Policies

TOC:

Leave of Absence Policy

Students who take a leave of absence for one semester (either fall or spring) of the academic year preceding their summer experience are eligible for ISA funding. Their ISA eligibility will be calculated based on their Yale Scholarship for the semester they attend during the academic year.

Students planning to take a Leave of Absence the Fall semester following their ISA-funded experience are still eligible to receive ISA funding provided that they meet all other ISA eligibility requirements.

Students who take a leave of absence for an entire academic year may apply for ISA funding to support a summer experience abroad under the following circumstances:

• Students must meet all other ISA eligibility requirements. 
• Students must have been eligible for an ISA the previous summer.
• Yale Scholarship amounts from the AY preceding the LOA will be used to calculate the ISA award amount.
• Students wishing to use ISA for a summer experience after a year-long leave of absence must return to Yale for the fall semester after receiving ISA. 

Class-year eligibility

The ISA is open to students who in Yale College with first-year, sophomore, or junior class standing at the time of application.

Note: Students with senior class standing in summer who will graduate in the Fall or Spring semester following their ISA Summer will be eligible to request an ISA provided they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Withdrawn Student Policy

Students who have withdrawn from Yale College for any reason are ineligible to participate in summer programs abroad that receive credit or funding. If reinstated, students must complete a full semester on the Yale campus before taking part in international programs.

Please note that ISA requires a student to pursue an eligible, credit-bearing study abroad program. As per Yale policy, students can transfer a maximum of 2 outside credits for summer courses. If a student has already transferred 2 credits, they will not be able to pursue credit-bearing study abroad programs over the summer and will therefore not be eligible to request the ISA.

Student​s Receiving Scholarships or Fellowships for their ISA Eligible Experience

Students who receive an ISA and also win fellowship funding to support their experience are also eligible to receive ISA funding, but must inform the ISA Team at ISA@yale.edu. If the combination of ISA stipend and fellowship funding exceeds their total program budget, ISA funds will be reduced so that the total funding received from all sources equals the total program budget. 

Travel expenses gap: The ISA provides a flat stipend for Travel Expenses, based on region of travel. In cases where a student requires funding above the ISA Travel budget for categories such as Airfare, the student can apply for external scholarships even if the combination of the ISA + external funds exceeds the total ISA budget in order to fill the real cost gap. However, the sutdent must provide proof of required funds (ex: airfare information). Otherwise, ISA funds will be lowered so that the total funds received match the ISA program budget, as outlined above.

Support for Combining Internships and Courses 

Students should apply for the SEA through OCS for a professional experience.

Students who wish to receive ISA funding to complete academic courses for credit and an internship on the same program may submit a petition to Yale Study Abroad only if they will be enrolled in two (2) credit-eligible courses.

Required Use of Funds

Students who receive an ISA are required to use the money for the purposes for which it was granted. Students who withdraw from funded programs and activities will be required to repay Yale the amount of their award. Likewise, federal funds received for summer programs may also have to be returned in accordance with federal regulations.

Please note: the ISA can only be used for international summer study experiences that meet the eligibility requirements described on this site.

If using the ISA, you must earn Yale credit. This means that you must earn the U.S. equivalent of a C- or greater in your course(s). Students whose summer courses are funded entirely or in part by the International Study Award (ISA) may not elect to withhold or suppress from their Yale transcript either the credits or the grades earned from the course or courses abroad. ISA recipients who withhold or suppress the credit or grade from their Yale transcript will be asked to return their ISA funds and the case may be sent to ExComm.

Tax​ability

Under federal tax law, a scholarship or fellowship provided to a student in a degree granting program is generally taxable. If you are a candidate for a degree, you can exclude from taxable income that part of the award used to pay the costs of tuition, required fees, books, equipment and supplies (required fees, books, equipment and supplies are limited to those specifically required of all students in a course). You cannot exclude from taxable income any part of the grant used for other purposes, such as room and board. Please refer to IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education, Section 1, Scholarship, Fellowships, Grants and Tuition Reductions and the IRS tax guide for students, Taxable Income for Students. While the ISA Team cannot offer tax advice, the IRS Tax Office on Court Street does offer free tax advice to students.

Note: Additional tax requirement for international students

Please note that you must complete certain forms at the International Tax Office before receiving the ISA. If you have not already done so, please make an appointment at Yale's International Tax Office.