Financing Your Study Abroad Experience:
Typically, students (and parents!) feel great anxiety when thinking about financing a semester abroad. However, there are many things you may not know about how financial aid applies to study abroad, or the special scholarship opportunities that exist to help finance this experience.
General information about financing study abroad can be found at: http://www.cashcourse.org/canisius/Article.aspx?147
Canisius-Specific Information:
As a matriculated student at Canisius College, all of your scholarships, grants, and loans will be applied to the cost of your study abroad program. The Student Financial Aid Office will help you determine your expenses and present funding solutions.
All students are required to meet with an Associate in the Student Financial Aid Office during the semester prior to going abroad. Those students who attend Canisius under the ROTC, ULLC, Tuition Exchange, or Child of Employee programs must make an appointment to meet with Lea Nicholson. HEOP students must make an appointment with Mary Koehneke. All other students are free to meet with their associate on a walk-in basis. The Student Financial Aid Office can be reached at 888-2300 and is located in Old Main 100.
Please be sure to have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You will also need to respond to any requests for information in a timely fashion.
Students who normally commute from home will have their financial aid packages re-evaluated to determine whether there is any additional eligibility for aid based on the room and board estimates for the semester abroad.
While borrowing large amounts of private alternative loans or PLUS loans is not generally recommended as a financing strategy, studying abroad is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Studies indicate that employers identify job candidates with study abroad experience on their resume as more desirable, truly making it an investment in your future.
Additionally, special scholarship opportunities for study abroad are also available through the International Student Programs office.
- The Gilman Scholarship- The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. http://www.iie.org/programs/gilman/index.html
- The Freeman-ASIA Scholarship- The primary goal of the Freeman-ASIA awards is to increase the number of U.S. undergraduates who study in East and Southeast Asia, by providing them with the information and financial assistance they will need. Award recipients are expected to share their experiences with their home campuses to encourage study abroad in East and Southeast Asia by others, and to spread greater understanding of Asian peoples and cultures within their home communities. http://www.iie.org/programs/Freeman%2DASIA/
- The Erin Keenan Memorial Scholarship is awarded each semester and covers the cost of round-trip airfare to Galway, Ireland for one Canisius study abroad participant. Applications are available at the International Student Programs office.