<p>I am currently a sophomore at the University of Rochester and will be spending the next two semesters studying abroad. Because I will not be at the campus itself, my financial aid was reduces slightly with my FA adviser using a list of costs (i.e. plane tickets, visa, etc.) to decide how much to allot to me. However, the list of costs that was used had costs significantly lower than what I ended up having to pay. I now also have to pay for the $2,000+ student health insurance because my own will not cover me abroad. My adviser claims that I am only eligible for more loans, but I don't want to dig myself deeper into debt... Yet without more aid, the increase in costs will sink my family. What do I do? Is there anyway I can convince my adviser to up my grant without sending her a foreclosure notice for the house?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>^Does study aboard require for your degree?
If you have to have study aboard, I think you should borrow more instead of stressing your family.</p>
<p>No I don’t have to study abroad, but it will be my only opportunity to leave this continent. Either way it will stress myself and my family. I was just wondering if there is anyway to increase my grant money. Last year it was higher because I was on the campus, but I don’t understand why my only other option is to borrow more to make up for it.</p>
<p>
You could leave this continent after you graduate from UR.
You could try Gates Millennium Scholarship. One of my friends told me that his daughter got Gates scholarships to study at England.</p>
<p>My leaving is non-negotiable and it is not something I will regret. </p>
<p>Thanks for letting me know about the scholarship.</p>
<p>Edit: Never mind. I’m not eligible because I’m white.</p>
<p>Also, when the school gives you grants to study aboard, there will be “real” money changing hand - the school will have to send money to other school!</p>
<p>I understand that. It would be cheaper for me to just pay the other school but it doesn’t work that way with this program. Sometimes I swear things are just made more complicated than they need to be haha.</p>
<p>Skntght - If you disagree with the FA advisor’s calculation of your true costs, then go up the food chain . . . to a more senior advisor in the FA office. If the school is providing funding for the year, I don’t see why they would deliberately short you, unless there’s simply a cap on how much they’re willing to pay for study abroad programs.</p>
<p>Provide documentation of all your costs, and see what they say. And, if worse comes to worse, take the student loan. It’s better than nothing.</p>
<p>I am fairly certain that FA at Rochester would not cover the cost of health insurance even if you were on campus. Health insurance is required and the cost is to be handled by the student/family separate from FA.</p>
<p>If the list of cost comes from the study abroad program Rochester uses, perhaps that’s all the school is allowed to allot each student. However, I do agree you should go up the food chain to see if this is the case. </p>
<p>QLM</p>