Study Abroad

Qualified students wishing to extend their academic pursuits beyond the College may attend a select foreign university or an approved international academic program through the Study Abroad Program. The approved Study Abroad Program portfolio is designed to offer impactful, accessible, intellectually and personally meaningful programs that meet the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad.  The College's portfolio includes year-long, semester, and short-term programs in 25+ countries throughout the world:

• Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Bhutan, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece,  Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Turks & Caicos Islands

Students can participate in academic-year, semester-long, and/or Maymester study abroad programs while enrolled at the College. All of these programs provide students with an exciting and fully credited complement to the courses available at Holy Cross, and serve as international extensions of the College's curriculum and facilities.

Holy Cross strives to integrate its students into the intellectual and cultural fabric of their host countries and host institutions. For its signature direct-enroll programs, Study Abroad establishes ongoing partnerships with premier universities worldwide, where it contracts with local staff to serve as academic mentors, cultural and housing advisors, and foreign language tutors. Students enroll directly in these institutions and enjoy the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as local students. Holy Cross students have the same access to professors as their local peers and, in most cases, take the same number of courses. They can also engage fully in campus life, including membership in student societies and participation in either varsity or intramural athletics.

Second-year students apply for one of the academic-year or semester programs in the fall before Thanksgiving. Study abroad ordinarily begins in the fall semester of the third year and lasts for a semester or full academic year. Students planning to study in the southern hemisphere (Argentina, Australia, Ecuador, South Africa), where the academic calendar is different, can study second semester of their sophomore (or junior) year and the first semester of their junior (or senior) year. Students are required to have a minimum B average (3.00 cumulative GPA) or equivalent qualifications to study abroad.

Students who intend to participate in a language-intensive program in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish are expected to achieve intermediate level competency in that language before going abroad. Beginning language learners entering Holy Cross who are considering a language-intensive program should, therefore, pursue foreign language study in their first year and continue in their second. Students should expect to demonstrate competence in understanding and speaking that language. Also, a background of courses that includes the selected country’s history, literature, fine arts, and philosophy will be viewed favorably in evaluating a student’s candidacy for study abroad. Depending on their study abroad location, students may receive a minimum of three weeks of intensive language training before matriculating in the host university. Students continue to receive language-training throughout the year, as well as tutorial support in their courses. Students studying in language-intensive programs, in most cases, live with local families.

During the summer, the College offers faculty-led Maymester programs in cities such as Bangalore, Hamilton, Havana, London, Paris, and Rome. Maymester Study Abroad is a short-term, high impact learning opportunity that offers students the chance to take a Holy Cross course with their peers abroad. Maymester programs usually run for four weeks (end of May to the end of June) and are the equivalent of one Holy Cross course. Taught by Holy Cross faculty, Maymester programs are highly experiential, and open to all majors. Any first-year, sophomore, or junior in good academic and disciplinary standing is eligible to participate in a Maymester program, but space may be limited. Graduating seniors are not eligible to participate in Maymester programs. Applications for Maymester Study Abroad close mid-November.

With the exception of athletic scholarships, all financial aid (including Holy Cross financial aid) may be applied to Holy Cross Study Abroad Programs during the academic year. Financial aid for summer programs may be available but is not guaranteed.

STUDY AWAY

Students who wish to engage in academic course work not available at the College may apply for a semester or academic year of study at another institution based in the United States. The College approves a small portfolio of programs which includes: Sea Education Association (SEA), co-sponsored by Boston University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, internationally recognized in undergraduate ocean education; Gallaudet University, a private federally chartered university in Washington D.C. for the education of deaf and the hard of hearing; Spelman College, a private historically Black women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia; and Morehouse College, a private historically Black men's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. The Office of Study Abroad manages the application portal for Study Award Programs.