Our Options
There are four basic types of programs on this list, with varying degrees of academic offerings, cultural integration, language options, support services, and structure.
Olivia Kenney '25 near the Manang village in the Manang, Annapurna region in Nepal during Fall 2023.
- Integrated: Classes are held at a host university with locals, mostly in the local language (though occasionally with English-taught classes in non-English settings.) E.g.: the University of Edinburgh, University of Cape Town, Middlebury in Chile, Bowdoin Sciences-Po Lyon Exchange.
- Island: Classes taught by American and/or local faculty to study abroad participants in the program facilities. Depending on the program, the language of instruction may be:
- entirely in English with local language classes offered (e.g. the Swedish Program, Budapest Semester in Mathematics),
- a mixture of English and the local language depending on your interests/skill level (e.g. CIEE Seoul, IES Vienna),
- entirely in the local language (e.g. Middlebury in Amman, CET in China).
- Hybrid: Students take classes taught both by the program and a local university, sometimes in English and sometimes in the local language. E.g. Advanced Studies in England, Frontiers Abroad, Hamilton in Paris, IFSA Argentina, IES Madrid.
- Field-based: Classes taught to program participants in various locations “in the field” relating to the academic topics, and often featuring a culminating independent study. Mostly focused on the natural and social sciences, program size tends to be small and English-taught (though not always) and can involve regional or international travel relating to the core theme. E.g. SIT, SFS, SEA Semester, Ecoquest.