Financial Aid and Scholarship Resources for Education Abroad

In order to determine how much it might cost to incorporate an experience abroad into your degree plan, your first step is to find your specific program and check the “Costs and Funding” section on your program page. You’ll find a link to our cost calculator, where you can get an estimate of the fees.

Below are a few things to keep in mind while you look over the program costs and use the calculator.

• Please remember to deduct any grants, loans, scholarships or other financial aid from your total amount. It is possible to use your federal financial aid and most Kent State scholarships on approved education abroad programs.
• Be sure to apply early if you are planning to use financial aid or loans.
• The estimated costs shown in the calculator do not include food, textbooks, travel to group flight departure points, optional social activities, or other incidentals.
• Program costs will be finalized the semester before students go abroad, so the figures you see are estimates and should not be considered guaranteed for future semesters or terms.
• If you have questions about your financial aid and scholarships for education abroad, you can contact the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center.
• If you are not currently enrolled with KSU, see our information for Guest Students to learn about payment processes. You’ll also need to contact your university's financial aid office, as KSU-sponsored funding will not apply to you.

Be mindful of deadlines and plan ahead

Be sure to review the bill due date and financial aid disbursement date for your time abroad. If your study abroad program starts before or after the start date of classes at Kent State, be aware that according to federal regulations, your financial aid will not disburse until 10 days before the start of your classes abroad.

We suggest you bring enough money with you to cover 2-3 weeks of expenses, since it takes time for a refund from the Bursar’s Office to fully process. If you have not yet set up a direct deposit account with Bank Mobile, do that as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition of funds to your personal account once abroad.

Your payment process will depend on the type of program you are enrolled in.

For programs run by Kent State:

• You will be billed by the Kent State University Bursar for the items listed (excluding airfare if you fly independently). The payment portal can be found in FlashLine.
• Summer programs require full payment in one sum; there are no payment plans available.
• If you are studying abroad for spring and fall programs, you can pay in three installments over 2-6 months via our flexible payment plan.

For programs run by other universities or providers (non-Kent-State-Sponsored programs):

• You will be responsible for paying the provider of your non-Kent-State-Sponsored program directly. Be sure to contact them early and make sure you fully understand the payment process for the program you have selected.  

It is important to create a budget so you’ll know how much you can comfortably spend while abroad. We recommend creating a weekly or monthly budget to help you manage your expenses and keep track of your savings in advance of your time away from home.

After calculating your costs to study abroad, if you find that you’d like to supplement those by saving up extra funds in advance, below are some helpful ideas.

Start saving – The earlier you start, the more time you have to earn interest on money you’ve set aside. You can use the Education Abroad Savings Tracker to help you create an estimated monthly savings plan for your program. Input the requested information in the yellow cells to calculate your costs, and the savings plan will tell you the estimated amount you need to save each month. You can also use the Monthly Tracker to keep track of how much you have saved.

Get a part-time or summer job – If you’re not already working while enrolled at Kent State, see if you can spare a few hours a week to earn some extra cash between now and when you want to go abroad. And, if you plan ahead, you could work one summer in order to help pay for your next summer abroad!

Adjust your spending habits – Once you’ve made an education abroad budget and know how much you’ll need, consider where you might be able to cut back on expenses that tend to add up over time. Think about the long-term impact of those regular trips to Starbucks for example. What’s more important: weekly Chai Lattes or memories of the views over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower?

Get creative - To increase your financial support, you could raise funds by selling items online or at a local flea market, host a food fair and sell homemade baked goods, or even set up a GoFundMe page for online fundraising.

Cast a wide net – While popular destinations in Western Europe are tempting, if you’re on a tight budget you may find that your funds go further in Latin America, South Asia or Africa.

Make an appointment with an Education Abroad Advisor and a Financial Aid Advisor through KSU Advising and you’ll see that there are many ways to afford an education abroad program.

Make sure you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year in which you will be going abroad. When you’re ready, the FAFSA Form can be filed electronically on StudentAid.gov.

• If you will be participating in an Education Abroad program during the summer, please submit the FAFSA and complete questions to indicate your enrollment plans on your FlashLine account in order to have your financial aid awarded to you.
• If you have questions or need to update your enrollment plan answers, please refer to the Summer Financial Aid Information page.
• If you have already been awarded summer financial aid, and wish to request additional subsidized/unsubsidized Direct Loans from the fall/spring semesters for the summer semester, please contact finaideducationabroad@kent.edu. 
• Financial aid used in the summer will come from the fall and spring semesters, unless additional loans such as Parent PLUS/private loans are applied and awarded.

You can also review other loan assistance options from the U.S. Department of Education, and other guides for student financial aid.

Good news! There are hundreds of scholarships specific to study abroad that can help you finance your educational experience.

First and foremost, it is important to start researching scholarships as soon as possible because many have early deadlines of up to one year in advance. You can also apply for scholarships before you’re accepted into your education abroad program so that you don’t miss the deadlines.

You may be able to use Kent State University scholarships that are awarded by the Student Financial Aid Office or the Admissions Office, depending on the study abroad program you have selected. The same renewal and eligibility requirements apply while abroad (such as requiring full-time enrollment for certain scholarships). If you already receive scholarship(s), be sure to talk through the details with your Financial Aid Advisor.

Start researching opportunities

There are many Education Abroad Scholarships offered through Kent State University as well as external organizations. You can also register with at least one external scholarship site, such as Fastweb.com or CollegeBoard.org.

You can search and apply for a variety of education abroad scholarships on ScholarshipUniverse. Review the site regularly, as new possibilities can be added any time.

You can use the Scholarship Application Tracker to keep track of what scholarships you are planning to apply for as well as their due dates, requirements, and application websites.

Be sure to consult the Writing Commons if you need advice when writing scholarship essays.

Additional scholarship resources to explore

Some education abroad programs include scholarships that help pay for things such as tuition or flights, especially if you are among the first students to apply. This information can be found within each program page of the KSU database.

In addition, each college within KSU may have their own special scholarships for your field of study. Check with your academic advisor, a faculty head, or explore your college’s webpages.

If you are enrolling on an ISEP study abroad program, you might be eligible for one of their scholarships. Explore those opportunities on the ISEP website.

Last but not least, don’t give up! Apply for as many scholarships as you can to increase your chances and stay positive!