Financing Your Study Abroad Program

One of the biggest concerns about studying abroad is how to finance the program. While studying abroad can be very costly, many students in financial need manage to do so every year! Plan early and strategize with International Education Center (The Bone House) and Financial Aid (103 Parks Hall) staff.

Some funding possibilities:

• Georgia College students who have applied for a study abroad program may also apply for the Georgia College Study Abroad scholarship fund. Applications are completed online through the study abroad application website. Be sure to submit applications by the posted deadlines. 

• Other organizations also offer study abroad scholarships, primarily for longer, more intensive programs, financially needy students, and students taking less studied languages. Check out the Institute for International Education (IIE) database of available scholarships. 

• Find out if you are eligible to receive a study abroad scholarship from any of these organizations: Benjamin A. Gilman for Pell recipients, NSEP/Boren Scholars, Rotary International, Fund for Education Abroad, DAAD for programs in Germany,  Phi Kappa Phi for students with a GPA of 3.75 or higher, Alpha Lambda Delta, for ALD members, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars for NSCS members.
   
• Some scholarships are specificially focused on diversifying the student population that chooses to study abroad and/or the destinations to which they study abroad: Diversity Abroad Network, Fund for Education Abroad, Fund for Education Abroad Rainbow Scholarship, and the Fund for Education Abroad Athlete Scholarship. 

Hope Scholarships pay some in-state tuition for eligible students. Information is available in the Financial Aid Office.

Out-of-state waivers are available to out-of-state students going on Georgia College programs. Information is available in the International Education Center.

Federal Aid – both Pell Grants and Stafford Loans – is available to eligible students for approved study abroad programs. Information is available in the Financial Aid Office.

Ask relatives and friends to contribute birthday and Christmas gifts to a special study abroad fund.

Students often organize fund-raising projects – bake sales, car washes, silent auctions, raffles, etc. – to benefit their study abroad.

Service organizations and churches to which students and their parents and friends belong are sometimes interested in helping students in return for a presentation on the study abroad experience upon return.