www.sampleresume.net |
|
|
Financial Aid For Study Abroad
|
Article on Financial Aid For Study Abroad
Studying abroad is becoming an increasingly popular choice for American undergraduate students. Concurrently, the most popular financial aid sources for domestic programs have also made provisions to extend financial aid for study abroad programs. The result is that students have good reason to feel hopeful about the possibility of receiving sufficient aid to go overseas.
Federal Grants and Loans
The most significant source of financial aid for study abroad programs is the federal government. It offers both grants and loans. As far as grants go, both its major need-based grants, the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunities Grant (FSEOG), are available to students interested in studying abroad. The federal loan programs, including the Federal Stafford, Perkins and PLUS loans are all applicable for study abroad programs too.
Extra Conditions for Federal Aid
It is important to know that your school is not permitted to cancel your federal financial aid only because you have chosen a study abroad program. The federal aid will be extended, if certain conditions are met. First of all, the home institution at which a student is enrolled must recognize the student’s chosen study abroad program as a contribution to his/her degree program, and grant it credit accordingly. The other major requirement is that the study abroad program must at least be a half-time engagement.
The Usual Restrictions Stand
All the other usual restrictions and conditions for federal aid apply to study abroad programs. In fact, if a Pell Grant qualifying student’s overseas program is more expensive than the tuition at the local institution, he/she may even be eligible for a top-up on the grant money.
Institutional and State Government Aid
Colleges offer their own financial aid for study abroad programs too, including grants and scholarships. However, the policies of each institution are different in this matter, and all the information about the policy of a particular institution is available from its study abroad office. There are state sponsored study abroad financial aid programs too, but once again each state has its own policy, and the relevant information will be available on your state government’s forums.
Exchange Programs
A lot of colleges and universities have collaborations with foreign counterparts for student exchange programs. These are the most convenient as far as carrying over financial aid programs go, because the student’s tuition costs and aid programs remain unchanged, with no extra conditions, as though he/she were studying at home.
Private Scholarships and Grants
It is also possible to find private financial aid for study abroad programs, in the form of scholarships and grants. There are scholarships sponsored by ethnic and religious organizations as well as professional organizations (for students interested in studying their field) and several different associations. The scholarship offered by the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) is a good example.
On the whole, students interested in going overseas have several sources to tap into to get financial aid for study abroad programs. However, like in every other aspect of financial aid, here too the federal government plays the most significant role.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|