Financial Aid and Funding

This web page covers information related to financial assistance:

Financial Aid Policies

Enrollment in a study abroad program (that is approved for credit by the home institution) will be considered enrollment at the home institution for the purpose of applying for Title IV aid. Northwestern University's policy of meeting demonstrated need extends to students attending affiliated study abroad programs. Students who attend unaffiliated programs are not eligible for any form of financial aid.

As in any other year, your Expected Family Contribution will be calculated based on your family's financial information as reported on the FAFSA, CSS Profile and Federal Income Tax Returns. Therefore, study abroad program costs do not impact the calculated Expected Family Contribution.

When calculating financial aid awards for study abroad, the Financial Aid Office will use a budget based on the program's costs, including tuition, room and board, personal and book costs, transportation, and the Study Abroad Administrative Fee.  Please note that the estimated personal and other costs do take into account reasonable cost of living for the area in which you will be studying.

All forms of aid will be adjusted to meet your demonstrated need for the quarters spent on study abroad.  Federal work-study is not available for students overseas, thus work-study earnings will not be offered for the quarters abroad. These earnings will be replaced by student loans.

Since work study is not available, and budgeted expenses for study abroad are often higher than costs on campus, your loan debt may be higher for the terms you are abroad or for the year overall.

Applying for Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid for study abroad
  • The application is no different than that for regular campus study. For details on this process, please see the Financial Aid Office web site.
  • If you are attending fall or full year programs with early start dates (generally, university-based programs in the Southern Hemisphere and Antioch-Tuebingen), you must have your aid applications completed on April 1.
  • If you are going abroad for the winter and/or spring quarters, you will be first awarded financial aid based on a full year on campus. Revised awards for study abroad will be calculated late in fall quarter.
Applying for financial aid from overseas
If you will be abroad in the winter and spring quarters, you must be sure that your financial aid application forms are completed by both you and a parent. This includes the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and University Aid Application as needed. You may also use the online FAFSA and CSS Profile forms and print the Northwestern University application from the Financial Aid Office web site. Please make sure to keep your address listings updated so that any financial aid paperwork or application materials are sent to a current address.

Financial Aid Overage

If your financial aid during the quarters you are studying abroad is greater than the amount billed to you by Northwestern University , you will accumulate an overage of financial aid that should be used towards other costs associated with your program overseas. This is particularly relevant for those students studying on programs where room and/or board are billed by the study abroad program. To see if you should expect an overage, simply compare your financial aid for the appropriate quarter(s) with your estimated charges to be billed by Northwestern University. If the financial aid is greater, you will probably have an overage.

If you believe that you will have an overage you may request that it be released to you by contacting the Assistant Director for Financial Services. This can be done by email, letter, or fax. In order for funds to be released, students must have submitted all loan forms and their signed award notice, as well as the power of attorney and cash advance forms. All of these will be sent to the student with the award notice. Students may request the release of funds at the start of their program.

Outside Scholarship Information

If you already have a renewable outside scholarship:
  • Check with the donor to ensure that the scholarship may be used for study abroad.
  • If it is, make sure the scholarship check is sent to the Office of Financial Aid at 1801 Hinman Ave., 2d Floor, Evanston, IL 60208-1270.
If you would like to pursue an outside scholarship:
You are welcome to pursue outside scholarships for study abroad, but it is important to note:
  • For students receiving other forms of financial assistance, need-based scholarships from outside sources will replace Northwestern University grant dollars, not loans. Merit-based awards will generally be used to replace loans.
  • All awards from host institutions will replace Northwestern University grant dollars, whether or not the criteria are need- or merit-based.

If you are considering applying for an outside scholarship and are a recipient of need-based financial aid, please consult with the Assistant Director for Financial Services to ascertain how the scholarship may affect your award package. For information about financial aid eligibility while studying abroad, please see the main page of this section.

Study Abroad Funding Search Engines and Databases:

The Center for Global Education

Diversity Abroad

IIE Passport Study Abroad Funding

Infoed International

International Education Financial Aid

University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center Scholarship Database

StudyAbroad.com

Other Northwestern University students have used these scholarships for study abroad:

  • David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships and Graduate Fellowships
    Boren Scholarships provide funding for up to a year of undergraduate study, or one to two years of graduate study in an overseas program in a language and region relevant to national security.  The mission of the NSEP is to educate U.S. citizens to understand foreign cultures, to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness, and to enhance international cooperation and security.  Recipients build international goodwill through educational and cultural exchange.  Award recipients incur a sevice requirement and are expected to accept a relevant position in a government agency following their award term, for a period of time equal to the award period.
  • Deutsche Akademischer Austauchdienst (DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service)
    DAAD awards several types of grants to assist students in language or cultural study and/or thesis research. Awards may be used during academic year or summer programs. Students can find scholarship requirements on the DAAD web site.
  • The National Security Education Program (NSEP)
    This program is designed to increase the American students studying countries and regions less often visited by Americans. The scholarship may not be used for study in English-speaking countries or those in North America or Western Europe. Language fluency is not required unless the student intends to study in French or Spanish (for example, in Francophone Africa). The list of target countries may change each year, and students must check the NSEP Web page for updated information before beginning the application process.
  • Gilman Scholarship
    Pell Grant-eligible undergraduate students who wish to study abroad may apply for the Gilman International Scholarship to subsidize the cost of their programs.
  • Global Studies Foundation Student Grant
    Designed to support foreign language training and other academic studies abroad, this grant provides, supplemental funds for American students who are already studying abroad under the auspices of an official study abroad program conducted by an accredited institution.  The foundation is particularly interested in funding the study of strategically significant countries and languages.  Grant recipients are expected to share their experience with others upon their return, ideally, with multiple audiences and media.
  • US-Japan Bridging Scholarships
    Administered by the Association of Teachers of Japanese, these scholarships are geared toward students wishing to study in Japan. Per the foundation, "Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Japanese language study is not a prerequisite. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must be enrolled as undergraduates in a college or university in the United States before or during the time they are studying abroad."
  • Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship
    Rotary Scholarships, like Fulbright Grants, aim to promote international understanding and peace among nations.  NU has sent students to South Africa, Egypt, England, France, Switzerland and Italy, among other countries, to study subjects as varied as Arabic language, English literature and Economics.  The possibilities are endless.  Rotary differs from Fulbright and from NSEP; Rotary cannot guarnatee that a student will be assigned to the first choice university, as geographical distribution of Scholars is important to Rotary's overall design.