Overseas Seminars are an exciting and rewarding way for short-term study abroad with Stanford University. Taught and led by Stanford faculty, these three week seminars are specifically designed to integrate course content and program location.
Program Structure
Overseas Seminars are three-week courses that take place over the summer, providing alternative study abroad opportunities for Stanford undergraduates. Students receive two units of credit as part of Summer quarter. Seminars are taught and led by Stanford faculty at various locations around the world that have direct relevance to the course content. Seminar locations and topics change every year.
Each seminar is limited to 12-15 students. Grading basis is either mandatory satisfactory/no credit (S/NC) or mandatory letter grade as determined by each faculty leader.
Find out more about each seminar by exploring the seminar locations.
ELIGIBILITY
All Stanford undergraduate students in good academic standing with 45 credits by the end of Spring Quarter prior to the seminar are eligible to participate. Students who have gone on an overseas seminar before are not eligible to apply.
- Current freshman are eligible as long as they will have earned 45 credits by the end of Spring quarter prior to the seminar.
- Seniors or Co-Terms are eligible as long as they do not have their undergraduate degrees conferred before the end of Summer quarter.
- International students must check with the Bechtel International Center whether or not their immigration status will allow them to be enrolled in a course over the summer.
COST
Participating students pay a seminar fee of $600* that covers lodging and meals during the seminar, as well as any activities that is part of the class itself.
The seminar fee does not cover international round-trip airfare to and from the overseas seminar location. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for this round-trip transportation on their own, including getting themselves to the specific seminar location from their home airport upon arrival and from the seminar location back to their home airport for their departure. Additionally, students are responsible for costs for visa, pre-departure immunization costs, course materials, health insurance and all other incidental expenses.
Cost to Student = $600* Seminar Fee + R/T Airfare + Visa fees (if applicable) + Immunizations/vaccinations (if applicable) + Int'l Health Insurance + Course materials + any Incidentals
Beginning with the "Welcome dinner" on the seminar arrival date, until breakfast on the seminar departure date: all meals, lodging & transportation for the course are covered by BOSP.
Some financial assistance towards the seminar fee may be available from BOSP for students with demonstrated financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office. Students who are eligible for this seminar fee waiver will be notified by BOSP after they get accepted or waitlisted for a specific seminar. Students are responsible for airfare and other travel expenses. There is no direct assistance available from the Financial Aid Office for seminars as students are not enrolled full time. Please contact the Financial Aid Office directly if you wish to discuss the possibility of student loans.
* The Scotland program has a seminar fee of $800.
EXPECTATION and preparation
All seminar participants are required to attend the entire seminar, from the scheduled arrival date/time through the scheduled departure date/time. Prior to their seminars, BOSP and faculty leaders conduct a series of mandatory orientation sessions, which includes an online orientation module and two orienation meetings during Winter and Spring Quarter. Some faculty leaders may also offer a required pre-seminar course and/or additional meetings, so that students are more academically and culturally prepared. These meetings also provide excellent opportunities for students to interact with other seminar participants before they go overseas.
Program Modification and Cancelation
Stanford reserves the right to cancel or modify the seminar program before or during its operation for any reason, including natural disasters, emergencies, low enrollment, or unavailability of facilities or personnel or compliance with the University travel policy. The specific seminar dates, itineraries, locations, facilities, and activities are subject to change depending on available resources at the time, safety and security sitautions on the ground, and other important considerations that may arise for a successful implementation of the seminar.
