Summer Opportunities

Many students choose to study abroad in the summer instead of, or in addition to, the academic year. Summer study abroad has the advantage of flexibility since students are not limited to the list of approved programs. Students hoping to transfer credit from summer study abroad must review transfer credit policies and apply for transfer credit approval through the Registrar's Office.

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How to Select a Program

Take time to consider and define your academic, professional and personal goals. What specific outcomes do you want to achieve during your summer study abroad experience? What is most important to you - academic exploration, linguistic fluency, cultural immersion, professional development through an internship? Carefully considering your goals can help you make decisions about program location, structure, and style. For example, you may choose a program with a homestay option to improve language learning, or a program with an internship tied to an academic course if you want to earn credit and explore a profession.
Consider summer study abroad opportunities supported by the College, such as the Institut d’Avignon.
Look at the Study Abroad Approved Programs List for inspiration. While you are not limited to these programs during the summer, these institutions and organizations are reputable and have been approved by the Study Abroad Committee for BMC students’ participation during the academic year. Many offer summer programs as well.
Ask questions! Reach out to the host program and ask about courses they are planning to offer, the application process, how they are adapting the program to adjust for covid-related concerns, etc. Every program will have advisors who can answer specific questions about how their program is structured.
Talk to faculty and your major/minor advisor for suggestions.

How to Fund a Program

Bryn Mawr College does not offer institutional aid for summer study, including summer study abroad.
Utilize the Global Bryn Mawr Funding Database. It lists all funds provided through the Bi-Co for Bryn Mawr undergraduates to travel abroad. This includes opportunities for research, learning, and work in international contexts, such as grants, scholarships, fellowships, and structured programs. The database can be found here: https://bmcglobalfunding.pory.app/
Reach out to the College’s Fellowships Advisor Ellie Stanford at estanford1@brynmawr.edu
Ask the host program if they offer scholarships that you can apply for.
Plan ahead! Deadlines for funding opportunities are typically in January or February, and some even have deadlines as early as November for the following summer.

How to Get College Approval

You do not need approval of the study abroad office to apply or participate in summer programs.
Students hoping to transfer credit from summer study abroad apply for transfer credit approval through the Registrar's Office.
When you complete the application of the host program, they may ask you for the name of an advisor to fill out a Home School Authorization form, verifying that you are a matriculating student in good standing who has permission to participate in the summer program. This should be completed by Bryn Mawr College’s Registrar’s Office.

How to Transfer Credits

The Registrar's Office considers applications for course credit for summer study abroad programs.
Students applying to a summer program administered by Bryn Mawr College, such as the Institut d'Études Françaises d'Avignon and the Laɣim Tehi Tuma program in Ghana, do not need to complete this form.
You must take your courses abroad for a letter grade; courses with a 2.0 / C or better will transfer to your BMC transcript for credit. Grades earned abroad are not included in a student’s Bryn Mawr Grade Point Average. Only the number of transferred credits is recorded on the Bryn Mawr transcript.
Your host program should send your transcript directly to the Bryn Mawr Registrar’s Office at the end of the program.
The Registrar makes the final determination on transfer of credit from your summer study abroad program to your Bryn Mawr transcript.
Note that the Registrar will not release your transcript once received. Students typically are asked to submit their study abroad transcript when applying to graduate or professional schools, which take the study abroad grades into consideration when evaluating the application. You should request that your host program send a transcript directly to you at the end of your summer study abroad program, for your records, in addition to the one they send to the Registrar’s Office. You should also inquire about how to request copies of your transcript in future if needed.