Study Abroad
Choose Your Global Path
At UMass Amherst, excellence extends far beyond the classroom. International learning opportunities expose our students to cultures and customs different from their own, immerse them in environments where they can develop foreign language skills, and can provide a career boost by signaling greater global awareness to potential employers.
Our Office of Global Affairs works to connect UMass students with the study abroad program that's right for them—and helps them every step of the way, providing peer advising, application assistance, financial guidance, health and safety guidelines, and travel dos and don'ts.
International Opportunities
See the world without putting your degree on pause. With programs in more than 56 countries across six continents, UMass Amherst makes it easy to find an experience that fits your goals, your major, and your sense of adventure.
Even students in highly structured majors like nursing can study abroad through programs designed to fit academic requirements and keep you on track to graduate. Many opportunities are uniquely UMass, built through long-standing partnerships around the world.
Not sure where to start? Explore the UMass Abroad Portal to search by major, location, and program type to find the experience that’s right for you.
Start your UMass experience abroad. With Global Launch, you can spend your first semester living and learning in cities like Dublin, London, Madrid, or Paris.
You’ll take courses with a small cohort, earn UMass Amherst credit (including in Gen Eds), and stay fully enrolled with financial aid applying as usual.
A customized program for third-semester UMass Amherst nursing students and health sciences students who are pre-PA, pre-med, or pre-nursing. You will earn 15-16 credits toward your UMass degree while developing the international expertise essential for success in today’s global healthcare landscape.
Founded in 1966, this is one of the oldest American summer programs at Oxford University. Guided by its original intention, the program introduces students to the best of Oxford University's academic and social traditions. Participants can explore England and Europe, both on their own and through guided field trips.
Students are immersed in Spanish language and culture in the historic city of Salamanca through studying at the oldest university in Spain—the Universidad de Salamanca—while living in a vibrant college town that attracts students from all over the world.
Engineers Without Borders is a student-run organization dedicated to working with local and international communities to create sustainable, community-driven engineering solutions to improve quality of life. The UMass Amherst chapter operates programs with communities in Saviefe-Deme, Ghana, and Nguluni, Kenya.
In Patagonia, glaciers and volcanoes form a landscape unlike any other. Students spend a semester amid soaring peaks, narrow fjords, and fields of ice as they study conservation and climate change. With the Torres del Paine National Park as the classroom, students conduct an extensive research project in the field.
While abroad, I met new best friends and explored one of the greatest, coolest places in the world with them. For me—and for so many others—studying abroad is not just a way to enhance your education, but a way to get out into the world and explore.
Haley Kaye ‘24
Health & Safety
The health and safety of our students abroad are top priorities; students are provided with health and safety guidelines and protocols that play an important role in successful study abroad experiences.
Identity, Access & Inclusion
Cultures vary widely in terms of how different identities are defined and understood, including nationality; race and ethnicity; religion; gender; sexual orientation; disability; and socioeconomic diversity. At UMass, we believe there is value in studying abroad for all identities. We're committed to offering accessible experiences to students of all backgrounds and can provide specialized support to students traditionally underrepresented in education abroad.
Costs
We believe that all students should have access to study abroad experiences, regardless of socioeconomic background. The Office of Global Affairs provides financial support and guidance for students and their families, and can connect them with study abroad scholarships for which they might be eligible.