What qualifies a school to participate in the IUHPFL?

The IUHPFL is open to secondary schools in Indiana, public, private or parochial.  It is also open to homeschooling institutions in the state of Indiana.  A few schools outside of the state of Indiana are able to participate in the IUHPFL because of their longstanding tradition with the Honors Program.
 
To be eligible to participate in the IUHPFL, a high school must offer, or plan to offer, four or more years of instruction in French, German, or Spanish. An important requirement of the Honors Program is that the students who participate return to their school after the summer abroad and actively participate in the study of the language for the following year.

Participating IUHPFL high schools are asked to cooperate in the various steps of the selection process. They are also asked to offer advanced foreign language instruction to returning Honors Program students, and to encourage participants to join school or community clubs and organizations that incorporate their language and culture of study.

What qualifies an applicant?

Prospective applicants must be in at least their third year of study of French, German, or Spanish.  Sophomores may apply to the IUHPFL, but high school juniors are given preference for selection.

Participants are required to continue the study of the language after their summer abroad, either at their high school or at a local university, and must pledge to help the school’s language program in any way possible.  If the opportunity is not available at the student’s school or local community to continue classes in the foreign language, then the student is to contribute to the school’s language program to the best of his or her ability.

The personal qualities that distinguish successful participants of the IUHPFL include a profound desire to learn, intellectual curiosity, social maturity, a willingness to adjust to new customs and habits, and a sincere commitment to adhere to the IUHPFL Honor Code, a set of norms for Honors Program students to abide by, the most important of which is the Language Commitment.

To find out if the IUHPFL is the right study abroad program for you, we encourage you to take our Self-Inventory before considering application.