Undergraduate Study Abroad

Summer Programs

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Summer Programs

Students can participate in one of the many summer international opportunities offered through Brown.

The Office of Global Engagement, in partnership with Summer Session, is thrilled to announce the following four Brown faculty-led study abroad programs for Summer 2025: CHINA: Chinese Language, Arts, and Culture; LONDON: Reading and Writing its Past, Present, and Future; MEXICO CITY: Sex, Sports, and Urban Space; and SOUTH KOREA: A Deep Dive Into the Energy Industry.

Applications for Summer 2025 programs are now open!  Application links and instructions are available on the individual program webpages or through Brown's study abroad application portal. 

Please note that for some programs, parts of the course will be offered in a hybrid/online format.

Comillas, Spain
Comillas, Spain

In addition to Brown-administered summer study abroad programs, students are able to independently pursue study abroad experiences for personal enrichment and can request transfer credit for their experience. In order for students to transfer credit from a summer study abroad experience, the credit transfer guidelines articulated below must be followed. If you are pursuing an independent study abroad experience and have questions regarding credit transferability, please email studyabroad@brown.edu. 

Students may participate in Brown and CASA summer study abroad programs as well as non-Brown summer study abroad credit transfer. Aside from these academic study abroad programs, students can participate in one of the many international opportunities offered through other departments at Brown. Limited financial assistance may be available for Brown students in the form of grants (for Brown programs only), student loans, and outside scholarships.

 

Guidance for Discovering a Non-Brown Summer Study Abroad Program

Many of the host institutions and study abroad program providers that Brown partners with for fall and spring study abroad programs also offer summer opportunities. As you conduct research to find summer opportunities, it may be helpful to start with reputable organizations that Brown already works with. Below you'll find a summary of organizations that may have summer opportunities that pique your interest: 

 

Multiple locations: Arcadia, CET, CIEE, IES, IFSA,  SIT, and SFS

Specific city/country locations: DIS (Copenhagen, Denmark or Stockholm, Sweden); College Year in Athens (Athens, Greece), KCJS Consortium (Kyoto, Japan).

 

US College and Universities

RISD offers faculty-led Global Summer Studies open to Brown and other visiting students. 

Many other US universities, including Barnard College, Boston University, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Syracuse University offer their own study abroad programs with summer options for visiting students.  These may include faculty-led programs, or field school programs like Temple Summer in Italy Excavation of the Roman Villa in Artena.

Overseas Universities and Programs

Some UK and European universities offer summer classes— but have a limited selection—or are sometimes based on specific themes or programs. Here are a few samples:

 

Czech Republic

Charles University

 

France

Sciences Po, Paris

 

Germany

Summer Theater Intensive at Bard College Berlin

Humboldt International Campus Summer University


India

Ashoka International Summer Programme

FLAME Summer School

 

Ireland

 

Japan

Keio University

 

England

 

Scotland

 

South Korea

 

 

Brown Summer Study Abroad Policies

Brown and Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA) summer programs, many of the traditional academic, financial, and conduct policies apply abroad.

Policies

Summer Beyond Brown

Students participating in a non-Brown summer study abroad program participate independently of their enrollment at Brown and thus would be participating for personal enrichment purposes only. Such programs are not sponsored by or affiliated with Brown, and Brown is not responsible for and does not oversee students on independent or personal travel that is not sponsored by Brown. 

Credit Transfer

Students who wish to transfer credit from a non-Brown summer abroad experience are strongly advised to obtain pre-approval for their plans.  In order to qualify for transfer credit, the summer abroad course must be at least four weeks long and include at least 3 semester hours (3 semester hours would earn 1/2 Brown course credit; 4 semester hours would earn one Brown course credit) and offered through a locally-accredited institution.  Students must take courses for a letter grade and earn a C or higher for credits to come back to Brown. Courses cannot be taken S/NC. Students must also have a credit recovery need, meaning they are currently behind the expected number of credits based on their semester level.

If the program in which you are interested meets these minimum criteria and you wish to apply for transfer credit approval, you should submit a request for approval through Brown's ASK/Advising Sidekick system. Further summer transfer credit guidelines are included in the ASK system. The ASK process requires approval from both the relevant Brown department and Study Abroad Advising (the College). If approved, students must ensure that their final transcript is sent to the Brown Registrar by their program provider so that their summer credit can be processed. 

Financial Aid

Students who currently receive financial aid from Brown may be eligible for additional loans for summer study abroad. Brown institutional grant/scholarship money is not offered for non-Brown summer study abroad programs. Students should search for external scholarships and discuss the availability of need-based or merit scholarships through the host institution. 

Additional Information