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Summer Study Abroad

Carnival in Berlin, Germany

Studying abroad during the summer can be an excellent introduction to life abroad. A summer program is also an alternative for those who are not able to study abroad during the academic year. The following items highlight the process to receive approval for summer study abroad. 

If you would like to get Brandeis credit or use courses for requirements from study at an American university or program here in the United States over the summer, you should fill out the Petition for Non-Brandeis Summer School Transfer Credit (Form TC02) from the Office of the Registrar.

You can download a list of approved programs (pdf) here. All of the programs on the Summer Study Abroad Approved Program List allow you to continue your academic learning in the context of another culture and earn credit toward your degree. There is a great diversity of programs available to Brandeis students in terms of classroom settings, housing options, course availability, location, and classmates. Programs on this list are at least five weeks long and meet for a minimum of 37 contact hours, or 52 hours for lower-level foreign languages, unless otherwise noted.   

The Study Abroad Resource Library in Usdan 127 also contains many brochures and application forms for summer programs.

Course Credit
Summer courses taken abroad may be counted as numeric credit (i.e. summer study abroad courses may count towards the 32 courses required to graduate). You may also use these courses for "purpose" (i.e. placement, pre-requisite, general university and major/minor requirement) credit instead.   

Internship Credit
If you would like to receive credit for an internship abroad during the summer, please make sure that you bring your course work and papers back to Brandeis. You may need to provide these documents to our office in order to receive Brandeis University credit.

A Brandeis Summer Study Abroad Application must be completed and turned into the Office of Study Abroad by 12:00 noon on Friday, March 20th for the summer of 2009. Please note that you must include detailed course information before final approval can be granted. For each course, you must submit the following information:

• Detailed course description or syllabus
• Number of contact hours
• Number of weeks

You should contact your study abroad program directly if you are not able to find this information on the program's Web site.

Also, it is highly recommended that you turn in your summer application even earlier than the deadline, especially if you are interested in departmental credit in your major or minor.

You may receive a Summer Study Abroad Application by meeting with Allyson Goose, Study Abroad Advisor.  Appointments may be scheduled by calling 781-736-3483. 

Any course taken abroad for credit during the summer must meet the following criteria:

• The course must last a minimum of 5 weeks.
• The contact hours must be a minimum of 37 for a regular course and a minimum of 52 for the equivalent of level 10, 20 or 30 foreign language course.
• Students must pass the course with a B- or better in order to receive credit.
• The overseas institution must be formally accredited in the US or abroad and cannot be a language school.
• Students may only claim two course credits per five-week session. Students may claim a maximum of three course credits each summer.

Brandeis Summer Study Abroad Application Deadlines:
12:00 noon, Friday, March 20, 2009 for Summer 2009
It is highly recommended that you submit your application before this deadline.

Study Abroad Program Deadlines:
vary by program; please review the program Web sites.

Many summer study abroad programs have a rolling admissions policy with a final deadline around March 1st.  Be advised that popular programs may fill before the published deadline, therefore you are encouraged to apply early in the spring semester. It is a good idea to be in contact with the administrators of the program you are interested in to ask them how full their program is at that point in time. Some programs have enrollment information available on their Web site.

We also suggest that you apply to the study abroad program(s) of your choice and fill out the Brandeis University Summer Study Abroad Application at the same time, even if the published deadline for the program is not until weeks after the Brandeis study abroad deadline. You should not wait to hear if your Brandeis application has been approved before you apply for your study abroad program. The Brandeis study abroad staff works hard to get you the results of your application in a timely manner but some programs may fill during that time.

We strongly encourage students to contact the programs that interest you early on in the planning process. Staff members at study abroad programs are used to answering questions about their programs and can be an invaluable resource.

External Program Approval Forms
Often study abroad program applications include a section that requires a Brandeis study abroad advisor's signature. It is recommended that you meet with Allyson Goose, Study Abroad Advisor, before you request that these forms be filled out. You can bring the form with you to your appointment. If you have already met with Allyson, please feel free to drop these forms off in our office and be sure to let the staff know if you would like the form sent directly to the program or if you will come pick it up to include with the rest of your application. The Office of Study Abroad requires two full business days to complete these forms, so please plan accordingly.

Program Charges
During a summer abroad, students will be billed for some or all of the following charges from their study abroad program. However, all study abroad programs are different and you should check your program's site-specific information. Some programs do not arrange for these goods and services and you will have to arrange some of them independently.

• program deposit
• program tuition
• room & board
• flights
• books
• visa, entry & exit taxes, passport fees
• local transportation

Brandeis Charges
Students will also be assessed an Off-Campus Study Fee of $400. This fee covers the administrative costs related to off-campus study program approval, transfer of credit and academic course approval.

Program Specific Scholarships
Many institutions will offer grants and scholarships for students studying abroad on their program. Check with your individual program to see if they offer any merit and/or need-based scholarships.

External Scholarships
Please refer to the study abroad Web site for specific procedures on applying for financial aid. The study abroad resource library in Usdan 127 has information on outside funding, scholarships and grants. You may want to browse the study abroad scholarship Web page for information on the scholarships below and various online databases on undergraduate scholarships abroad.

We have also provided a few options for funding below:

Brandeis Scholarships
• Sachar Scholarships for study abroad are available from Brandeis for students receiving need-based financial aid.
• Helen Ke Scholarships are available to Brandeis students interested in studying the Chinese language in China.

The deadline for the Brandeis scholarships is very early and thus summer study abroad students must plan to apply over a year in advance. The deadline for Summer 2010 is March 6, 2009. Application materials are posted in the scholarship section of our Web site and are also available in Usdan 127.

Supplementary Loans
These loans are not need-based and are designed to supplement the parent/ student contribution to your educational costs. They can be used alone or in conjunction with need-based financial aid to finance your study abroad costs. Supplementary loans require additional applications. If you are interested in a supplementary loan, please make an appointment to speak with your financial aid counselor in the Office of Student Financial Services (Usdan 120, 781-736-3700).