Funding Study Abroad
When studying abroad, questions the that students tend to have are where to find money, what program should I go on, and how to make the best of my experience abroad. Money is a big issue for most of us when we go abroad we make decisions primarily, if not only, dependent on the amount of money available to go abroad.
Finding money to go abroad is not an easy venture and requires painstaking searching of scholarships from the school and outside resources. However, in the end your efforts will pay off! In general, the more scholarships you apply for the more likely you are to receive a scholarship. Destination, in addition to grades and scholastic performance, is also important to the scholarship process. Those going to Europe will generally have a harder time acquiring certain outside scholarships versus those going to Asia or other underrepresented locations in study abroad. In the end, it comes down to time management with the scholarships and their deadlines as well as effort put into each one. Make sure to take time on the essays and write from the heart. Apply to many, apply early, and apply with heart. An application poorly done is just as good as one that wasn't done at all.
Financial aid offered from the University may be applied to a students study abroad trip. However, the Office of Student Financial Services (OSFS) at the University of Texas state that the FAFSA application must be in on time and that "emergency loans to assist students in paying for deposits or airline tickets are not available for students going abroad." Also financial aid released from the OSFS will be released close to the time school starts here so funding for the trip should be planned accordingly.