Overseas and Off-Campus Opportunities
Stanford University offers students a variety of off-campus opportunities to enrich and diversify their undergraduate experience. This is done through immersion in different academic and cultural environments both within the United States and overseas. The choices are virtually endless.
Off-campus educational experiences include the following:
- Studying abroad on a Bing Overseas Studies Program
- Learning about the nation's capital and operations through Stanford in Washington
- Learning about the Bay Area marine environment at Hopkins Marine Station
- Pursuing public service opportunities in the US and around the world
Academic Off-Campus Programs
Bing Overseas Studies Program
The Bing Overseas Studies Program (BOSP) offers the opportunity to study abroad while remaining enrolled at Stanford. All BOSP programs offer direct Stanford credit for courses taught overseas that frequently count toward one or more majors. In addition, many BOSP courses fulfill General Education Requirements. BOSP operates a variety of programs, including the following quarter-length programs, internships and other opportunities:
- Australia
- Beijing
- Berlin
- Cape Town
- Florence
- Kyoto
- Madrid
- Moscow
- Oxford
- Paris
- Santiago
- Internships and other opportunities
BOSP additionally offers assistance to students considering studying abroad beyond BOSP's program offerings.
Almost 850 Stanford students (approximately 44 percent of the graduating class each academic year) study overseas with the Bing Overseas Studies Program (BOSP) alone. Other Stanford students study overseas either through programs offered by other US institutions or through direct enrollment in overseas institutions.
Overseas Resource Center
The Overseas Resource Center (ORC), located in the Bechtel International Center, serves as a resource center for scholarships and fellowships to study and research abroad.
Stanford in Washington
The Stanford in Washington (SIW) Program offers the opportunity for qualified Stanford University undergraduates to study and learn in a rigorous program in our national capital. The regular program at SIW has two terms: Fall (mid-September to mid-December) and Spring (March to late June). A special environmental / health program operates during Winter quarter from early January to mid-March.
The Stanford in Washington program is composed of the following components:
- Seminars. Taught by Stanford faculty members, seminars meet each week to analyze government institutions, political processes and public policy.
- Theme Tutorials. Composed of two to five students who share similar intellectual and policy interests, theme tutorials cover a variety of topics. Some are civil rights, criminal justice, international economic policy, international environmental policy, education policy and foreign policy.
- Internships. The program takes advantage of its location in the capital to place students in internships with governmental, national, and international organizations.
- Activities. Members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, journalists, researchers, museum curators and foreign visitors come to the Bass Center to meet and talk with students.
Hopkins Marine Station
The Hopkins Marine Station is located in Pacific Grove, 90 miles from the main University campus. It was founded in 1892 as the first marine laboratory on the west coast of North America. The Hopkins faculty offers undergraduate and graduate biology courses that focus on the marine realm and involve topics including oceanography, cellular biology and conservation biology. Small class sizes encourage close student-faculty interactions. Undergraduates have opportunities to carry out research projects with Hopkins faculty during the academic year or summer months.
Stanford Diversity Exchange Program
The Stanford Diversity Exchange Program allows Stanford students to trade places with students from a historically black college or university. This can be arranged for a quarter, a semester or an academic year. The Exchange now enjoys the participation of three historically black colleges and universities: Howard, Morehouse and Spelman. For students interested in Native American Studies, an additional exchange program exists with Dartmouth College.
Public Service Off-Campus Programs
Haas Center for Public Service Fellowships Program
The Haas Center for Public Service undergraduate summer fellowships and postgraduate fellowships offer support for Stanford students who contribute to public service organizations and communities. Summer fellows can participate in either pre-arranged placements or self-designed fellowship opportunities in both domestic and international settings. This service-learning program allows students to apply classroom knowledge in a professional setting.
Alternative Spring Break
The Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Program organizes trips for undergraduates between Winter and Spring quarters. These trips are designed to expose participants to complex social and cultural issues through direct service, experiential learning, group discussion and individual reflection. The vision is to transform students into advocates of social change on issues affecting our communities.