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Off-Campus Study Advising and Application Process

We believe students should plan off-campus study in active collaboration with faculty advisors, our office, and other trusted people in their lives. Our office relies on faculty advisors to support students in planning their majors, while finding ways to thoughtfully and purposefully integrate study-away plans with º£½ÇÖ±²¥-based academics. Please see our Guiding Principles section for more of our philosophy around advising and program selection.

The application process to gain º£½ÇÖ±²¥ approval to study off-campus requires submission of a pre-application due in early November and a full OCS application due mid-February. The full OCS application includes an online form as well as a hard-copy course exercise form signed by faculty that is uploaded to students' application portals. More information about this process can be found in the Applying section of our website.

Please take this opportunity to speak with your students about departmental offerings, major/minor requirements, and timing. Please note that the OCS application period coincides with the major declaration process.

Choosing a program:

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students may choose from , though occasionally students will petition for an opportunity off this "Options List". When it comes to program/university selection, we are happy to review the Options List with students in one-on-one meetings, providing them with a variety of recommendations to research and discuss with trusted faculty advisors. We encourage you to reach out to us if you have a question about a program/university brought to you by a student, or to ask us why we are recommending it to your student. Likewise, we are happy to listen to your recommendations about other trusted programs/universities in your field. While there tend to be limited opportunities to revise our Options List, we will certainly take your feedback into consideration!

Letters of recommendation:

Many program/university applications require a faculty recommendation form or letter. We ask students to request these letters/forms from faculty members in a timely manner and to provide faculty members with information about the program and their interest in it. Every institution’s process and timing is different, but most are rolling-admissions and only render admissions decisions once an application is complete. Therefore, prompt completion of recommendations is greatly appreciated! 

Generally speaking, the application process is not as competitive for study abroad programs/universities compared to fellowship and scholarship applications. Therefore, while these letters are greatly appreciated and often required, we do not anticipate that faculty will put the same effort into these letters as compared to other opportunities, such as national fellowships and scholarships.  Letters of recommendation should be on letterhead and they should speak to the following: a) in what capacity do you know the applicant; b) how did the applicant perform in that capacity; c) do you support the student's application to the program/university (e.g., will the applicant be able to adjust to a new academic setting, will it contribute to their academic studies). If you have any questions about an institution's admissions process, please let us know. 

Earning Credit While Off-Campus

It may be helpful to review the OCS Academic Policies and Eligibility section of our website. 

As part of the OCS application process (due mid-February each year), students must submit a Course Exercise form signed by faculty in their major departments (and in their minor department if seeking credit for their minor). These signatures indicate general approval for a student's study away plans as well as pre-approval for major/minor credit for specific courses.

The courses a student lists on this form lmay be subject to change once the student is admitted to their program/university and finalizes their course enrollments. OCS requires students to inform us of their final course schedule, and to inform their faculty advisor(s) of any course changes that may impact their original major/minor credit pre-approvals.

Faculty may request a copy of an individual student's course exercise form from our office at any time.

Danish Institute of Study (DIS):

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ faculty may apply to be a Visiting Faculty Member at DIS in Copenhagen. Faculty apply to teach an upper division 2-credit course for one semester. Proposed courses complement the existing DIS Copenhagen curriculum and make use of local and regional resources. Proposals should be submitted at least 18 months in advance. DIS provides compensation equivalent to a Danish faculty salary, airfare, partial housing stipend and local support.

Advanced Studies in England (ASE, Bath):

ASE accepts faculty proposals to teach on their summer programs. Applications are due about 12 months in advance. In return for teaching one class of 90 minutes each day, Monday through Thursday for five weeks, ASE offers those US faculty chosen: accommodation for five weeks (faculty member and family members), airfare for one person, a modest stipend and two local course-related study-trips.

Institute for International Education of Students (IES):

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ faculty may apply for teaching grants at these IES sites: Barcelona, Dublin, Rome, Berlin, European Union (Freiburg), Milan, Vienna, Buenos Aires, London and Paris. Nomination deadlines (from º£½ÇÖ±²¥'s OCS office) are October 15th to teach in the summer and December 1st to teach in the following academic year. IES provides airfare, a teaching stipend of $4,000 for a 3-credit course and a housing allowance of $4,000 for a semester and $2,000 for a summer.

º£½ÇÖ±²¥-Sciences Po Lyon (France) Exchange:

Twelve visiting faculty members are invited on an annual basis to SP Lyon from among its partners to teach a course. A stipend of roughly 5,000 Euros for 120 hours of teaching can be taught; courses may be taught in a one-month or two-month block or for a regular three-month period. Interested faculty submit an on-line proposal.

Institute for International Education of Students (IES):

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ faculty may apply for research fellowships at any IES study center (more than 40 world-wide). These fellowships allow faculty to stay for up to one month and on-site resident staff assist with introductions for research and introduce faculty members to local colleagues on-site. A housing stipend  is provided by IES. Deadlines are typically December 1^st for summer and March 15^th. 

Faculty who are abroad during a sabbatical or for another reason, such as an academic conference, may take the opportunity to visit a study abroad program or a university. Please contact our office to inquire about possible financial support. It is most useful when faculty members complete an site visit report and submit it to our office so that we can learn from your observations and share with colleagues in your department. Please keep in mind that IES also has funds available to support faculty visits ($250).