#  Selection Criteria 

 



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 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](http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html). 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.