While Amherst does not grant credit nor award financial aid for summer study - whether in the U.S. or abroad - we encourage students to participate in summer programs. We have developed some resources to help you choose a program and find funding, if necessary. Amherst College fellowships are open to first, second and third year students; unfortunately graduating seniors are not eligible.
Amherst College Summer Study Abroad Fellowships
The Summer Study Abroad Fellowships allow students to study abroad in the summer for a minimum of six weeks. These highly selective fellowships fund a wide range of programs around the world: language and culture studies; research programs in STEM, humanities and social sciences; internship programs. Students can choose from any program on the summer program list. (You may apply to a program not on the list so long as it is recommended by expert faculty from Amherst.)
Some funds have specificity as to where students must travel; others are more open. Please see below for details on each of the funds.
- The Ouyang Family Summer Study Abroad Fund supports students on financial aid to study in China (roughly half of the funds) as well as any other country in the world.
- The Opperman Fund supports students to study Chinese language and culture. (The faculty in Asian Languages and Civilizations selects recipients for the Opperman Fund, but the application is the same as general summer study abroad fellowships.)
- The Huh Family Fund supports students interested in studying abroad in Korea with preference for those students who are not of Korean heritage, including students who were adopted from Korea but raised elsewhere and who do not have any connection to their Korean heritage. (Preference given to students who intend to study abroad in the fall semester, for a summer+fall experience.)
- Roch-McKinstry Study Abroad Fund supports study abroad to any country in the world.
- William E. Ford III 1983 Fund supports study anywhere in the world, with preference for programs in Asia or Latin America.
After participation in the program, students are required to:
- Complete an evaluation of your experience for Amherst.
- Submit a letter of appreciation to the donor(s).
- Organize an event with the Global Education Office about your study abroad country and program.
Please note the following:
- Fellowships are for first-years, sophomores, and juniors only and all participants must be undergraduates for the duration of their program.
- It is possible that these awards will be taxable to the recipient(s) if s/he is a U.S. citizen, but the college is not required to report this payment and you should check with your tax accountant to see if taxes apply to your situation.
- Students applying to the Shoyu Club Japanese language study fellowship (which has a separate application) are not permitted to submit an application for any of these funds.
- Recipients are chosen by the faculty Committee on Global Education.
All applications must be complete by March 15, 2023. Instructions and the application are online.