Financial Aid
Financial aid is time-sensitive and requires an application process. Please be sure you follow all instructions from your financial aid advisor and complete all paperwork well before your departure. It is important during this process that you take the initiative to communicate with both your university’s study abroad/international programs and financial aid offices, especially to determine if you will need USAC to process your financial aid application with an alternative university.
If your home university is a USAC Member University, you can contact the representative listed for more detailed financial aid procedures.
Aid is available to you in many forms: your preexisting financial aid (federal, state, and/or institutional), aid specific for study abroad, scholarships, private student loans, personal savings, and parental support. Regardless of what kind or level of aid you use during a normal term on your home university campus, you should (re)consider utilizing any and all of these resources to finance your study abroad.
As mentioned above, federal law allows study abroad students to receive financial aid from their home universities while attending study abroad programs sponsored by their home university or other institutions. Federal law also states that financial aid can cover all “reasonable” costs for a study abroad program, including:
- Transportation to/from the program site
- Tuition and fees for the program
- Housing and meals
- Other living costs
- Textbooks
- Health insurance
- Passport and visa fees
- Optional field study/tours*
* included in most cases; check with your home university
Financial aid resources