Abroad & Off-Campus Study
International study is a defining aspect of Rensselaer’s architectural education. The School of Architecture offers international semester long programs in Italy, India, Latin America, and New York City that are fully integrated into the requirements of the undergraduate degree. They have been established in four world cities that will challenge and help to define the future of architecture.
Each of these programs is open by competitive application to students in their third year. Students are selected to participate in each program on the basis of academic accomplishment and the number of available seats. Members of the Rensselaer architectural faculty direct these students and additional instruction is provided by the faculty of our partner educational institutions or adjunct faculty in the host city. There is a program fee and field trip fee for participation in each of these programs – except for CASE NY.
Current Programs:
Application process for study abroad programs
Study abroad application details
1. Application details
- Portfolio: PDF format, no more than 10 letter-size pages (landscape or portrait), 10 MB max
- Letter of Interest: submit only one letter. (Even if you are applying to two programs). In the header line, in BOLD font, indicate your preference. For Example:
First choice: ITALY FALL (year).
Second Choice: CASE SP (year).
Save the letter, save as PDF,
On a single letter size page include:
First and Last Name, RIN, Email
Your current studio
A brief 300 word explanation indicating why you want to attend the program(s) you are applying to. Files must follow the naming protocol:
LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_FOLIO.pdf and LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_
ABROADPRGRAM_LETTER.pdf
2. Application process and details
- JURY: 3 Faculty appointed by the Dean will comprise the selection committee. In the event that one of the student’s applications is from a student currently enrolled in a course taught by a jury member, the jury member is obligated to recuse themselves from reviewing that particular student’s application.
- Students must submit an application to be considered. Roughly 25% of each cohort choose not to go abroad.
- Students must be in 2nd year.
- Applications that are not in the required format or specifications may be removed by the jury from consideration.
- Students that have committed academic integrity violations will not be considered.
- The jury reviews applicants on the merits of their portfolio. Portfolios are reviewed by a jury of 3 faculty. To ensure that a diversity of the student design perspectives is taken into account the jury will be comprised of faculty who value experimental work and professionally developed projects.
- A concise letter helps the jury understand your ranked choices, and the merits of your application. The applicant should describe how the chosen cultural destination will benefit them as a future architect and outline the unique contribution they will make as a member of the study abroad cohort.
- Priority is NOT given to either cohort. If an applicant can demonstrate that they have ONLY one opportunity to have an abroad experience, they will be granted priority over a student that has an additional term to go abroad.
- A student that has completed a study abroad semester is only eligible to enroll in a second one if there are unfilled seats and their application satisfies all the requirements. Students who wish to attend CASE, and a study abroad must have an exceptional portfolio and GPA. GPA is used to resolve tiebreaks, and structure the order of the waitlist.
- The ranked list of accepted students is forwarded to the Undergraduate Chair, and the accepted and waitlisted students are notified. Each member of the jury will be assigned a numerical assessment matrix to evaluate each applicant. Students may appeal the decision of the jury to the Associate Dean.
- Applicants seeking financial assistance must submit a 300-word statement addressed to the Dean, explaining their current financial situation and how the funding support will contribute to their ability to study abroad.
Appeal process for acceptance to the study abroad programs
1. For study abroad appeals, the Associate Dean arranges a session in which:
- The student presents (10-20 minutes) his/her understanding of the application process and how he/she believes the application has met the criteria (the three reviewers of the appeal and the Associate Dean are present)
- The jury presents (10-20 minutes) their understanding of the application process and how they believe the application has met the criteria (the three reviewers of the appeal and the Associate Dean are present)
- After the respective presentations, the appeals committee makes a recommendation to the Dean. They may recommend any score, including one which is lower than that originally given.
2. The Dean will take the recommendation of the committee into consideration before making his final decision.