Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of pathwaysabroad.org, operated by Pathways Abroad LLC. Please read them carefully. In short: we are an independent guide, not a program provider, and every program you join is an agreement between you and that provider.

1. Acceptance of These Terms

By accessing or using this website, submitting a form, downloading a resource, or attending a group advising session, you agree to these Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.

2. Who We Are and What We Do

Pathways Abroad is an independent educational and advisory resource for AmeriCorps alumni and the staff who support them. We explain how the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award works, outline the kinds of international programs it may be applied toward, and point you to third-party providers and accredited institutions.

We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or operated by AmeriCorps, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Department of Education, or any other government agency. Nothing on this site is an official statement of AmeriCorps policy.

3. Not Financial, Legal, Tax, or Travel Advice

Our content is informational and general in nature. It is not financial, legal, tax, immigration, medical, or travel advice, and it is not a promise that any particular program, institution, or expense will qualify for award funding. Award rules, eligibility, program pricing, and provider offerings change. Always confirm current details with AmeriCorps, the accredited institution disbursing the award, and the program provider before you commit money or time.

4. Program Listings and the Pathfinder Tool

Our Explore pages list destinations and placements offered by third-party providers, along with published fees, housing and meal arrangements, duration ranges, and other details. That information comes from provider materials and changes without notice. Fees shown are provider-published starting points, exclude airfare, visas, insurance, and personal spending unless stated, and are not quotes from us.

The Pathfinder is an AI-assisted matching tool. It reads what you type and suggests placements from our own list. Suggestions are informational only. They are not an eligibility determination, an offer, a reservation, a price quote, or a confirmation that a placement is open, that it accepts Segal AmeriCorps Education Award funding, or that it fits your circumstances. AI output can be incomplete or wrong, so confirm every detail with the provider and the disbursing institution before you rely on it. Saved destinations and the compare tray are conveniences stored in your browser and may be lost if you clear your browser data.

5. Third-Party Providers, Referrals, and Lead Sharing

This site references and links to independent organizations, including International Volunteer HQ and Intern Abroad HQ, as well as universities, language schools, and other providers. We do not own, operate, staff, supervise, inspect, or control any of them.

When you submit a referral request on a destination page, you ask us to pass your contact details and stated interest to the provider that runs that program so they can follow up with you directly. Submitting a referral request is not an application, an enrollment, or a held place. The provider decides whether and how to respond, sets its own prices and requirements, and handles your information under its own terms and privacy policy. What we share is described in our Privacy Policy.

We may earn referral compensation when you enroll with certain partners, at no additional cost to you. Referral relationships never determine what we recommend or how we describe a program, and we tell you when a link is to a partner.

6. Your Responsibilities

• Confirm your own eligibility for the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, your remaining balance, and your expiration date directly with AmeriCorps.
• Complete required documentation with the accredited institution or provider that disburses or receives award funds.
• Verify current program availability, dates, and total cost with the provider before you pay anything.
• Read and follow each provider's terms, participation agreement, health and safety requirements, and cancellation policy.
• Arrange your own passport, visas, immunizations, insurance, and travel documentation.
• Provide accurate information in the forms you submit to us.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to misuse this site, including by scraping content at scale, attempting to access accounts or data that are not yours, interfering with site security, submitting false or abusive form entries, or reselling our guides and toolkits.

8. Intellectual Property

The Pathways Abroad name, logo, written content, guides, toolkits, videos, graphics, and site design are owned by Pathways Abroad LLC unless otherwise noted. You may download and share our free resources for personal, educational, or internal program use with attribution. You may not sell them, present them as your own, or republish them commercially without written permission. Third-party names and logos remain the property of their owners.

Stories you submit. If you send us an alumni story, photo, or quote, you confirm it is yours to share and you give us permission to edit it for length and clarity and to publish it on this site and in our resources with the name you provided. You keep ownership, and you can ask us to remove it at any time.

9. Limitation of Liability and Assumption of Risk

Pathways Abroad is an information and advisory resource only. We are not a travel agency, tour operator, employer, insurer, academic institution, or program provider.

Programs are agreements between you and the provider. All travel, enrollment, placement, payment, and related arrangements are between you and the third-party program provider, academic institution, travel vendor, or other service provider. To join a program you must apply directly with that organization and accept its terms, waivers, releases, and cancellation policies. Pathways Abroad is not a party to those agreements and has no ability to enforce, modify, or refund them.

Scope of disclaimer. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Pathways Abroad disclaims liability for any claim, loss, damage, injury, illness, accident, death, property damage, theft, delay, travel disruption, missed connection, itinerary change, cancellation, overbooking, lodging or food condition, program quality, supervision or staffing decision, financial loss, denied award funding, visa refusal, or other matter arising from or connected to a third-party provider, your travel, or your reliance on information found on this site.

Assumption of risk. You accept the risks inherent in international travel, volunteering, studying, and interning abroad, including physical and outdoor activities, transportation, political and environmental conditions, and differences in local laws, safety standards, and medical care.

Indemnification. You agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless Pathways Abroad LLC and its founders, employees, contractors, volunteers, agents, and representatives from any claims, demands, causes of action, damages, losses, or expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or relating to your use of this site or your participation in any program.

Cap on damages. Because Pathways Abroad does not charge fees directly to users, any liability we cannot disclaim is limited to one hundred United States dollars (USD $100). We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

10. Site Availability and Content Accuracy

The site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We work to keep program details, award figures, and destination lists current, but content may become outdated or contain errors, and we may change or remove features at any time without notice.

11. Communications

When you submit a form, you agree that we may contact you by email about your request, upcoming group advising sessions, and related educational resources. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us.

12. Site Measurement and Browser Storage

We measure how the site is used with our own first-party records, such as which calls to action are selected and when the Pathfinder tool or a form is used. We do not use cookies, advertising pixels, or third-party analytics services for this, and we honor Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals. The site also stores a small amount of functional information in your browser, including saved and compared destinations. Details are in our Privacy Policy. You agree not to interfere with, falsify, or automate these records.

13. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of Minnesota, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Minnesota.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms as the site grows. The "Last updated" date above reflects the current version, and your continued use of the site after a change means you accept the revised terms.

15. Contact Us

Questions about these terms can be sent to info@pathwaysabroad.org.