Requirements

Major Declared
All applicants must have declared their major, as the involvement of the student's faculty advisor and major department chair is vital to the application process.

GPA
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 is required. This GPA is a requirement but not a guarantee for OCS approval. For instance, a student with a 2.75 and a strong application may receive approval before a student with a 3.0 and a merely adequate application.

Foreign Language Requirement

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. Failure to take this language course will result in no credits 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.

Junior class standing*
Most students who study off campus do so during their junior year. Under some circumstances, students are granted permission to participate in OCS during their sophomore year.