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Off-Campus Study

Wide view looking down on Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Rotunda Elephant exhibit

At Smith we strive to help students explore as many educational opportunities as possible, including both domestic study-away and study abroad programs. We work to ensure that these options are available to all students regardless of their financial position.


Off-Campus Domestic Study Away

Smith College offers exciting off-campus educational opportunities within the United States. Participants are billed by the host institution and aided by Smith, based on the program's fees. The resulting credit balance on the Smith account is sent directly to the host institution. You will be charged a continuation fee from Smith to keep your Smith enrollment active while away.

A limited number of domestic students may participate in the 12-College Exchange Program during junior year. International students are not eligible to participate in this program.

Aid Information

Participants of the 12-College Exchange are billed by the host institution and aided by Smith. The resulting credit balance on the Smith account is sent directly to the host institution. Students are charged a continuation fee from Smith to keep their Smith enrollment active while away.

Important: The Tuition Exchange Program and the Trustee Grant do not follow a student off campus; therefore, any student who receives funding from these sources is responsible for these amounts during the time they are not on campus. Students who receive the Smith employee tuition benefit should check with the Smith College Human Resources department for information on how much of their benefit they will receive for this program.

The National Theater Institute (NTI) is a boot camp for writers, singers, actors, composers, directors and dancers who are high school graduates, undergraduates or postgraduates seeking a launching pad into the professional world through intensive, credit-earning training.

Aid Information

Participants of the National Theater Institute program are billed by the host institution and aided by Smith, based on NTI fees. The resulting credit balance on the Smith account is sent directly to the host institution. Students are charged a continuation fee from Smith to keep their Smith enrollment active while away.

Important: The Tuition Exchange Program and the Trustee Grant do not follow a student off campus; therefore, any student who receives funding from these sources is responsible for these amounts during the time they are not on campus. Students who receive the Smith employee tuition benefit should check with the Smith College Human Resources department for information on how much of their benefit they will receive for this program.

The Williams-Mystic Seaport Program educates undergraduate students in a semester-long academic investigation of the sea that is accompanied by travel throughout the United States and original research opportunities.

Aid Information

Participants of the Williams-Mystic program are billed by the host institution and aided by Smith, based on the host school's fees. The resulting credit balance on the Smith account is sent directly to the host institution. Students are charged a continuation fee from Smith to keep their Smith enrollment active while away.

Important: The Tuition Exchange Program and the Trustee Grant do not follow a student off campus; therefore, any student who receives funding from these sources is responsible for these amounts during the time they are not on campus. Students who receive the Smith employee tuition benefit should check with the Smith College Human Resources department for information on how much of their benefit they will receive for this program.

A unique offering among all American colleges and universities, Smith’s Internship Program at the Smithsonian Institution allows qualified juniors and seniors to work with some of the nation's preeminent curators and scholars of American culture, doing hands-on research and program development.

Aid Information

Participants of the Smithsonian internship program are billed the on-campus tuition amount by Smith College and aided as if they were studying on campus. For the period the student is not on Smith's campus, the work-study component of the student's award is either eliminated, or, if the student has federal eligibility, replaced with a loan.

Important: The Tuition Exchange Program and the Trustee Grant do not follow a student off campus; therefore, any student who receives funding from these sources is responsible for these amounts during the time they are not on campus. Students who receive the Smith employee tuition benefit should check with the Smith College Human Resources department for information on how much of their benefit they will receive for this program.

The Jean Picker Semester-in-Washington Program is a fall semester program open to Smith junior and senior government majors and to other Smith juniors and seniors with appropriate background in the social sciences. It provides students with an opportunity to study processes by which public policy is made and implemented at the national level. Students typically reside in Washington, D.C., from the June preceding the semester through December.

Aid Information

Participants of the Picker Program are billed the on-campus tuition amount by Smith College and aided as if they were studying on campus. For the period the student is not on Smith's campus, the work-study component of the student's award is either eliminated, or, if the student has federal eligibility, replaced with a loan. Room and board expenses while on the program are the student's responsibility.

Important: The Tuition Exchange Program and the Trustee Grant do not follow a student off campus; therefore, any student who receives funding from these sources is responsible for these amounts during the time they are not on campus. Students who receive the Smith employee tuition benefit should check with the Smith College Human Resources department for information on how much of their benefit they will receive for this program.

As the nation's first women's college with an engineering program, Smith has partnered with Princeton to establish an exchange program for junior-year students that will expose students from both schools to vastly different learning environments and better prepare women to enter and succeed in the field of engineering.

Aid Information

Participants of the Princeton-Smith exchange are billed for tuition by Smith College and for room and board by Princeton. Students are aided by Smith. For the period the student is not on Smith's campus, the work-study component of the student's award is either eliminated, or, if the student has eligibility, replaced with a loan.

Important: The Tuition Exchange Program and the Trustee Grant do not follow a student off campus; therefore, any student who receives funding from these sources is responsible for these amounts during the time they are not on campus.

Students may take a leave of absence from Smith to study at a different college or university. Please check with your class dean for further information.

Aid Information

Students who choose to study elsewhere in the United States are billed by the host institution and may be eligible for federal student loans or federal grants once they have completed a consortium agreement, available through Student Financial Services. Any federal aid processed by Smith will be sent directly to the host institution. No institutional aid (such as a Smith grant) is available for this program. Students who receive the Smith employee tuition benefit should check with the Smith College Human Resources department for information on how much of their benefit they will receive for this program.


Study Abroad

Smith College strives toward equity in education across campus. In recognition of this policy, students studying abroad for Smith credit are generally billed and aided as if they were on campus. The student is billed the Smith comprehensive fee (tuition plus room and board), and Smith will directly pay the tuition and room and board charges assessed by the study abroad program. This is true regardless of whether the study abroad program charges are more or less than the Smith comprehensive fee. If your financial aid package includes a campus work award (i.e. work study), it will be replaced with Smith Grant for the semester(s) that you are studying abroad.

For more information, see the Smith College Study Abroad website, and the office's Guide to Home School Fees, which explains which costs Smith covers and which costs are the responsibility of the student.


Independent Study

You may take a leave of absence from Smith to study at a different college or university. You will be billed by the host institution and may be eligible for federal student loans or federal grants once you have completed a consortium agreement, available through our office. Any federal aid processed by Smith will be sent directly to the host institution. No institutional aid (such as a Smith grant) is available for an independent study. Please check with your class dean for additional information.