<p>Hi everyone, I kind of have a dilemma with my study abroad program.</p>
<p>I'm currently on a gap year, and I was accepted to an international undergraduate study abroad program that takes place at a foreign university. </p>
<p>I also have a scholarship available to use for undergraduate education and I would really like to use for this study abroad program.</p>
<p>BUT, the problem is that the scholarship says it has to be paid out to a U.S. accredited institution. It's fine if the money is eventually used for a study abroad, but it has to first be paid to a U.S. school.</p>
<p>This would typically work by the scholarship paying my US institution, which would then pay the foreign study abroad university. But since I'm on a gap year, I can't have the scholarship sent to the US institution!</p>
<p>The problem with trying that is that the colleges I have talked to don’t allow you to study abroad right away, i.e., they want you to take some classes first.</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies so far, but I won’t be considered a transfer because I deferred the admission.</p>
<p>Basically I just have to find a way to use the scholarship money somehow because they won’t pay directly to me and they may not pay to a foreign institution.</p>
<p>Is there some legal or tax reasons why scholarships have to be paid to a US institution? Many of my scholarships have that wording: “paid to an accredited U.S. educational institution”.
If there’s no specific reason, then I may just be able to convince my scholarship administrator to release the money for the study abroad.</p>
<p>Another option that would help me is finding some type US college that allows for an independent study abroad, and is easy to enroll in, like a community college.
Then I could just enroll in that college, go the study abroad, and then un-enroll from that college.</p>
<p>You could save the scholarship and use it later at a US school. While it’s not the situation you’d prefer, it’s a lot simpler. Another option would be to do the study abroad program after attending a US college for a year.</p>
<p>Yes that would work, but if I wait another year, there is no guarantee that they will accept me again, and I cannot defer the acceptance. I’d also like to use the scholarship since I won’t be able to afford the tuition otherwise.</p>
<p>Accredited US institution because the donor doesn’t know the quality of education elsewhere, or wants to support US colleges is my stab in the dark guess.</p>
<p>I know the University my S is considering, they stated scholarships can only be applied abroad for tuition not room and board. We would pay the University tuition and they profit or loss the difference for the college abroad.</p>
<p>Anyway to attend summer semester here to get a US college to allow you to go abroad? Otherwise you can’t get around the terms of the scholarship.</p>
<p>Didn’t the international university offer you any assistance?</p>