One of the features of study abroad at Bates is that everyone does it.

We don’t mean “everyone” literally; we mean the full range of students, majors, interests, and backgrounds at Bates – physics majors and French majors, varsity team members and non-members, students involved in extra-curricular activities and students not involved in them, students with lots of travel experience and family resources, and students with minimal family resources and no prior international experience.

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Diversity

• Students of color:    IES provides good country specific information on diversity resources.  Diversity Abroad has a broad range of resources and information, some more useful than others.
• LGBTQ+ students: The Rainbow SIG, Global Service Learning, ILGA and Michigan State University websites provide information and resources for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, questioning and transgendered students who are considering study abroad.   IES provides good country specific information on diversity resources. Erasing 76 Crimes focuses on the human toll of 76 countries’ anti-gay laws and the struggle to repeal them. A  list of countries where homosexuality is illegal.
• Students with disabilities:  Mobility International USA provides information and resources for people with disabilities who are considering study abroad.  Stanford University’s Office of Accessible Education highlights the study abroad experiences of three students with disabilities.

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Study Abroad is For Everyone (the SAFE program)

The SAFE Program encourages study abroad by students with very limited family resources and no prior international travel experience.  Study abroad participation levels among such students, often students of color or the first generation at college, tend to be lower nationally and at Bates.  The SAFE program addresses this pattern with three efforts.

• Extra encouragement – Additional outreach efforts to ensure these students recognize that this part of the Bates curriculum is fully available to them.

• Program and grant identification – Special efforts to work with these students to identify lower cost study abroad programs and Federal and program grants that are targeted to low income students, students of color, and/or the first generation at college.

• Financial support – The Barlow Endowment for Study Abroad supplements the College’s already generous financial aid by providing $500 grants to Pell Grant-eligible students for incidental expenses that are not included in Bates’ regular financial aid award.  The goal is to reduce student anxiety about extra expenses that often accompany study abroad.  This grant is not available if the study abroad program provides similar assistance.