Application

In most cases, you must apply both to Mount Holyoke for academic leave of absence for study abroad, and directly to your host program or university for admission. You will remain matriculated at Mount Holyoke during the time that you are away, and we will automatically plan for your return the following semester. More information about leaves of absence (including requirements and credit transfer) is available on the Academic Deans’ Leaves of Absence Web site.

Requirements for Study Abroad
Applying to Mount Holyoke for Leave of Absence
Applying to a Program/University

Requirements for Study Abroad

If you meet the following requirements, choose programs that Mount Holyoke approves for credit transfer, and can demonstrate that you will still be able to graduate on schedule, you can expect that we will approve your application for study abroad.

To qualify for academic leave of absence for study abroad, you must:

• Be in good academic standing (including a minimum grade point average of 2.7) and not be significantly behind in credits.
• Declare a major, if you are applying to study abroad during your junior or senior year.
• Present a plan of study that is appropriate to your academic program and transferable to Mount Holyoke.
• Obtain the approval of your plan from your major advisor and, if the program requires previous knowledge of a language other than English, the appropriate language department.
• Demonstrate that you will be able to meet all requirements on schedule for graduation.   (Note in particular that you must be in residence at Mount Holyoke for at least four semesters during your sophomore, junior, and senior years, and complete a minimum of 64 Mount Holyoke credits--including Five College credits--during that time.)

Applying to Mount Holyoke for Leave of Absence

• All students applying for study abroad must submit Mount Holyoke’s Request to Study Abroad form.  (You do not need to submit the separate Academic Leave of Absence application, which is only for study away within the U.S.)
• All students applying for financial aid (Laurel Fellowships for Off-Campus Study) must complete the Laurel Fellowship application in addition to the Request to Study Abroad. The Laurel Fellowship deadlines (December 7, 2007, for academic year 2008-2009 or Fall 2008, and March 31, 2008, for Spring 2009) take precedence over any later deadlines for the programs or exchanges themselves.  You must submit the Request to Study Abroad along with your Laurel Fellowship application.
• Except in the case of students applying for Laurel Fellowships and/or Mount Holyoke programs and exchanges, we review applications on a rolling basis.
• When you are approved by Mount Holyoke for study abroad, you will receive a letter listing the specific programs for which the approval pertains; if your plans change, you must file an amended form.
• Note that filing the Request to Study Abroad is simply requesting a leave of absence and does not commit you to taking the leave. You should file by the deadline whether or not your plans are definite.  You will have until the end of the semester preceding the leave to let us know whether you will be going abroad.

Applying to a Program/University

Mount Holyoke offers a number of its own programs and exchanges, and is affiliated with several other programs and universities.  Beyond these affiliations, we maintain an extensive list of other programs abroad that we have approved for credit transfer.  Application procedures and deadlines vary.  You are responsible for obtaining the appropriate application forms for your program (most are available on program websites) and for submitting applications according to the stated deadlines.

• Special application procedures and deadlines apply to Mount Holyoke’s own and affiliated programs; see Deadlines for details.
• Most programs and universities abroad have rolling admission. Because some programs are competitive and may fill before the published deadline, we strongly recommend that you apply early.
• In most cases, application to two or three programs will be sufficient. The majority of Mount Holyoke students each year are accepted to their first-choice program. If you choose programs for which you meet the admission requirements and submit complete applications in a timely way, you can maximize your chances of being accepted to the program of your choice.
• Your program application may require a form or letter indicating that you have Mount Holyoke's approval to study on the program and receive credit for the work. Joanne Picard, the Dean of International Studies, will sign these forms, provided that your Request to Study Abroad has already been approved.