Study Abroad Programs - Financial Aid

If you are interested in one of the many study abroad programs while you are in college, you will need to be prepared to pay. If you are like most college students out there, you will need financial aid to help with your college tuition burden. To obtain all of the financial aid that you require to study abroad you will first need to find out if you are indeed eligible for financial aid.

Below is a list of requirements that you must pass in order for you to complete your FAFSA financial aid form. Keep in mind that your income or the income of your parents will also be used to determine your eligibility for grants and loans under the U.S. government's financial aid programs. Additionally, students can apply for various regular semester study abroad scholarships, summer study abroad scholarships, as well as ‘internship abroad’ programs with many different agencies to help fund their plans to study overseas.

You need to be admitted and enrolled in a degree program

Regardless if you are a new freshman, in your 10th quarter, or ready to join the study abroad program, you will need to be eligible in order to receive financial aid support. You must be either a United States citizen or non-citizen. If you are a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization, you can qualify for financial aid if you meet the other requirements. If you are a non-citizen, you may be eligible if you the following applies to you:

• Students with a humanitarian parole or an indefinite parole
• Students with a granted asylum
• Refugee students
• United States permanent resident that has an alien registration card
• United States national

You won’t be eligible for financial aid to study abroad if you are only in the United States with a G-series visa, exchange visitor visa, or an international student visa.

You must have a legal social security number

If you are not a United States citizen and you need a social security card, one must:

• Have legal documentation or copies of documentations that will prove your United States immigrant/citizenship identity, age, and status.
• A completed Social Security submission.

You must not owe any federal grant funding or miss any financial aid payments

If you fail to make any payment on time, or you have outstanding fees with your student loans, you soon will be reported to the three main credit bureau reporting agencies. This will result in a low credit score and the possibility of you losing all of your financial aid.

If you are a male, you need to register with the Selective Service

If you are a male and between the ages of 18 and 26, you will need to register with Selective Service. You can either fill out an application at your local post office or your high school, or you can save some time by filling out the small form on the Internet. You must be enrolled in order to receive financial aid.

You must be enrolled in the amount of credits for the aid that you will receive

Many types of financial aid to study abroad will often require you to enroll in at least six credit hours (two classes) before the student can receive any more financial aid. If you are not enrolled in the correct amount of credit hours, financial aid may be either taken away entirely or cut back significantly.
Applying for financial aid to study abroad is easy to do as long as you prepare ahead of time. If you maintain your financial aid requirements, you will soon be on your way to one of the many study abroad programs in a new, different, and exciting country.