Opportunities to Study Off Campus

The opportunity to study in another country (“study abroad”) or in another part of the United States (“study away”) is an integral part of Colby’s educational philosophy. Colby’s precepts maintain that students should “become acquainted with other cultures by learning a foreign language and by living and studying in another country or by closely examining a culture other than one’s own.” Consistent with that precept, off-campus study should:

Global Education Opportunities (GEO), located at DavisConnects in Grossman Hall, ensures that Colby’s programs abroad, as well as other programs approved by the College:

Colby’s financial aid is applicable to Colby’s own programs and portable to other approved programs. GEO works closely with faculty liaisons and an Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Study, which includes faculty, staff, and student members.

GEO helps students make appropriate study plans, prepares students for departure, evaluates programs abroad, administers Colby’s programs (see below), assists with students’ reintegration to Colby, and monitors the program selection and application processes. The GEO team facilitates study abroad as well as participation in a few domestic study-away programs that are integrated into each major and academic program.

Program proposals and requests for program approval are processed in advance of the student’s enrollment in a program of study abroad/away from Colby. Students who transfer credits for full-time study in a non-Colby program are subject to a fee of $1,500 per semester. Colby tuition applies for Colby programs in Salamanca, Dijon, and Bigelow. For approved non-Colby programs, there is no Colby tuition charge; tuition is paid directly to the provider. Financial aid may be applied, for qualified students only, to Colby programs and approved non-Colby programs. Students may also seek one of many competitive scholarships offered at the national level (U.S. students) or directly from the program operator (all students).

Students are required to consult their major advisor(s) or the GEO faculty liaison in their major department(s) while making plans for study abroad. Sophomores should attend one of three targeted general information sessions in mid-September and have access to online information detailing procedures and listing of approved Colby and non-Colby programs early in the fall semester. Advising from GEO and your career advisor is strongly encouraged. There is one annual cycle of planning for study abroad/away, regardless of whether a student proposes to study away for the fall, spring, or full year. It includes two steps: the Study Abroad Initial Plan is due by November 15th of the academic year prior to the program, and the Study Abroad Proposed Plan is due by February 20th of that same academic year. A 2.7 GPA is required to study abroad, and students on probation of any kind may not study abroad. There is a petition process for students who do not meet the GPA requirement.

Colby-Sponsored Global Entry Semester Programs

The College offers the following programs abroad designed specifically for entering first-year students with strong preparation in French or Spanish:

Colby in Dijon Global Entry Semester: Colby offers some first-semester first-year students the opportunity to satisfy the College’s language requirement and earn a semester’s credit in a Colby program offered in collaboration with the École Suisse in Dijon, France. Participants study French intensively in a group of about 20 other Colby students before arriving on the main Colby campus in January. The program is described in more detail at Colby in Dijon – Language Acquisition below.

Colby in Salamanca Global Entry Semester: Colby offers some first-semester first-year students the opportunity to satisfy the College’s language requirement and earn a semester’s credit in a Colby program operated in partnership with the University of Salamanca in Spain. Participants study Spanish intensively in a group of about 20 other Colby students before arriving on the main Colby campus in January. The program is described in more detail (the option for students with intermediate Spanish) at Colby in Salamanca – Language Acquisition below.

Colby-Sponsored Off-Campus Programs 

While courses needed for most liberal arts majors are offered at the College, many students are attracted by the opportunity to study abroad for a comparative examination of their major field or a different perspective on their studies. Such programs are generally undertaken during the junior year or the fall of the senior year, though Colby programs are open to sophomores who meet the requirements of the programs as well. Colby offers study programs in France and Spain.

Colby in Dijon – Language Acquisition: Designed for students who have a minimum of one semester of college-level French (with two semesters strongly recommended), or two to three years of high school French, this program provides courses specifically catering to Colby’s curriculum. Participants can complete their Colby language requirement as well as several distribution requirements for the Colby B.A. degree. Students live with French families and agree to speak only French for the duration of the program. The program also includes a rich program of cultural excursions throughout France. This program is offered during the fall semester only.

Colby in Dijon – University Studies: Designed for students who have satisfied the language requirement with French, the University Studies program offers advanced French language courses as well as courses in literature and history. Students live with French families and agree to speak only French for the duration of the program. The program also includes a rich program of cultural excursions throughout France. This program is offered during the fall semester only.

Colby in Salamanca – Language Acquisition: Designed for students who have a minimum of one semester of college-level Spanish (with two semesters strongly recommended), or three years of high school Spanish, this program provides courses specifically catering to Colby’s curriculum. Participants can complete their Colby language requirement as well as several distribution requirements for the Colby B.A. degree. Participants live with Spanish families and agree to speak only Spanish for the duration of the program. The program also includes a rich program of cultural excursions throughout Spain. The program is offered for the academic year or the fall or spring semester. (Note: The GES program is offered in the fall semester only.)

Colby in Salamanca – University Studies: This program offers the option of complete integration into the Universidad de Salamanca, where students can take courses in any division alongside Spanish students. Students of any major may be accepted provided they have taken at least Spanish 135 and Spanish 231. Participants choose to live with Spanish families or in apartments with Spanish students and agree to speak only Spanish for the duration of the program. The program also includes a rich program of cultural excursions throughout Spain. The program is offered for the academic year or the fall or spring semester.

Colby at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences: The Sea Change Semester program is a semester-in-residence at Bigelow Laboratory in East Boothbay, Maine. The program is designed for Colby and other college students interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of oceanography and hands-on research experience through immersion in a professional laboratory environment. Available in the fall semester only, the intensive research experience is focused on ocean science within a changing global climate and covers topics such as microbial oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle, molecular approaches to biological oceanography, and pelagic ecology. Implications for public policy are explored within each of these topics. In addition, the program includes professional development in scientific writing for non-scientist audiences, science writing, and giving academic presentations. This program offers a unique opportunity for any student interested in becoming a marine scientist or in other aspects of research on oceans and the climate. Highly recommended for marine science minors.

Other Study Abroad Programs (Juniors and Seniors)

In addition to its own programs, the College approves study abroad/away at a number of institutions and programs throughout the world that meet Colby’s standards for academic rigor. A searchable portfolio of opportunities that lists all approved programs is available on the GEO website. For programs not administered by Colby, the College requires that students obtain a course approval form for off-campus study before the stated deadline; without prior approval, credit cannot be transferred to Colby. Approval forms are available from the Registrar’s Office after students are approved for their Study Abroad Proposed Plan. For study abroad during the academic year 2027-28, the Study Abroad Initial Plan must be submitted in GEO’s online Colby Portal by Nov. 15, 2026, and a Study Abroad Proposed Plan must be submitted by Feb. 20, 2027. Students receiving financial aid continue to receive that aid if they attend a Colby-approved program.

Prerequisite language study.  With the exception of students in Colby’s language-acquisition programs in Salamanca and Dijon, students who wish to study in a country whose language is taught at Colby (Chinese, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish) must have taken the equivalent of at least three semesters of the language before departure (and note that some programs and majors require more advanced preparation). For Arabic and Hebrew, while previous study is recommended, three semesters are not required to study in countries where those languages are spoken. Students are advised to keep this in mind while selecting courses during their first two years at Colby.

Language study in program. For study in countries there is a major or main host language other than English, students are required to take at least one course in the host country’s language (or one of its major languages) for the duration of their program.

Program access. Students should be aware that, due to enrollment constraints, they may not be able to study abroad in their first-choice semester and that opportunities to study abroad for the full year may be restricted. Colby students must petition for study abroad undertaken in any country for which a U.S. State Department Travel Advisory Level 3 has been issued, and countries with a Travel Advisory Level 4 are suspended for all Colby student travel.

Approved Study Away Programs (Juniors and Seniors)

Students wishing to participate in approved domestic programs must meet the same deadlines for the Initial and Proposed Plans as students who wish to study abroad. The Program Access policies listed above also apply to domestic programs.

Domestic opportunities include:

• Opportunities to Study and Intern in Boston, New York, or Washington: Colby students may study and intern in Boston (civic organizations and civic engagement), New York (liberal arts courses and internships in most fields), or Washington, D.C. (government, politics, policy, NGOs) for a semester. Students from a variety of majors take advantage of these opportunities. 
• Visiting Student Programs at Other Institutions: Colby students may also study for a semester at selected other U.S. institutions, such as New York University and the Berkeley Physics International Education (BPIE) program.
• Field-based U.S. Programs: Colby students may also access field- and lab-based research programs in the U.S., including options such as the Williams-Mystic program (the Coastal & Ocean Studies Program Of Williams College & Mystic Seaport Museum), the Semester in Environmental Science at Woods Hole, Massachusetts; and the Montana Afoot & Afloat field-based program that includes trekking, camping, and traveling on waterways.
• Engineering Programs: Colby has a coordinated dual-degree engineering program with Dartmouth College, in which both a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of engineering can be earned. Students spend their first two years and their senior year at Colby and their junior year and a fifth year at Dartmouth. The usual Colby graduation requirements must be met in addition to engineering prerequisites, so careful course planning is important. Colby also offers a dual-degree program with Columbia University in New York. Students have two options: They can complete four years and earn a bachelor of arts degree at Colby and then transfer to Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science for two years to obtain a discipline-specific bachelor of science degree in engineering; or they can spend three years at Colby and two at Columbia, in which case they receive both Colby’s bachelor of arts degree and the Columbia bachelor of science degree after the fifth year. See more on engineering dual-degree programs.
• Course Exchange: A course exchange program is in effect with Thomas College. Students may obtain information from the Colby Registrar. (Note: This option is not administered by the GEO team.)