Does anyone know how the financial aid works for study abroad for full need met colleges? I know I can call them and ask but I have already been doing quite a bit of that lately and don’t want to overdo it by calling them again so soon.
Do they just ask the applicant to pay for all of study abroad or do they generally at least cover part of it?
It depends. Either you pay yourself or you can use the FA given in that particular semester/year for study abroad. Why not just email them?
My daughter’s school told us that the FA travels with them. Additionally, for us it will be cheaper for her to study abroad than to pay for her to attend here. The tuition is cheaper for some study abroad programs.
It depends on the school and the program. For the school I am most familiar with (meets full need), FA will travel with the student if the study abroad program is approved by the school. If the program is not approved, only the federal benefits can be used. The EFC as calculated by the school is the same for on campus study and study abroad, so what will change is the FA part of the equation. If the study abroad cost is less than or the same as on campus, the school’s FA will cover anything above EFC. If the study abroad cost is more than on campus, the student/family will need to cover the difference.
Thanks- I assume that does not apply to the airfare/travel expense though? Does that part just add to the EFC?
My daughters’ FA applied the same for study abroad as it would have if they had been on campus those semesters. It did not cover airfare, vaccinations (some of which our insurance covered, some not, such as the $500 a pop rabies shots), and cash for incidentals (extra food, souvenirs, transportation when not with the group).
In the program I am familiar with, airfare is part of the itemized program cost (i.e. it’s part of the overall COA, and the EFC/FA calculation will take it into consideration).
Airfare to the country abroad is part of the EFC calculation?
It’s one of several line items that makes up the total program cost, and is billed by the program. The EFC calculation, as always, is based on family finances, but when need is determined by the FA calculation, the airfare is part of the COA.
COA - EFC = aid awarded, up to the amount that would be awarded if the student was studying on campus.
If you go with one of the programs sponsored by the college you are attending, I think aid will travel with you at all of the meets need schools I can think of. Whether they cover airfare varies.
You could ask the study abroad offices, instead of bugging admissions. They will usually know.