The 20th annual Study Abroad Fair opened up a world of opportunities for students.

Students who visited the fair Thursday in the Holmes Student Center learned studying abroad doesn’t consist of visiting a foreign nation or gathering college credits.

One of the biggest dilemmas that students face when they want to study abroad is the cost. Counselors in the financial aid office help students make their trips possible, according to the Study Abroad website. The counselors stress that students should apply for as many scholarships as possible because they can cut down the costs of studying abroad.

Students who want to apply to a program or country NIU doesn’t sponsor still have options. Program providers, like the American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS), have been working with NIU for over 15 years.

“AIFS offers many different types of programs and internships in 20 different countries,” said Damien Marshell, a representative of the institute.

Many study abroad programs offer graduate level courses and different internship opportunities. The College of Business offers an MBA program that allow students to study international management in Bordeaux, France.

“The classes are taught in English, and it gives the students the chance to build international references,” said Mona Salmon, MBA program evening director.

Semester at Sea, one of the study abroad programs, offers land-to-sea experience in many different majors and concentrations. Each voyage visits seven different countries, and students use every country as a learning experience.

“Students learn from the experiences they get on the ship, and the experiences they get in the countries they visit,” said Annie Rappeport, Semester at Sea representative.

Christine McMillion, interim program coordinator for the study abroad program, once studied in Leicester, England, while she was a student at Illinois State University. McMillion said she encourages students to take advantage of the programs in study abroad.

“Students should know that studying abroad is affordable and assessable for everyone,” McMillion said. “Studying abroad was one of the best choices I made.”