Financial Aid for Study Abroad

• If you receive financial aid, you will remain eligible for aid if you study abroad on a Wellesley approved study abroad program.
  
  
• You should complete your financial aid application by the appropriate deadline, http://www.wellesley.edu/SFS/ReturnUSPRApply08.html.  Once you have been accepted to a program and have submitted your Leave of Absence form the OIS will submit a Study Abroad Budget to the financial aid office, who will adjust your financial aid package accordingly.  If your cost of attendance abroad is more than the cost of attendance at Wellesley your financial aid will be increased.  
  
  
• Your Study Abroad Budget will include estimates for the following costs, which together create your total Cost of Attendance for your semester(s) abroad:
  
  • Wellesley tuition
  • Room & Board for your program
  • Airfare to your program destination
  • Books
  • Personal expenses (including local transportation costs)
    
    **Cost estimates for many of the approved programs for 2008-09 are available here.
    
    
• Your financial aid will be applied to your Wellesley account according to the normal disbursement dates.  You are responsible for paying any non-tuition bills you receive from your Study Abroad program by their payment deadline. Do not send these bills to the financial aid office to pay, even if you are on full financial aid.  If you receive more aid than the cost of Wellesley tuition ($18,202/semester in 2008-09) you will have a credit balance on your Wellesley account after your aid has posted and your Wellesley tuition has been paid.  At this time you can request a refund of this money from SFS to use toward your study abroad expenses.  The Refund Request form is available at: http://www.wellesley.edu/SFS/refundrequest.PDF Please note that refunds will not be issued until the funds appear on your student account.
  
  
• If you are unable to pay your study abroad bill until you have received your financial aid and are worried that you will not make the deadline, it is your responsibility to contact your program directly to discuss their payment policies.  In some cases they will provide you with a payment deferral form to be completed by Wellesley’s financial aid office.  This form may ask for details about the amount of financial aid you will receive and when it will be available. (The OIS does not have access to this information and can not complete this form.) It is extremely important that you contact your program well before the payment deadline so that there is sufficient time to complete any necessary forms in order to avoid any late fees or other issues arising from late payment.
  
  
• The Office of International Studies holds financial aid information sessions each semester and we encourage all students on financial aid who are planning to study abroad to attend a session the semester before they go abroad.  If you have additional questions about these sessions or financial aid & study abroad please contact Mireille McLaughlin.  If you have questions about your specific financial aid package or financial aid policies please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Financial Aid FAQ

How much aid will I receive?
Total Budget - Family Contribution = Financial Aid Package

Who pays for my housing costs? My airline tickets?
You have to pay those expenses.  If you receive financial aid in excess of Wellesley tuition, you can get the difference to pay for those costs.

If my program charges a comprehensive fee for tuition, room & board and flight, how will I know what I need to pay?
The program should have a break down of the costs on their web site, or available upon request. You can also get this information from the OIS. In general, Wellesley pays the educational costs, and you will pay for the non-educational costs.

What about Work Study?
If you receive work study normally, that will be converted into a grant ($100) and a loan ($1000).

What if I receive an outside scholarship?
Outside scholarships are applied first against any loans in your package, then they reduce your Wellesley grant.

What if I have a payment plan for this year?
You'll need to contact the payment plan administrator to adjust the amount so that you pay only tuition for the semester(s) you are abroad.

What if I am participating in the 12-College Exchange?
Your Wellesley aid may be taken to all of the institutions with the exception of Mills College. Please note, however that you are responsible for any costs that are higher than those at Wellesley.  Your Wellesley aid can not be increased to cover any additional expenses at an exchange institution.  In order for your aid to be transferred to your 12 College host institution you must complete the Study Away Cost Verification Form and return it to the Financial Aid office.  

 

• Created by Mireille McLaughlin
• Date Created: June 18, 2008
• Last Modified: July 21, 2008
• Expires: July 21, 2009