Requirements
Requirements for Study Abroad
To qualify for study abroad, you must:
Be in good academic, disciplinary, and financial standing (including a minimum grade point average of 2.7) and not be significantly behind in credits.
Have declared a major.
Present a plan of study that will advance the educational goals stated in your application, enhance your academic program at Mount Holyoke, and qualify for credit transfer.
Plan to study abroad no earlier than second semester of the sophomore year and no later than the second to last semester at the College. Mount Holyoke College does not permit study abroad during one's last semester of their degree.
Obtain approval of the plan from your major advisor and, if the program requires previous knowledge of a language other than English, the appropriate language department.
Demonstrate that you will be able to meet all requirements on schedule for graduation. (Note in particular the residence requirement, which states that a student must be in residence at Mount Holyoke for at least four semesters during their sophomore, junior, and senior years, and complete a minimum of 64 Mount Holyoke credits--including Five College credits--during that time. The requirement is slightly different for transfer students and students admitted in the spring; check with the Registrar's Office for details. No programs abroad count toward the residence requirement, including Mount Holyoke's own programs and exchanges.) It is recommended you run a degree audit in my.mountholyoke to review all of your requirements.
If you meet these requirements, you can expect Mount Holyoke to approve your application. To maintain approval for study abroad after it has been granted, you must remain in good academic, disciplinary, and financial standing. Approval may be withdrawn for a student who is placed on academic probation, is subject to other disciplinary action, or has an unpaid balance at Mount Holyoke. A medical leave granted prior to study abroad generally will cancel the study abroad approval unless the student obtains clearance from Health Services or Counseling Services.
For international students:
Part of the value of study abroad is learning about a new country or culture. For that reason, students will not be approved to study abroad in a country if that country is their permanent residence.
If you take classes in your home country (“country of residence”), this is not considered study abroad. If you plan to study for a semester or more, you must request a leave of absence. You will work with the Office of the Registrar to determine if they coursework/credit can be transferred to Mount Holyoke.