Below you can find information on Kenyon College policies regarding off-campus study.
Students participating on OCS programs in a country where the official language is not English must take a language course while on OCS. This course must either be the primary language of the country or one that is prominently spoken in the locale of the OCS program. This policy applies to each semester of OCS participation. Failure to take this language course will result in no credit for any coursework from the OCS semester transferring back to Kenyon.
Many programs require prior language instruction, and it is the student's responsibility to make sure they understand these requirements before applying. The CGE will assist students in understanding these requirements, but their intended program has the final say.
Prior language instruction will be taken into account when making a decision on the student's Kenyon OCS application. It is imperative, therefore, that students articulate how their language background fits with their program choice and academic trajectory.
Kenyon Students are not permitted to receive academic credit, or use funding provided by or channeled through Kenyon College for activities that are subject to a Travel Warning issued by the U.S. Department of State. Exempted from this policy are certain semester-long Kenyon-approved OCS programs.
For faculty wishing to take students for any activity where Kenyon College is a sponsor, Kenyon credit is earned, transfer credit is earned, Kenyon funding is used, or Kenyon is the distributor of funds from an outside source, a waiver to the policy may be requested by submitting the following:
a) The itinerary for all portions of the trip
b) Plans for safety and security in response to the specific language of the Travel Warning
c) Program and other support available to students while in the Travel Warning destination
d) The specific academic justification for studying in the Travel Warning destination.
Petitions to waive the Travel Warning restriction will be read carefully by a committee comprised of: Director, CGE; Assistant Director (OCS), CGE; Manager of Business Services; Provost or Associate Provost; Dean of Students; and one faculty member from the Faculty Subcommittee on Global Engagement. Decisions will be based on careful evaluation of the petition’s response to the specific language of the Travel Warning.
Waivers apply to the specific program or project and not to the country as a whole. Waivers may be revisited or revoked at any time by the college, if circumstances change.
Petitions cannot be approved for countries under US Trade & Economic Sanctions: http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx
All students are required to be adequately covered by an insurance policy while participating in all off-campus study programs.
Kenyon's medical insurance plan will cover students when they participate in off-campus study programs whether in a program in the U.S. or abroad. If students already have alternative medical coverage and elect not to take Kenyon College's insurance, the waiver must be completed and returned to the accounting office. The charge for insurance will not be removed from a student's bill unless the waiver is received. Each student must verify that any alternative coverage chosen will remain valid while off campus.
Students are not permitted to opt out of their OCS program housing to live in self-arranged (independent) housing. This prohibition does not include programs that assist students in finding apartments as a regular part of their housing process. The Costs section of the website details included housing expenses.