Photo courtesy of Mira Crane ’27
Study Abroad Fair is held every year at MHC.
By Mira Crane ‘27
Global Editor
The 2026 Study Away Fair, held on Sept. 22 in Chapin Auditorium, was an opportunity for students on campus to meet with representatives from a diverse array of study abroad programs, as well as to become acquainted with resources offered by Mount Holyoke College.
A handy flyer was given upon sign in that listed the different programs offered by Mount Holyoke College and the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives, allowing students to peruse their different options before choosing which tables they wanted to check out.
Right at the entrance to the auditorium was a table for the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives — the hub for both international and domestic engagement opportunities at the College — with the Director of Study Abroad, April Stroud, and the study abroad peer advisors.
Also represented were tables for scholarships and fellowships, MHC reciprocal exchange — a program where MHC students directly enroll at their host university and Mount Holyoke receives students in turn — and the Weissman Center for Leadership.
As Adelia Pope, the assistant director of study abroad at the McCulloch Center, explained,“The fair allowed students to meet with representatives from 31 international study abroad programs and eight domestic study away opportunities, including MHC's own Semester in DC. Students also had the opportunity to learn about scholarships and fellowships offered for study away.” According to Pope, 225 students had attended the fair.
The McCulloch Center supports over 150 approved study abroad programs. Programs represented at the fair included Advanced Studies in England, AIT Budapest, Associated Kyoto Program, AMIDEAST Education Abroad, Arcadia Abroad, CET Academic Programs, CIEE, CUPA Paris, CYA Study Abroad in Greece, DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia, IES Abroad, SIT Study Abroad and many more.
For students looking to spend a semester away from Mount Holyoke College, but within the United States, a notable side of the auditorium was reserved for domestic programs, including Marine Biological Laboratory, Bard College in NYC, Sea Education Association, Semester Cinema, Trinity La MaMa Performing Arts Program and Williams-Mystic Coastal and Ocean Studies.
Some study abroad programs are eligible to fulfill requirements for Nexus internships or research projects. Such programs were marked with a hashtag on the Study Away Fair flyer, and are noted on the McCulloch Center’s study abroad website.
Study abroad programs can also correspond to fellowships, and there are many scholarships available for study abroad, including Mount Holyoke College’s need-based Laurel Fellowship, the Freeman-Asia Scholarship, the Gilman Scholarship and DAAD Rise Germany.
Students dependent on need-based aid now have more opportunities to study abroad this year because “The DIS program, with locations in Copenhagen and Stockholm, will be Laurel Preferred for Fall 2027,” Pope explained. This means that students eligible for the Mount Holyoke College Laurel Fellowship, because of demonstrated financial need, will now receive a need-based fellowship for the DIS program in Fall 2027. This supplemental fellowship for DIS is only available for Fall 2027.
Pope also stated that, “more programs through the School for Field Studies have been added to the approved program list, and all are now Laurel Preferred.”
When asked what students who are looking to study abroad should do this semester, Pope responded, “[they] should familiarize themselves with information on the study abroad website and monitor the [McCulloch Center] events calendar for information sessions and advising events. The next Request to Study Abroad deadline is Nov 30, 2026 for students who want to study abroad for the Fall 2027 semester or AY 2027-28.”
Madeleine Diesl ’28 contributed fact-checking.
