and to remove your name from the 2025 Lottery. Otherwise, after 8:00 AM on Monday, you are committed to participating in the Travel Lottery and are responsible for paying the remaining course fee if enrolled. |
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Your class year's Lottery window | Lottery DrawingIn the Lottery confirmation email on Friday, you receive a registration number and a time. On your Lottery Day, you and other students in your class year gather in a Zoom room to wait for your registration number to be called. Each registration number will be drawn in numerical and alphabetical order (see "Lottery confirmation email" above for more details), and when your number is drawn, you will enter a Zoom Breakout room to make your selection. |
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See "Participation" for more details. |
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Your time slot | ParticipationOnce you enter the Zoom Breakout room for course selection, you can choose either to enroll in one of your approved courses with available seats, or to waitlist if the course is full. You are also able to see the current seats taken, total seats, and waitlist size for each course to help inform your decision (see the interface example pictured above). By default, you will be either enrolled in the first available course on your list or, if no seats are available for any of your eligible courses, placed on the waitlist of your first-choice course. PLEASE NOTE: You can either be enrolled in a maximum of one approved course or be placed on the waitlist of no more than one approved course, but you cannot be on a waitlist and a roster at the same time. Attendance policyIf you are unable to attend the Lottery Drawing when your number is called, you can either: Appoint a proxy
Auto-selectPreemptively accept the default results of the Lottery, which can be that you are either:
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Lottery Day conclusion | Waitlist selectionsAfter all registration numbers in your class year have been drawn and all students have made their selections, Travel instructors will have a chance to review their rosters. If their roster is full, an instructor can make waitlist selections as needed for gender-balancing for the purpose of rooming. All Lottery participants will be notified of their enrollment status subsequently. Waitlist via class standingAfter all students in a class year have had an opportunity to register via the lottery, waitlisted students will have another chance to enroll in a different course in which there is room and for which they have approval, and before the next cohort starts their registration process. Waitlisted students for whom this option is relevant will receive an email from the Jan Term Office shortly after live registration for their cohort has concluded with instructions on how to do so. At the end of the day, the Registrar’s Office will officially enroll students in their courses through GaelXpress. |
3. Post-registration
Important reminders & requirements
- Stay in close communication with your instructor about any course-specific requirements or meetings before departure.
- All health forms and travel paperwork are due by Monday, Nov. 11; book an appointment with your physician early!
- A valid passport is required for international travel; if you do not have a passport or if your passport expires before August 2025, order one immediately.
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Wednesday | Waitlist WednesdayIf any courses still have available seats, students on waitlists for other courses will be notified on the Wednesday after the Lottery and may have a chance to release their spot on the waitlist to enroll in one of the open courses (after gaining instructor approval). |
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October 2-33:30-4:30 PM | Mandatory Health & Safety OrientationsWednesday, Oct. 2 (Zoom) |
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October 9-21 | Final payment dueUpon enrollment in a Travel course, each student is responsible for paying the remainder of their course fee to the Business Office between Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Monday, Oct. 21. |
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Monday | Travel paperwork dueOn your course’s Canvas site, you must complete the Travel Registry module, submitting the signed health forms, proof of required immunizations, and the necessary identification for travel. This step can take up to 6 weeks or more, so renew/order your passport early and book an appointment with a healthcare provider right away. Visit the Travel Health page for information about completing your health form and required immunizations by destination. |
Final steps...
Once all required paperwork has been submitted and all necessary payments have been processed, all that's left is to coordinate travel plans and scheduling details with the course instructor for January!
With each course flying to a different region around the globe, it's important to be prepared for the many physical and cultural adjustments students will likely face. Luckily, our Travel faculty have extensive knowledge and experience concerning their courses' destinations, so on top of planning ahead and packing the essentials, students should always follow their instructors' recommendations and never be afraid to ask questions when traveling abroad.
Travel Courses & Info Sessions
Learn more about what travel courses are being offered for the coming Jan Term and when their info sessions are being held.
Browse coursesQuestions? Contact us
Jan Term Email: janterm@stmarys-ca.edu
Jan Term Director: Claire Williams
Email: cmw9@stmarys-ca.edu
Jan Term Travel Phone: 925-631-5032
Jan Term Office: South Arcade/Korth Tower Breezeway