David Rockefeller International Experience Grants Program

Thanks to a gift from David Rockefeller SB ’36, LLD ’69, Harvard is able to provide significant funding to support students going abroad during the summer as part of their Harvard College experience. The purpose of the grant is to afford all students the opportunity to take part in a significant international experience, regardless of financial constraints. The David Rockefeller International Experience Grants Program was developed to give students the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the world beyond the U.S. or their home country, and to learn about other countries and peoples by spending time immersed in another culture.

In her letter of November 25, 2008, Dean Evelynn M. Hammonds, Dean of Harvard College and Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies encouraged students “to think creatively and expansively about how [they] might spend time abroad, and how an experience immersed in another country might integrate with and complement … coursework here in Cambridge.” The significant international experience that this gift supports—be it work, service, research, study or a combination thereof—will also be supported by the full Harvard community. The Office of International Programs joins Dean Hammonds in encouraging students to tap into all of the resources available to them, and to seek out faculty, academic advisers, house tutors and proctors as well as staff in the international centers, the Office of International Programs (OIP), and the Office of Career Services (OCS) to consult about programs, and to develop projects or plans.

A significant international experience (SIE) includes cultural immersion, and linguistic immersion whenever feasible and appropriate for the student’s goals and the location of the program or project (language preparation may be a pre-requisite).

As defined by the Committee on Education Abroad, a significant international experience may consist of:

• study abroad
• thesis or other research
• internships, service, volunteer or other work
• participation in a qualifying Harvard-run program, including Harvard Summer School study abroad programs
• any combination of the above

Click here for eligibility and application requirements

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to access the Harvard worldwide web site

Updated October 2009