Summer Study Away | For Students

Summer 2023

The Summer Study Abroad Fellowships will support in-person programs for the summer of 2023. (The application will open early in the spring semester, exact date TBD.) For students pursuing study to countries that have entry restrictions (e.g., China), students may choose online learning programs. (For example, a student interested in studying in China may apply to study in person but if entry to China remains restricted and the program moves online, the student can still have the fellowship funds cover tuition for the online course. Students may also apply to study Chinese language domestically, e.g., Middlebury Language Schools in VT.)

If a student accepts one of the summer study abroad fellowships, they may be required to petition the college's travel policy, if necessary, and complete a special acknowledgement of risk form.

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.

Arabic Language Study Fellowship

Two Amherst students will receive funds from Sally Rathman Kadifa, M.D. ’81 and Samia Geha Foster, M.D. ’92 to study Arabic at the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies at The American University of Beirut (AUB) on the CAMES Summer Arabic Program. The tentative dates of the program for summer 2023 are mid-June 22 - mid-August. The fellowship will cover tuition (~$5,000 exact amount TBA), required AUB health insurance (~$181), access to AUB's athletic facilities (~$100), accommodation in a shared double (~$1,050), airfare (variable depending on departure city) and visa fees. Additional expenses may be included in your budget and AUB's Cost of Living Sheet may be helpful.

After participation in the program, students are required to:

Complete an evaluation of the experience for Amherst College.
Submit a letter of appreciation to the donors.
Organize an event with the Global Education Office about the experience/program/location.

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.
Students selected for this fellowship must submit additional documentation (e.g., passport photos, a copy of the passport page, and other information) as required by AUB. Students must be formally accepted by AUB in order to use the fellowship.
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 form are online.

If awarded the fellowship, students will then be asked to complete AUB CAMES' online application, due April 15. Students are welcome to complete the CAMES application in advance of learning about the outcome of their fellowship application, though they should wait to confirm attendance if the fellowship funds are required for participation. If accepted, a student may need to petition the college's travel policy.

Summer Fellowship Funded by the Shoyu Club of Japan (suspended for 2023)

The Ishikawa Japanese Studies Program operational status is suspended for the summer 2023. We expect it will be running in summer 2024.

Through a generous scholarship from the Shoyu Club of Japan, two Amherst students will have the opportunity to study Japanese with the prestigious Ishikawa Japanese Studies Program. Upon finishing courses, students travel to Tokyo to spend a few days for their cultural studies and to have dinner with members of the Shoyu Club of Japan. Students will study in Japan from late May to late June (exact dates to be determined), taking Japanese language and culture courses while living with a host family. Students must have a minimum of one year of college-level Japanese to apply. They must also have a strong and continuous interest in pursuing the Japanese language and culture and are expected to continue with Japanese language study upon their return. This merit-based award includes tuition, room and board, and one-half of the airfare. Selected students must pay the remaining one-half of the airfare plus any personal expenses. Selected applicants will be interviewed by the department before the final awardees are chosen.

If a student is awarded the Shoyu Club of Japan Fellowship, s/he is not eligible for the summer study abroad fellowships in the same summer. Recipients are chosen by a faculty committee in the department of Asian Languages and Civilizations. After returning home, students must complete an evaluation of the experience for Amherst College and Shoyu Club Fellowship recipients must also complete a letter of appreciation.

Nagle Fellowship for Asian Art and Culture

The Summer International Experience in Asian Art and Culture Fellowship, established by Scott Nagle '85, will provide a student with $5000 (and up to $7500, depending on the project) in funding to travel to Asia over the summer to undertake a project related to Asian art history, Asian culture, or museum careers with a focus on Asian art and/or culture. Asia is broadly defined to include East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, or West Asia (i.e., the Middle East). Faculty in Asian Languages and Civilizations will award funds. Questions should be directed to scmorse@amherst.edu.

All applications must be complete by February 13, 2023. Instructions and the application form are online.

Nagle Summer Research Collaboration in Asian Art and Culture Fellowship

The Summer Research Collaboration in Asian Art and Culture Fellowship,established by Scott Nagle '85, will provide a student with $5000 (and up to $7500, depending on the project) in funding to undertake a project related to Asian art history, Asian culture, or museum careers with a focus on Asian art and culture. This research project will take place in partnership with a professor on campus over the summer. Asia is broadly defined to include East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, or West Asia (i.e., the Middle East). Faculty in Asian Languages and Civilizations will award funds. Questions should be directed to scmorse@amherst.edu.

All applications must be complete by February 13, 2023. Instructions and the application form are online.

Nihon Ryuugaku Japan Fellowship

The Nihon Ryuugaku Japan Fellowship is funded by Geoff Smith '99 and supports study of Japanese language and culture. These funds are managed by the Asian Languages and Civilizations department and may extend the deadline for this particular application. Application instructions forthcoming. The application is online and there is no deadline; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Finding a Summer Program

If you are not applying for one of the fellowships but considering study away by either financing it yourself or seeking aid from the program, please read on. Many of the program providers that have semester and year-long programs will also offer summer study options. In addition, there are other programs run by colleges exclusively in the summer. Since Amherst does not grant credit nor award financial aid for summer study, we do not have an approved list of programs but do recommend students look at the program list for suggestions. The large program providers all have summer study; a short list is below. Please note this is not exhaustive! There are many more programs you can find through www.studyabroad.com and IIEPassport. If you are interested in language study, please see the Languages.state.gov website (and please note many of these opportunities are only available to U.S. citizens).

International Programs

For international summer programs, please refer to the summer study abroad fellowships program list.

Domestic Programs

SEA Semester: Maritime Studies at Woods Hole and at Sea
Woods Hole Partnership Education Program: Marine and Environmental Studies at Woods Hole, MA
O'Neill Theater Institute

Domestic Language Programs

Arizona State University Critical Languages Institute (Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Persian, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Uzbek, Hebrew, Macedonian)
Beloit College Summer Intensive Language Study (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian)
Middlebury College Language Schools (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish)
Middlebury Institute Summer Intensive Language Program (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian Spanish)
South Asia Summer Language Institute (Bengali, Hindi, Pashto, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil, Tibetan, Urdu)
Center for Chinese Studies (Chinese)
Johns Hopkins Summer Language Institute (Arabic, Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, Russian)

There are also many language schools overseas that offer short non-credit-bearing courses. These programs can range anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Program fees and services may vary; be sure to research each thoroughly to see if the school is appropriate for you. Like all summer experiences, Amherst College does not give credit for these types of schools, but a few suggestions are below. It is your responsibility to evaluate the school and determine whether or not it meets your needs.

ARABIC

CHINESE

FRENCH

GERMAN

SPANISH IN SOUTH AMERICA

More language school suggestions around the world through Transitionsabroad.com, and other opportunities can be found in the study abroad library in the Loeb Center at the following websites:

Funding a Summer Study Abroad Program

Many study abroad providers will have scholarship (merit- and need-based) available for their summer programs. Check directly with the provider to find out if you qualify. For example:

Association for Asian Studies, for which Amherst is a member, has a wonderful resource page for study to Asia and study of Asian languages.
HKU Crimson Summer Exchange brings western university students, Hong Kong University students, local and Mainland China secondary students for a summer cross-cultural education program. Fellowships cover tuition, room, board and partial airfare.
Middlebury College has 100 Kathryn Davis Fellowships for Peace to study critical languages.
Organization of Tropical Studies, Duke University for advanced biology students: Research Experience for Undergraduates
The School of Russian and Asian Studies has a listing of funding opportunities - including their own - for study to Russian-speaking countries.
Columbia University's Office of Global Programs offers scholarships for their summer programs in China and Japan.
The University of East Anglia in the UK has scholarships for summer study each year.
The University of Auckland has scholarship opportunities for research from mid-December to January, which is "summer" in NZ. These scholarships are available in many departments, from the university homepage choose a faculty (e.g. Faculty of Arts) and choose "Summer Research Scholarships" from the right-hand menu.
Taiwan US Alliance Ambassador Summer Scholarship Program is an 8-week program for U.S. college students interested in learning Chinese and about Taiwanese culture.
The Taiwan Scholarship Program offered by the Minsistry of Education in Taiwan provides grants that include tuition and a monthly stipend.
Yunus Emre Foundation is a non-profit organization promoting Turkey, Turkish language, its history, culture, and art, as well as making related information and documents available for use in the world. The Yunus Emre Institute will cover the entire cost of the program, including airfare to and from Turkey and meals on the program, for recipients.
Woods Hole Partnership in Education Program is a 4-week course and 6-10 week research project for students in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Scholarship covers tuition, room and board, and a stipend.

Other organizations are:

Five Colleges, Inc. has two Charles Mack language scholarships, one for the Czech language to study in the Czech Republic and one to study any language taught at the Five College Center for World Languages.
The DAAD organization has many fully and partially funded opportunities in Germany.
For students interested in economics, environmental studies, real estate and property management, the FIABCI-USA, the U.S. chapter of the International Real Estate Federation, offers scholarships for educational programs in these disciplines in the U.S. or abroad.

There are also special scholarships offered through the U.S. government (for U.S. citizens):

U.S. Critical Language Program - offers intensive study of targeted "critical languages" at determined summer institutes around the world. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
Boren Scholarships - offer summer language study at a study abroad program of the applicant's choice, but students must be in the sciences, technology, and engineering. Students from other disciplines should consider a Boren Scholarship for a semester or year. Each scholarship requires a term of government service; applicants must be U.S. citizens. See website for more details.
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship - provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding. Study abroad program to non-traditional areas is highly encouraged (e.g. to Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East). See website for more details.

Be sure to visit StudyAbroadFunding.org, StudyAbroad.com, MoneyGeek.com, and GoAbroad.com for more resources on funding your summer experience.

Office of Global Education Summer Study Away

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