Braden Mathis, Contributing Photographer

Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis announced on Wednesday morning that the two non-competitive opportunities for undergraduates receiving financial aid to obtain funding to travel abroad, participate in internships or conduct research will be reduced to one after summer 2026. 

Beginning in summer 2027, the International Study Award and the Summer Experience Award will be replaced by a non-competitive, one-time-use Summer Experience Grant, which will fund “one approved summer program, including Yale Summer Session Abroad, research and internships,” according to Lewis’ email announcement. The change is a part of Yale College’s effort to reduce its budget in anticipation of the endowment tax hike, Lewis wrote in the announcement. 

“You could reduce financial aid during the academic year, but that would mean that some students who were needy would either have to pay more or might choose to go to one of our peer institutions that was more generous,” Lewis said in an interview. “I figured among all of the options, the best option was to reduce summer support rather than support during the academic year.”

The Summer Experience Grant will not fund the non-Yale study abroad programs typically covered by the International Study Award, such as the popular London School of Economics Summer School. It also will not cover the international professional experiences currently eligible for Summer Experience Award funding.

In the Tuesday interview, Lewis explained that the anticipated endowment tax hike has placed budgetary pressures on financial aid offerings within the College, forcing administrators to find ways to reallocate funds. 

Lewis said in an October interview that though the increased tax on endowment returns “means a permanent reduction in the amount of money available for financial aid,” the University will keep aid packages constant for every currently enrolled undergraduate student for as long as they attend Yale.

“So when we say that financial aid is threatened, we’re not really saying your individual financial aid is threatened,” Lewis said last month. “We’re saying financial aid as a general priority is threatened.”

Wednesday’s announcement came as a surprise to many students who had considered both the International Study Award and Summer Experience Award as potential sources of non-competitive financial support for upcoming summers.

Hours after Lewis’ email, the Yale College Council president, vice president and speaker of the senate circulated an email criticizing administrators’ decision not to brief the YCC on the changes beforehand, describing the choice as “inappropriate.”

The YCC leaders wrote that they planned to “request a formal explanation” from the Yale College Dean’s Office about the rationale behind the changes in a Friday meeting. They requested that students send testimony “about the importance of summer funding at Yale” to help the YCC “compile lost Yale experiences.”

Students who have used either the International Study Award or Summer Experience Award in a previous summer may still apply for the other award for summer 2026 if they have not yet used it. Beginning in summer 2027, the Summer Experience Grant will provide one opportunity for students on financial aid to receive non-competitive University funding, though it will not be available to students who have used non-competitive awards in the past.

Dorothy Ha ’28, who used International Study Award funding to study abroad through a non-Yale program in Paris and Rome over the summer, said that the changes announced Wednesday have led her to reevaluate her options for future summer experiences.

“Now, I’m like, ‘Oh, I have to lock in this summer to use my SEA so I can maximize the opportunities given to me by Yale,’” Ha said in an interview, referring to the Summer Experience Award.

Ha expressed frustration about the timing of Wednesday’s announcement and that the Summer Experience Grant will no longer fund non-Yale programs abroad. 

“It’s just kind of a sudden decision, right? This is coming kind of near the end of the semester when people have already started to look at programs,” Ha said. “I feel like it’s just unfair to the freshmen because there’s so many programs outside the scope of the Yale programs.”

Lewis said on Tuesday that he has asked the Office of International and Summer Programs to “expand” offerings of international Yale Summer Session programs, particularly those in “less commonly taught languages.” These programs will be eligible for Summer Experience Grant funding.

Kelly McLaughlin, the director of study abroad, wrote in an email that the office is planning to launch several programs beginning in summer 2026.

“While further details will be available by early December,” McLaughlin wrote. “I am happy to share that the locations we have in mind include Barcelona, Florence, Stockholm, Cape Town and London.”

Ha and Naomi Obasa ’29 both acknowledged the financial pressures on the University that prompted the decision to discontinue International Study Award and Summer Experience Award funding. Still, Obasa was disappointed by the decision.

“I think it’s kind of hard, especially when you don’t have infinite resources from where you come from, to be able to find internships and opportunities to better yourself, right? And that’s the point of coming to Yale,” Obasa said.

Details about the application process for the 2027 Summer Experience Grant will be announced in summer 2026, according to Yale’s fellowships and funding office.