New Program Puts Summer Study Abroad within Reach of All Yale College Students

Beginning this year, Yale University will provide undergraduates on financial aid with grant support for summer study and unpaid internships abroad, University President Richard C. Levin has announced.

The level of aid provided by the new International Summer Award Program (ISA) will be proportional to the generous financial support Yale awards to students during the regular academic year.

“Study abroad and first–hand exposure to foreign cultures are crucial training for those who will live and work in an increasingly global society,” Levin said. “Providing significant grants for students with financial need will make it possible for them to have an invaluable international experience that is an integral part of their education.”

The ISA for this summer will include all international summer study abroad offered by the Yale Summer Session program. In 2005, Yale Summer Session study abroad is offered in Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya and Russia in subjects including language, music, film and art history. Approved study abroad programs for students majoring in anthropology, archaeological studies and ecology and evolutionary biology are also eligible for grant assistance under the ISA as are all international summer internship programs administered by Yale Undergraduate Career Services. Internships in a host of fields for 2005 include positions in China, Germany, Ghana, India, Peru, Spain and the UK. Certain study abroad programs administered in the Yale Office of International Education and Fellowship Programs also are covered. In subsequent years, Yale College expects to expand the number of international summer programs eligible for ISA support.

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors who are receiving need–based financial aid from Yale are eligible for international summer awards if they are accepted into one of the designated international opportunities. The amount of aid students receive will depend on the level of aid they received during the academic year and the cost of their summer program. The maximum grant will equal the full cost of the summer international opportunity plus the $2,250 students are expected to earn during the summer in support of their education, freeing them of the need to earn money for school over the summer.

The ISA for summer 2005 is the first step in the College’s efforts to meet the recommendation of the Committee on Yale College Education to provide funding to every undergraduate with financial need for one Yale–approved opportunity abroad. By 2007–2008, Yale College hopes that virtually all Yale undergraduates will study, do research, work, or volunteer abroad at least once during their undergraduate careers.

The ISA complements other international opportunities for Yale undergraduates, including study abroad for one or two semesters during junior year in college. Students on financial aid who choose to go abroad during the regular term receive financial aid in the same way they would receive it if they stayed on campus. There are also fellowship programs for international opportunities that provide funding that does not depend on the student’s financial need.

Yale admits all students without regard to their ability to pay for their education and guarantees to meet their full demonstrated financial need.

Full information about the ISA is available at: www.yale.edu/isa.