Veritas is a distinctive Christian study abroad program offered through WorldStrides that combines spiritual formation, academic study, and cross-cultural immersion across ten carefully selected international cities. You can study in Costa Rica (San José), the Czech Republic (Prague), England (London), France (Paris), Italy (Rome), New Zealand (Dunedin), Peru (Cusco), South Africa (Cape Town), South Korea (Seoul), and Spain (Seville and Valencia).

What makes Veritas unique is its three-part approach to your semester or summer abroad. First, you'll be assigned a dedicated Veritas mentor who connects you with a local church and ministry opportunities tailored to each city's specific needs. This goes beyond typical study abroad—you're not just visiting a place, you're becoming embedded in a faith community and engaging in meaningful service work alongside local believers. Second, you'll participate in regular Bible study, prayer, and community gatherings with your mentor and other Veritas participants. Third, you'll earn official college credit through California Baptist University's online Veritas courses, which transfer back to your home institution.

Academically, semester students choose between two three-credit courses: Comparative Religions (HUM 353), exploring the development and practices of major world religions, or Global Ministry Practicum (HUM 490), which examines missions in the context of international living and studying. Summer participants take a one-credit version of the Global Ministry Practicum. These courses deepen your understanding of your host culture and the spiritual dimensions of global service.

You'll live and study alongside all WorldStrides students in your host city, attending classes and participating in excursions together while maintaining the distinctive Veritas community structure. Real participants describe profound experiences like worshiping in local churches with believers from around the world, being invited into mentor families' daily lives, and discovering how Christian community transcends language and cultural barriers. The combination of authentic church participation, intentional mentorship, academic reflection, and community service creates a transformative experience that goes far beyond conventional study abroad.

This program is ideal for undergraduate students seeking spiritual growth alongside cultural immersion, those interested in global ministry and missions, and students who want their faith to be central to their international education. Veritas proves that study abroad can be simultaneously academically rigorous, spiritually formative, and relationally deep.