Apply as an International Guest Student

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Through Mount Holyoke College’s International Guest Student Program, international students spend a semester or a year studying in the United States, either during their university studies or during a gap year, with the option of applying for summer or yearlong internships in the United States and abroad. If you have completed at least secondary (high school) education, we invite you to apply for the international guest program.

Some students find that the IGSP helps them determine if they want to pursue a degree in the United States; many enjoy their Mount Holyoke experience so much that they enroll full-time at the College. Other students are not interested in earning an American degree but want to experience the academic and social aspects of life on an American college campus or wish to take specific courses they could not take at home. Still others have completed a university degree in one discipline but want to explore a completely different academic area. For most students, the liberal arts experience is the primary reason they study at Mount Holyoke.

How to Apply

1. You may download the application (PDF) or request copies from the Office of Admission.
   
   
2. To apply, you must submit the following documents to the Office of Admission:

• A statement, in English, giving a brief autobiography, your reasons for wishing to study at Mount Holyoke College, your general plan for study here, and your plans after the completion of your studies.
  
• The completed application form.
  
• An official copy of your secondary school academic record (transcript).
  
• An official copy of your college or university academic record (transcript), if applicable. If you are currently enrolled at a college or university, you should also submit a letter from the appropriate dean or other official indicating approval of your plan to study here.
• Two letters of recommendation from persons other than those submitting the official records: 
  
  1) a letter from a teacher or professor acquainted with you and your work;
  
  2) a letter from someone qualified to report on your proficiency in English (if English is not your first language).
  
  
• Report of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score, if applicable.

Students wishing to come for the full year or the fall semester only should apply by May 1. If you want to come for the spring semester only, please apply by November 15. You will be notified of our decision within four weeks after we receive your application. Questions?
Contact the International Student Guest Program.