Summer Study Abroad

While Amherst does not grant credit nor award financial aid for summer study abroad, we encourage students to participate in summer study abroad programs. We have developed some resources to help you choose a program and find funding, if necessary. Fellowships are open to first, second and third year students; unfortunately graduating seniors are not eligible.

Finding a summer study abroad program

Funding a summer study abroad program

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 study abroad 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 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.
  • 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 International Education.

Applications must be completed online and are due Friday, March 16, 2018. The waiver and budget template to be uploaded to your application are below.



Arabic Language Study Fellowship

Two Amherst students will receive up to $6,000, 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 program runs from June 20 - August 8, 2018 and covers tuition, accommodation in a double room with shared bath on the AUB campus, the required health insurance fee, and may cover partial airfare (depending on price). Students must cover meals, books, personal expenses and any remaining airfare.

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 International Education.

Applications must be completed online and are due Friday, March 16, 2018. The waiver and special waiver to be uploaded to your application are below.


The Summer+Semester in China Fellowship

The Chia Family Foundation believes a student who is "equipped with an Amherst education - among the finest liberal arts offerings in the world - and a deep understanding of China and Chinese culture is a student with a significant advantage in our future interaction with that part of the world." The Frances Chia Fellowship provides support for financial aid students who have not yet had experience in Asia to spend a summer immersed in China or a Chinese-speaking country. The Chia Fellows will pair an academic semester (or year) with a summer experience participating in a internship, research, or study abroad program from the program list.

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.
  • Recipients are chosen by the faculty Committee on International Education.

Applications must be completed online and are due Friday, March 16, 2018. The waiver and budget template to be uploaded to your application are below.



Shoyu Club of Japan Fellowship

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. Students will spend six weeks from July 5-August 13, 2018 taking Japanese language and culture courses while living with a host family. 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 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.

Applications must be completed online and are due February 23, 2018. The waiver to be uploaded to your application is below.

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 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. 

Applications must be completed online and are due February 23, 2018. The waiver to be uploaded to your application is below.

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 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.

Applications must be completed online and are due February 23, 2018. The waiver to be uploaded to your application is below.

Finding a summer study abroad program

If you are not applying for one of the fellowships but considering study abroad by either financing it yourself or seeking aid from the program, please read on.  Many of the study abroad providers that have semester and year-long programs will also offer summer study abroad.  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 study abroad 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.

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

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
Italian
Russian
Spanish in Spain
Spanish in South America

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

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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:

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.

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Be sure to visit StudyAbroadFunding.org, StudyAbroad.com, MoneyGeek.com, and GoAbroad.com for more resources on funding your study abroad experience.  The guide Financial Resources for International Study in the Career Center is also available.

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