Applying to study away is easier than you might think! The most important thing to remember is that you'll have two applications to complete. One application will be with Oberlin, through this website. The second application will be directly with the study away program to which you're applying; that application can be found on the program's website. Both applications are required in order to study away. While there is no particular order in which you need to complete the applications, we recommend working on both at the same time as many of the application requirements between Oberlin and your study away program will be similar.

Step 1 - Find Your Program: You can start researching the various options available to you on our Find Your Program page. And be sure to go directly to the website of the programs you're interested in for complete details.

Step 2 - Understand the Oberlin Billing Model for Study Away: Oberlin utilizes a home-school tuition model for study away. This means that your tuition, housing, and in some cases meal costs for study away will be managed through your Oberlin account. You can learn more about study away billing here.

Step 3 - Explore Scholarships: Please make sure to review this list of scholarships available to study away students. It's never too early to start researching and applying for additional funding. Watch out for scholarship deadlines; many are earlier than the application deadlines for study away programs. It's always ok to apply for scholarships before you apply for your program; in fact, sometimes it might be necessary.

Steps 4 & 5 - Start Your Applications: When you're ready to start your study away application with Oberlin, please click on the name of that program from our full list. That will take you to the program's brochure page on the Oberlin site. You'll see an 'Apply Now' button on the right-hand side of the next screen. Click on 'Apply Now,' and then, when prompted, select the term to which you're applying. 

If you would like to apply to a program that is not on our list, you should complete a Non-Affiliated Program application.

You should also start your application on the website of your study away program. Both applications (Oberlin's and that of the study away program) are required. However, you do not need to complete them in any particular order. In most cases, the application deadline for the study away program will be different than Oberlin's. We recommend working on both applications at the same time and adhering to whichever deadline is earlier.

Step 6 - What's in the Oberlin Application: Once you start your Oberlin application, you'll need to complete the following requirements before the stated deadline. Details about each requirement are contained inside the application. If you're applying to a Non-Affiliated Program, your application will contain these requirements and a few additional ones:

• Study Away Course Planning Form
• Study Away Personal Statement (which consists of three short essay questions)
• Study Away Scholarship Request (only available for some programs)
• Agreement to Release Information
• Federal Work Study Funds
• Study Away Cost & Financial Aid Info
• Study Away Program Application (a reminder to also complete an application directly with your study away program)

Step 7 - Submitting your Oberlin Application for Review: After all of the requirements inside of your Oberlin application have been completed, please click the 'Submit' button at the top of the page. This will notify the Office of Study Away that your application has been completed and is ready for review. It usually takes us about two weeks to review and respond to applications from the date of submittal.