Using scholarship vs. self pay for summer

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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For the NMF Presidential Scholarship, one can use up to 10 semesters for study at Alabama. If one completes undergrad requirements before using all 10, apparently one can apply the remaining semesters to a master’s program.

From what I understand, however, if one does a summer abroad as an undergrad, it counts as one of the 10 covered semesters.
So my question is this: is it possible to self-pay for the summer abroad without using one of the covered 10 semesters? That way, a student could keep the semesters for the more expensive masters study (esp if OOS) rather than “burning” one on a less expensive undergrad summer abroad program.

Anyone know if this is possible?

Thanks!

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Absolutely you can self-pay for a summer abroad if you want, but why do that?

you’d be given about $12,500 towards that study abroad…and it won’t cost nearly that much. Which one is he looking at and how much does it cost

Of course, he’d also get the $2k one time award, as well.

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^I sent you a PM. Thanks!

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Can you explain more about how the $$ towards summer abroad works? My daughter will likewise have 10 semesters of tuition (NMF). If she picks a summer program or semester abroad program, how does the funding from UA work? Can her scholarship be applied towards the whole program fee, up to some limit? (12,500?) If the fee is $6000 for a summer program, is the remainder of the 12,500 forfeited? Or can she use some of that extra towards flights and any other non-included costs? Thanks!

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The remainder is not forfeited. she can use the difference towards travel and housing costs for that program.

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^This is where choosing study abroad programs with set costs can be very beneficial financially. For OOS students on full tuition scholarships, the exchange programs where one pays the same tuition as they do at UA is rarely a good deal. For example, some of the exchange schools charge international students around $7000 per semester if they register directly with the other university. If they register through the exchange program, the cost goes up to UA’s OOS tuition rates. Note that UA’s study abroad office has been known to promote the exchange options more than other options as they’ve had more students participate in those programs. When I asked about directly enrolling in a foreign institution for a semester, most of the employees had no clue how to help me.

I originally thought this thread would be about paying OOS tuition during the summer at UA. My recommendation for that would be to find a college or university with lower summer tuition rates. For example, my total cost for 6 credits and all travel and living expenses for a 5 week summer program was less than the cost of 2 OOS credits at UA.

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@SEA_tide‌ thanks, my friend! Insightful and helpful as usual!

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@SeaTide, can you explain the numbers to me? I can’t quite get what you are saying, and I really want to understand!

For instance, dd is on a full ride OOS NMF scholarship. She has 10 semesters of tuition available to her. She’ll need no more than 8 to get her undergrad, probably more like 7. (She has AP, etc., and will come in with 30+ credits, maybe 45+ if she CLEPs Spanish)

So, tell me what a summer abroad option would look like. Option A . . . Option B . . .

Option A would be a 8 week program of “Variety ABC” and would cost $5000 which includes a, b, and c. Since you scholarship pays up to 12,500 (?), that leaves you $7500 left over, which you would be permitted to spend on (food, airfare, per diem, shopping sprees, a car? LOL) and any amount you didn’t spend on those items would be forfeited (?)

Option B would be a 8 week program of “Variety XYZ” and would cost $5000 which includes d, e, and f, but NOT a or b. Since your scholarship pays up to 12,500 (?), that leaves you $7500, which would be . . .

Even better, include a couple links to actual programs available on UA’s website so I can see examples of the categories of programs you are talking about.

Please, use as many words as possible, and assume I am stupid. :slight_smile: I am not stupid (as I often remind my kids, they wouldn’t get those high IQs if I were as stupid as a rock, lol.), but, at the moment, I do feel rather stupid. :slight_smile:

Thanks so much!

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For the sake of example, I’ll use programs where the primary language of instruction is in English. Something a lot of people fail to consider is that university classes might often be taught in English even though the country has other national languages. For example, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway often have a lot of courses taught in English as there are a lot of students who speak English as a second or third language. The Netherlands is a prime example of a country where a huge proportion of residents speak fluent English, so there is not much of a language barrier.

Some examples:

  1. Summer study abroad program administered and taught by faculty from a US university or study abroad company: Possibly the most common type of study abroad program due to its relative ease in scheduling. UA offers several of these during the summer, as do other schools. Students often pay in-state rates. Using your example, say the program costs $5,000. If offered by another university, students would get a check for the $12,500 and use it to pay the other school. If offered by UA, I believe the entire scholarship stays at UA with no cash back for the student, though this may have changed. Pros: Easy to schedule, cheaper for full-pay students. Cons: Not very long in duration. It might be harder to meet local students. There is a very limited selection of classes in each program, some of which might only count as electives. https://studyabroad.ua.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=11294
  2. Semester or year long study abroad program offered by a US university or study abroad company: Much like option one, but longer in duration. They generally offer a wider selection of courses. UA does not currently offer any of these directly. Students pay the program directly and are issued a check for the value of their scholarship. Pros: Easy to arrange as there's a lot of help in the process. There are more classes offered than in example 1. Cons: Might not meet many local students as classes are often specific to visiting students. Educational quality does vary among programs. http://www.semesteratsea.org/ http://www.aifsabroad.com/
  3. Exchange programs: Originally designed to be easy, inexpensive study abroad options. These are programs where students attend a foreign university as a visiting student and pay UA tuition. Students also come to UA from the foreign universities, often on an even exchange basis. Students pay only UA tuition, so they get no check from UA. Pros: Easy to arrange. Many UA students have already participated. Cons: Limited selection of universities, many of which are not the "big name" schools in that country. More expensive for OOS scholarship recipients. Students might not get their first choice of university if not enough students from that university want to attend UA and that university doesn't allow for an uneven exchange. http://studyabroad.ua.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewDocument&File_ID=9548
  4. National Student Exchange: Students attend one of many pre-selected universities in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands. Some universities have Spanish or French as their primary language of instruction. Tuition is either paid directly to UA at UA's rates or to the other university at in-state/province rates. This program is not administered by UA's study abroad office. Pros: Close to "home", less potential culture shock. One gets to take classes with students who regularly attend that university. Dedicated on-campus support for exchange students. Cons: Limited selection of universities, many of which do not have big OOS student populations. Cost may be more expensive or significantly cheaper than directly enrolling. Locations might not be as "exotic" as some might want in a study abroad program. http://www.nse.org/
  5. Direct enrollment in a foreign institution: This offers the ultimate in flexibility and course selection, but also involves a lot more effort in planning. UA and other institutions offer limited support with this option because each university has slightly different rules. Professors are often better choices for help organizing this option if they know professors who teach at the other university. UA Study Abroad might try to discourage students from doing this option as it can be very complex. Students pay the foreign institution and UA issues them a check for the value of their scholarship.Pros: Large choice of universities. Many different course options. All classes taken with students form that university. Can be a very inexpensive option. Cons: Difficult to organize. Transfer credits have to be determined well in advance. Greatest potential for culture shock.

Note that UA lists some “direct enrollment” universities. This is a list of a small number of universities which UA has made it easier to attend, but might also charge students an extra $100 to attend. Students can and do attend universities on this list, but generally do so without the help of the Study Abroad office. For example, a couple business students each year will take classes at the London School of Economics (LSE) http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/summerSchools/summerSchool/Home.aspx

Also note that summer sessions at non-US institutions often have fewer local students and might use more contingent faculty instead of tenured or tenure-track professors.

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Sea_Tide;

This is incredibly useful information. Can I confirm that if you are careful choosing the type of program, then your S or D might be able to then study abroad for little to no cost? It will only take D 7 semesters to graduate, so the 8th could be used in this manner (she has Presidential Scholarship.) That’s an amazing benefit. Our D is deciding between four schools right now, all with good merit scholarships, but this is a wonderful opportunity.

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You are correct that studying abroad can actually be less expensive than studying at UA. It’s a little known benefit of the Presidential and NMF scholarships.

I will say that studying abroad becomes much more difficult when one runs out of 100/200 level required couses and needs to take upper division courses in their major. Waiting until junior year to study abroad can be problematic for many advanced students as they either need to choose a program specific to their major or attend a foreign university with a lot of courses in that major. I was not able to study abroad as I waited until I had few undergraduate courses left and learned that the study abroad office was not used to students picking a highly-ranked foreign university and saying that they want to go there and take specific classes most study abroad students wouldn’t take. It’s much more common for students to say that they want to go to a specific country and the advisors simply direct them to one of UA’s preferred programs in that country.

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Sorry to be dense here, @SEA_tide and @mom2collegekids … Tell me if I am getting this right:

The cost for the trip to Italy is $5450. Being scheduled for the “Interim (May)” - this would be considered a distinct semester from Fall or Spring, so if a Presidential scholarship were used, this would be one of the 8 semesters allotted.

The Presidential (or NMF) scholarships only cover up to the cost of tuition for any semester. Here, tuition = $5450, so UA would just cover that cost? Items like airfare, personal expenses and extra meals are explicitly not included in the listed cost.

Or would the balance of the scholarship be usable for additional expenses (like airfare)? An OOS Presidential Scholarship is would $12500, but an IS is only worth $4900… so, a NMSF from Alabama would have less expenses than one from New York? Can that be right?

Now, say a different school offered an identical program at the same cost… Would UA really just cut a check to the student for $12500 (the value of a typical OOS semester’s tuition)? Would in-state Presidential recipients only get a check for $4900 for the same program?

It undercuts their own budget line significantly. I mean, I’d love to find a way for my DS to get airfare and a shopping spree to be covered, but those don’t sound like “qualified education expenses” in the eyes of the IRS. If this is how UA handles study abroad, I’d think the funds would at least be taxable in their eyes.

I’ve learned that “too good to be true” is something I’ve said about 'Bama a lot lately, and I usually find out that Alabama is that amazing. This is why I think OP was asking if it was better to pay out of pocket and save the semester’s value for grad school. Is this another case of “too good to be true… but in Alabama it is true”?

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If scholarship money is not used for qualified educational expenses, it’s taxable at the Federal level, but not at the state (Alabama) level. Your state may be different in regards to scholarship taxation. IIRC, the excess money is now taxed at the parent’s rate. It used to be taxed at the student’s rate which created a gravy train of sorts where some families were using scholarships for non-qualified expenses and paying for qualifying expenses so they could use the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

I always thought that the way UA handles scholarships for outside study abroad programs (cutting students checks for the value of what their value of tuition scholarships would cover at UA) was almost too student-friendly to be true. It’s very true and is one of the few areas where OOS students are getting a better deal than in-state students as in-state students would only get a check for the value of in-state tuition.

It’s important to note that the majority of UA students do not study abroad and if they do, it’s with a program organized by UA where the “loophole” doesn’t apply. For that matter, most students will take the group flights instead of booking their own.

Deciding on a study abroad program really boils down to a student’s personality. Independent types might find preplanned, very structured programs to be too constricting, while others will find the same programs to be a huge time saver or even not structured enough.