Brethren Colleges Abroad


BCA Study Abroad began in 1962 as a non-profit provider of academic, language and cultural immersion studies for undergraduates from a consortium of colleges and universities. Faithful to the values of peace and social justice that inspired its founding, BCA Study Abroad facilitates opportunities for growth in intercultural understanding and global awareness through educational programs that foster scholarship, community engagement and guided reflective learning. Currently headquartered at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, BCA's tagline is: Bridge the world, Connect for peace, Act for justice.

Origins

BCA was founded in 1962 by Morley J. Mays as a consortium of six charter member colleges affiliated with the Church of the Brethren:
BCA offered its first exchange program with Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany, the oldest extant Protestant university in the world. Today approximately 75 U.S. colleges and universities send students abroad through BCA.

Participating international schools

BCA offers 15 semester or year-long programs in 13 international locations, including:
In addition to their semester programs, BCA offers 6 summer programs including:
For more than 50 years, BCA Study Abroad has been committed to helping students understand the complexities of the contemporary world by providing quality academic programs and cross-cultural learning in locations around the globe. From its start, BCA focused its mission on bridging academic learning and connecting it directly to experiences with local people and the issues that impact their lives. As a result, BCA students actively participate in their own learning and develop critical skills that empower them to be engaged and informed global citizens..