Study Abroad,
Domestic Study Away
Spending a semester or a year studying abroad or pursu-
ing domestic study away from MIT (at another US
school) can be a wonderful learning and living experi-
ence. Students are able to study a variety of topics often
from a different perspective than at MIT and add new
dimensions to their high tech education.
The Process
Students ranging from sophomores to seniors may
choose to study abroad or pursue domestic study away
at a school or program of their choice. It is advisable to
begin planning in your freshman year. Application pro-
cesses vary depending on the particular study abroad or
domestic study away program. Students should make an
appointment with Global Education, 12-189,
http://gecd.mit.edu/go_abroad/study, when they start
thinking about studying abroad or away domestically.
After being admitted to a study abroad/study away pro-
gram, students are required to have their program ap-
proved by their faculty advisor and faculty transfer
credit examiner(s) in the appropriate department(s). Stu-
dents approved for study abroad/study away maintain
official registration status as an “undergraduate on for-
eign/domestic study away.” It is generally expected that
a student who studies abroad or away from MIT will
return to MIT for the completion of his or her degree.
Junior Year Abroad
The opportunities to study abroad are exciting and en-
riching and are intended to not interrupt the student’s
studies here at MIT. Students have used their overseas
study to take courses in their major, to complete hu-
manities requirements, or to become fluent in a new lan-
guage. In recent years, MIT students have studied at
institutions such as the University of Cambridge
(through the Cambridge-MIT Exchange Program
http://gecd.mit.edu/go_abroad/study/explore/cme),
Tsinghua University, the Universidad Politécnica de
Madrid and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid
(through the MIT-Madrid Program), École Polytech-
nique in Paris, and the University of New South Wales
in Australia.
Summer and IAP Abroad
Many students choose to study abroad during the sum-
mer or IAP. The wide range of opportunities include
IAP-Madrid, Learn, Live, and Intern in China (LLIC),
and the London School of Economics Summer Program.
Domestic Study Away
A few students have chosen to study at other US
schools, such as the University of California, Berkeley,
or New York University. Generally students enroll di-
rectly in these institutions. To qualify for Domestic Year
Away status, a student must show that his or her pro-
posed program of study draws upon resources available
at the outside institution that are not generally available
at MIT, or at the institutions with which MIT has cross-
registration privileges. In addition, a student's planned
program of study should be consistent with his or her
overall degree program at MIT.
Tuition, Financial Aid, and Scholarships
The cost of study abroad/study away is often less than at
MIT, and students are eligible for financial aid during
the academic year only, using outside scholarships and
loans just as they would at MIT. Students should meet
with their financial aid representative at least a term pri-
or to going abroad/away. Although financial aid does
not apply during the IAP and summer terms, there are a
number of MIT and outside scholarships available, so
please contact Global Education to learn more.
Contact Information
For further information, contact studyabroad@mit.edu.
Please also visit http://gecd.mit.edu/go_abroad/study for
complete details about study abroad/away at MIT.
The MIT Course Catalog contains further information
on the Institute, including all graduate and undergradu-
ate courses and programs. Please visit the MIT Course
Catalog website for more details at
http://web.mit.edu/catalog/index.html.
2012