Selection Criteria

While successful programs need not incorporate all of these components, the PIFIE committee focuses on the following programmatic aspects when making funding decisions: 

1. Quality of Experience
   The program involves structured coursework, internship placement, service opportunity, research project or some combination of the four, with well-defined objectives for each.  The program also may include supplementary activities, such as field trips, guest lectures, or on-site advising. The proposal clearly demonstrates what participating students will gain from the experiential aspect of the program.
    
2. Cultural Immersion
   Formal activities within the program involve significant interaction with local individuals through, for example, coursework with local students, accommodations with local host families, or research on a local topic. Non-English speaking locations are not required, but the committee considers exposure to a foreign language as a significant enhancement to a student’s cultural immersion.
    
3. On-Site Faculty Involvement
   The program includes direct, extended, and meaningful on-site engagement by faculty, including the PI/Faculty Lead. Examples include teaching a course during the program, overseeing student research projects, leading field trips or seminars, and advising students throughout the program.
    
4. Connection to participating students’ academic or curricular experience
   The program has a direct connection to some aspect of the Harvard College curriculum or a student’s overall academic experience. Examples include courses that can be used for academic credit, programs that extend the material of an existing Harvard course, or activities that relate to a student’s concentration or thesis.
    
5. Institutional Support
   The program has a strong administrative infrastructure to support it. The administrative home has demonstrated success creating and implementing international programs, or the demonstrated capacity to do so. 
    
6. Safety
   The program does not take place in a country on the US State Department list of travel warnings. Plans for residential accommodations and local travel are clearly defined, and any site-specific precautions are outlined.
    
7. Number of Students
   The program enrolls a number of students that allows ample opportunity for participation. The committee has not established a minimum student requirement. However the committee strives to be cost-effective in its funding decisions and therefore considers cost per student.