International Education - Study Abroad

Financial Aid for Study Abroad

Study Abroad - For purposes of financial aid "study abroad" can be understood as an arrangement by which a Community College of Philadelphia student earns academic credit towards a degree at the College while studying in another country. Normally to receive most types of financial aid the student must be registered for a full-time course load, and receive credit for the courses towards his or her degree.

Financial Aid - Financial aid can be broadly defined as any help that does not originate with the student or his or her family. Aid may come in the form of grants, scholarships, tuition reductions, or loans. Ideally every type of financial aid a student could normally receive for study at the College should be able to be used for study abroad (although this might not always true in all cases. In the case of some private aid there may be restrictions on using aid to study abroad. ) In addition, students may qualify for special study abroad scholarships or aid.

Some Financial Aid Resources:

Federal Financial Aid - Students can usually apply their financial aid (including loans) to assist in covering the cost of study abroad. Federal financial aid is governed by Chapter IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. In the most recent reauthorization, very clear and forceful language was inserted stating that it is legal to use federal aid for student abroad if the credit earned by the student is approved by the home institution. That is to say, the courses taken for credit abroad must be approved by the home institution (see the "Ultimate Guide To Study Abroad" handout for a guideline on the process of determining if a particular study abroad program will be approved by Community College of Philadelphia.)

Financial aid recipients normally file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) yearly. (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov) Make sure your FAFSA is up-to-date for the period when you wish to study abroad, and file a FAFSA each year as soon as possible after January 1. File on-line if possible. Federal aid includes Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, and the Federal Plus Loans.

State Financial Aid - State financial aid may also be available for study abroad. This may come in a number of forms, and supplemental aid for summer study is possible.

Study Aboard Scholarship Award established by the Community College of Philadelphia Foundation.

NSEP David Boren Undergraduate Scholarships - Usually late January or early February Deadline - Ranges from $2,500 - $10,000. (http://www.iie.org/nsep/)

Gilman Undergraduate Study Abroad Scholarships - The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program is a new federal scholarship program that provides financial assistance for study abroad to students who are receiving Pell Grants. Selected recipients are awarded up to $5,000. The deadline for application for study abroad programs for spring 2004 is October 15, 2003. Students interested in applying should contact David Prejsnar, Coordinator for International Education immediately to get more information about the eligibility requirements and the criteria for selection. Students will need to identify the study abroad program to which they will be applying, have a strong GPA and academic record, write a short essay, and attach letters of reference from the Coordinator for International Education and the Office of Financial Aid. (http://www.iie.org/gilman)

Institutional Aid - This is aid funded by the student's home educational institution. Institutional scholarships may be restricted to study only at the home institution or programs sponsored by the home institution.

Private Aid - This is aid that is neither governmental nor institutional. It sometimes includes requirements that it be used in specific colleges or for study in specific geographic regions. A number of study abroad scholarships are listed below but more exist. Students interested in exploring aid sources should consult the Study Abroad Resource Collection in BR-25A.

Freeman Scholarship for Study in Asia - Fall and Spring Deadlines $5,000 per semester. (http://www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia/default.htm)

Rotary International Scholarships - amount varies. (http://www.rotary.org/)

Bridging Scholarships for Study Abroad in Japan - Fall and Spring deadlines (anticipated.) Amount varies. (http://www.colorado.edu/ealld/atj/Bridging/scholarships.html)

Program Sponsor Aid - Many US sponsored programs may offer some scholarships and grants for students accepted on their programs and for use on their programs. Examples of program providers that offer limited scholarships are Arcadia University, CIEE, and Butler University.

Students who are considering study abroad should contact:

Helpful Web Sites

http://www.studyabroad.com/forum/financial_aid.html

http://www.studyabroad.com/handbook/costs.html#aid

http://www.internationalscholarships.com/

http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/exchange.html

http://www.nafsa.org

http://www.istc.umn.edu/html/misc_schol.html

http://www.studentservices.com/fastweb

http://www.isp.msu.edu

http://www.iie.org/Template.cfm?&Template=/programs/gilman/links.htm

http://www.studyabroaddirectory.com/scholarship/index.cfm

For more information, please contact: