Required Steps (for all students EXCEPT CME)
Step 1: Discuss your Plans
Discuss your ideas and plans for the summer, semester or entire year abroad with your parents/guardians and with the Global Education Office. To set up an appointment with our office, please contact Jennifer Cook at jacook@mit.edu or 617-253-0676 or Sarra Shubart at sarra@mit.edu or at 617-253-6057. As you explore your options, it is a good idea also to talk to your academic advisor, appropriate departmental transfer credit examiners, and students who have studied abroad. The conversation with your academic advisor might also be a good opportunity to discuss plans to conduct research abroad.
Step 2: Select your Program
Based on the conversations with parents/guardians, the Global Education Office, academic advisor and others, make your final selection of the program(s) that would be the best fit and submit an application. Application deadlines vary widely among different programs, so it is beneficial to plan ahead.
Step 3: Apply for a Passport
Once you have been admitted to the program abroad, apply for a passport if you do not have a valid one already, and apply for a visa if applicable. Please see the Resources for Preparing for passport and visa information.
Step 4: Complete and Submit a Worksheet for Planning Study Abroad
Once you have been admitted to the program abroad, also complete a Worksheet for Planning Study Abroad/Domestic Study Away . To complete this worksheet please:
- Discuss the study abroad program with your faculty advisor and obtain his/her approval and signature.
- Decide which classes you will be taking during your time away, speak to departmental transfer credit examiners about transfer credit for these courses, and obtain their signature approval. A full list of transfer credit examiners can be found at http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/transfer/credit/examiners.html.
- Meet with and obtain signatures from your Student Accounts Representative, Financial Aid Representative, and/or Loan Manager if applicable.
- Speak with and obtain the signature of Natasha Murphy in the Health Plans Office, E23-308. She will be able to advise you regarding health insurance requirements.
- If you live on campus, fill out a Cancellation Form at the Housing Office to cancel your housing for the semester(s) that you will be away. Also, fill out an MIT Undergraduate Housing Request form for the semester for which you will be returning.
NOTE: You might have concerns regarding housing upon return from studying abroad. Although the MIT Housing Office cannot guarantee that you will be able to return to the same dorm that you had before leaving, so far, students returning from study abroad have not had any problems getting back into the same dorms from which they have left. So do not worry about that while you are planning your study abroad.
When completed, please submit the worksheet to the Global Education Office,12-189, by the deadline of December 1 for Spring Study and by May 1 for Fall Study or Year Abroad. Upon receipt of the worksheet, the Global Education Office will circulate a notice to the appropriate MIT offices granting you status as an "Undergraduate on Approved Foreign Study."
Step 5: Complete and Submit Other Required Forms
Fill out and submit to our office the following additional forms:
| Required of all students who will study abroad: |
| Risk Acknowledgement Form |
| Emergency Form |
| Required if Applicable: |
| Housing Form (if you live in an MIT dorm) |
| MIT Health Insurance Waiver (if you have non-MIT insurance) |
| Financial forms can be obtained from the Study Abroad and Distinguished Fellowships Office, 12-189, or from Kenneth Hayes in the FInancial Aid Office, 11-320. |
| Additional Forms |
| Contact Release Form |
| Photo Release Form |
For additional information regarding required forms, please visit our Forms section of the website.
Step 6: Pre-departure Orientation
Before you leave, attend a mandatory pre-departure orientation organized by the Global Education Office. For more details, please see our Pre-Departure Orientation section.
Note: Senior Year Study Abroad
If you plan to be away from MIT for the second term of your senior year, contact the Registrar's Office. You need to notify them that you will not be re-registering at MIT before graduation, and you need to inform them of your plans regarding transfer credit.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Global Education Office.
