Off-Campus Programs for All Who Want Them
More than 50 percent of Dartmouth students study off-campus, either in Foreign Study Programs, Language Study Abroad Programs, or domestic off-campus study programs like "The Stretch" for Earth Sciences.
However, for students on financial aid, off-campus programs can feel out of reach because they cannot afford the extra cost of travel, lodging, and other expenses. Moreover, these students may have work-study obligations up to $7,950 per academic year--the second highest in the Ivy League after Cornell--that they must maintain for as long as they are enrolled.
Consequently, approximately 60 students every year must forgo these valuable off-campus learning experiences because they simply cannot afford it. To look at the issue another way, almost 12 percent of students who show interest in an off-campus program do not participate for various reasons, including financial constraints.
In response to this need, Dartmouth seeks $15 million specifically to help cover the extra costs associated with off-campus programs for students on financial aid. The endowed support will ensure equitable student access and participation.
Dartmouth's Opportunity to Increase its Global Footprint
Dartmouth ranks first among Ivy League institutions for study abroad participation, with 55 percent of Dartmouth undergraduates engaging in more than 42 off-campus programs in 32 countries, giving students a rich array of choices four terms a year.
Off-Campus Programs Use the World as a Learning Laboratory.
The exposure to different beliefs and perspectives breaks down cultural boundaries, integral to the Dartmouth experience and transformative at its core.
“After a long day of fieldwork, we hiked to the top of a sand dune and watched the sunset over the desert, which was a perfect way to end the day.”
Allison Banks ’20
Faculty observation from the Environmental Foreign Study Program in South Africa and Namibia:
“Dartmouth has become more than just a visitor to Namibia and South Africa. They are a partner to communities, research institutions, and NGOs with whom they interact. When students join in the FSP, they are not only experiencing incredible and sincere intercultural learning, but they are also contributing their intellect, compassion, and understanding to these partners.”
Student observation:
"I do not think I would have found a way to experience global health or mesh my love for humanities, science, and medicine had it not been for Dartmouth.
At Dartmouth, through travel abroad and being vice president of Al-Nur, I have gained a deeper understanding and love for my own culture, what it means to be Pakistani-American. Dartmouth has also given me a stronger sense of my self and has made me even more open-minded.”
Ameena Razzaque ’21
Invest in Our Future Global Leaders
A gift of an endowed scholarship starts working immediately to provide financial support to today's students. As the endowment grows over time, it will continue to provide aid to future leaders for generations to come.
A gift of at least $100,000 will establish an endowed fund to support off-campus programs financial aid; a gift of $250,000+ will support off-campus programs financial aid and be recognized with a named off-campus programs scholar.
