Financial Aid

Receive Federal Financial Aid? Apply it towards study abroad!

If you receive federal financial aid you may be eligible to apply some of it towards your study abroad program expenses.  UIC’s Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Office can help you determine how much aid you may have available to you. If you have any questions, we highly encourage you to make an appointment with the Financial Aid Office’s study abroad advisor. Here are some quick tips about using federal financial aid to study abroad:

  1. File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – even if you think you might not receive much aid.  Studying abroad can change your cost of attendance for the term in which you study abroad and you may qualify for aid you typically don’t receive. Don’t miss out on knowing what aid may be available to you!
  2. Receive a Pell grant? Let us know! Students who receive a Pell grant may have access to additional funding resources specific to study abroad, such as the Gilman International Scholarship. In addition, some of our study abroad program partners will provide a Pell match or have specialized scholarships available to eligible or qualified students. Make sure you find out if you are Pell eligible from the Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Office and let your study abroad advisor know so we can help connect you to additional resources.
  3. Consider the differences between financial aid for a semester program versus a summer program. Financial aid during the summer can be much more limited than it is during the semester, so keep this in mind when considering program costs and funding.  Additionally, there is a maximum amount of aid you can receive per academic year, so you want to make sure you have aid available to use when you study abroad, especially for summer. If you don’t need to use all of your aid from one semester, then you may be able to use it towards eligible expenses in another semester.
  4. Remember minimum credit enrollment requirements. In order to maintain financial aid eligibility during a semester, undergraduates and professional students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours; graduate students must be enrolled for at least 5 credit hours. Please note that certain financial aid awards may require you to maintain enrollment in higher credit levels, please consult with the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Office for details.
    There is no additional FAFSA application for summer; all degree-seeking students with a FAFSA on file for the current academic year who enroll in summer courses will be considered. Undergraduate/graduate students must be enrolled in at least 5 credit hours while professional students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours.
  5. Plan a budget with your advisor. During your Program Advising Appointment, you will review the program costs with your study abroad advisor along with items not included in the program fee to determine your overall budget. This budget will allow your cost of attendance to be reassessed by the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships office and you may qualify for aid you otherwise don’t receive.  You can then see how this compares to your cost of attendance at UIC

Process for Applying Financial Aid Towards Study Abroad:

If you plan on receiving financial aid (grants and/or loans), it is your responsibility to make the necessary arrangements prior to your departure, but we are here to help! Follow these steps to apply financial aid towards your program:

  1. Meet with the study abroad advisor in the Financial Aid Office. Once you have selected a specific study abroad program, you can send your program’s cost sheet (obtained on the Finances tab of the program’s web brochure page) to the Financial Aid Office. You should make an appointment with the Financial Aid office representative who advises on funding for study abroad; contact SAFinAid@uic.edu to discuss your financial aid package in relation to your term abroad.
  2. Check your student account for aid disbursement. Your financial aid will be disbursed directly into your student account, typically about 10 days prior to the start of each term. After going towards paying off any charges on your student account, any excess aid will be issued to you as a refund from the Bursar’s office, typically within 5-7 business days after aid disbursement.  You can then use those funds to help pay your expenses associated with your study abroad program, including program fees, airfare, books and supplies etc.  Ensure that you have completed all paperwork required by the Office of Financial Aid for on-time disbursement of funds. If your program fee balance is due before you receive financial aid, you should obtain a financial aid disbursement letter from the Financial Aid Office. This letter will indicate what types and amounts of financial aid you are expected to receive. It is then your responsibility to submit the letter to your program sponsor to see if they will accept it and adjust your program fee due date.
  3. Complete Financial Aid and Scholarships Agreement Form:
    1. For students who wish to request financial aid for approved Partnership or Exchange programs, please submit Study Abroad Agreement Form along with your UIC Study Abroad program Cost Sheet.
    2. For students who wish to request financial aid for approved Faculty Directed Program, please submit Budget Adjustment Form-Faculty Directed program along with your Faculty Directed Program Cost Sheet.

Student Loans & Study Abroad

As you’re already thinking about funding your study abroad program you should consider all of your options. Student loans might be an option worth considering to help you bridge any unmet need for your program. The choice to take out a student loan is a personal one, but you may wish to consider looking into your loan options with the UIC Financial Aid and Scholarships Office as a backup plan to fund your program in case other financial aid resources don’t cover all the costs or you do not receive as many scholarships as you initially anticipate receiving.

College Illinois! and Study Abroad

If you study abroad, College Illinois! will pay the amount equal to the undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees charged if you were attending courses on campus. If the actual number of credit hours earned may not be determined until after the semester ends, or the credit earned varies from the University of Illinois’ normal course credits, College Illinois! will deduct 15 credit hours from your account.

Visit the University Bursar website for information about College Illinois!

Resources:

*This is an external source and is not affiliated with UIC. It is only meant as a resource and is not endorsed by UIC or the Study Abroad Office.