Study Abroad

Study abroad offers students a powerful personal and intellectual experience to advance their academics, their understanding of global issues, and their sense of self in the world.  Each year more than 200 Mount Holyoke students spend a semester or a year studying abroad.  Students may choose from language immersion, field studies, or traditional classroom-based programs in more than 50 countries.

New and Noteworthy 

  • Did you know that Laurel Fellowship awards (financial aid) for study abroad take into account tuition, room, and board, plus the cost of airfare, books, personal expenses, and MHC's administrative fee?   And that each year virtually all eligible applicants are approved for funding?  Apply by March 30, 2012, for Spring 2013.

  • Freeman-ASIA awards are available for study in East or Southeast Asia. Awards cover up to $3,000 for summer, $5000 for semester, and $7000 for academic year programs. Apply by February 15 for programs in summer 2012, by April 4 for programs beginning in Fall 2012. 

First Steps

  • Think about your goals for study abroad. Do you want to improve your foreign language proficiency, or learn a new language? Deepen your exposure to your major or minor field? Challenge your assumptions by learning in a place and culture very different from your own? The more clearly you can articulate your goals, the easier it will be to find a program.

  • Consider what type of program is best for you. Traditional study abroad programs allow you to study the host country language while taking courses arranged for international students and/or with students from the host country. Field studies programs combine coursework with practical experience (research, independent study, community-based learning) while focusing on a particular theme or issue. Direct-enrollment programs allow you to take all of your courses alongside your peers from the host country (best for students who have a strong background in the host-country language or who wish to study in an English-speaking country).

  • Explore possibilities. Check out the list of more than 100 approved programs on our website, organized by region. Come to the McCulloch Center Lounge (104 Dwight Hall) for program brochures and catalogues, and to read evaluations from previous students. Check out application procedures and deadlines. Talk with your major advisor or department chair about earning credit toward your major. Consider costs and whether you will be eligible to apply for the Laurel Fellowships for Off-Campus Study.

  • Tap the wisdom of others. Talk with your advisor about how to integrate study abroad into your program here. Ask language or area studies faculty for advice about programs in the regions they know well. Come to info sessions and other events offered by the McCulloch Center. Talk with other students who have studied abroad.

Once you have done some of this preliminary thinking and research, you may also call x 2072 to make an appointment to meet with Joanne Picard, Dean of International Studies (for study in Asia and the Pacific, Europe, or Latin America) or Jale Okay, Director of International Experiential Learning (for study in the Middle East or Africa). If you have some ideas (even vague ideas) about your goals and how you might meet them, we will be best able to focus on your particular interests and advise you about options and next steps. Note that appointments in September are reserved for students applying to study abroad in the spring, as they will have early deadlines. Students interested in studying abroad in the fall or beyond may call after October 1 to make appointments.