Studying at Other Schools

A student who is interested in studying at another institution should begin planning for it well in advance after consulting with the study abroad advisor and faculty members at Bennington who can best evaluate programs of study at Bennington. We recommend the fall term as the best time for study away. Students planning to incorporate language study into their time away will also need the approval of the Director of the Isabelle Kaplan Center for Languages and Cultures. Study away should be included in the student’s Plan and discussed at the Plan meeting to allow the Plan committee an opportunity to evaluate programs of study elsewhere and advise how the courses they offer may be coordinated with the student’s plan of study at Bennington. In order to obtain approval from the Dean of Studies’ Office, students must consult with the Study Abroad Advisor and complete the Application to Study Away. A student who arranges to study at another institution should submit a formal request for a leave of absence in order to return to Bennington. Students may choose to apply for consortium status from the Financial Aid Office. Our Financial Aid Office would then facilitate the transfer of allowable aid to the other school. After the program is completed, an official transcript must be sent directly to the Dean of Studies’ Office and official granting of transfer credit will then be determined. A credit transfer fee is charged per term. Much additional information is available from the Study Abroad Advisor.

Financial aid considerations when studying away

If a student’s Bennington-approved academic plan includes work off campus applied toward the Bennington baccalaureate degree, financial aid for the term away may be processed by Bennington’s Financial Aid Office. A student enrolling as a visiting student at another institution (in or outside the U.S.) may receive a Stafford Loan and some federal and state grant funds, though no Bennington funding is available for his/her time off campus. The student should, in the term before departure, work with the Financial Aid Office to make arrangements for receipt of those aid funds.

To cover administrative costs, a transcript evaluation fee is charged per term to returning Bennington students who request transfer of the credits earned elsewhere.

A checklist for students studying away

• Work in advance with your academic advisor and the Dean of Studies’ Office to receive approval for the courses to be taken elsewhere as part of your degree program/academic plan.

• If you wish to use federal and state aid funds to help pay for the term away, you must complete the consortium/contractual agreement. You will need time to gather signatures from various offices at Bennington.

• Discuss the financial impact of your term away with those helping you pay college bills. Bennington merit aid/grant aid, work-study, and Bennington loans cannot be utilized for a consortium study abroad.

• Once your completed consortium/contractual agreement is received by the Financial Aid Office, your aid award for the term or year away will be calculated, and a copy sent to you or your family. Bennington will send aid funds to your study program after all paperwork, including the registration verification, is complete.

• If you decide, once you are away for a term, to extend your period of study at the other program for an additional term, you will need to apply for an extension through the Dean of Studies’ Office. In addition, a new consortium/contractual agreement addressing the additional term will be needed.