Study Abroad--Money Matters

Students on financial aid at Amherst may apply their aid to study abroad with the following provisions:

1. You must be studying for full credit with a program approved by Amherst. You must take a 'full load' of courses, whatever is done by full-time students on the overseas campus or by students on the home campus of the program sponsor. This can mean 2, 3, 4, or 5 courses, in order to earn 4 Amherst course credits

2. You will be eligible to receive a full semester's worth of financial aid (not to exceed the cost of Amherst College )

3. Starting in academic year 2008-2009, Amherst College will replace initially packaged student loans with grant assistance beginning in 2008-2009 and includes study abroad on approved programs. If studying abroad is less expensive than studying at Amherst , the amount of aid you receive while away will be adjusted to reflect the decreased cost of your semester or year abroad.

4. Your parents are expected to make the same contribution toward study abroad as they would otherwise toward Amherst College costs.

5. You are expected to make the same contribution from summer earnings toward study abroad as you would toward Amherst costs.

6. If the cost of study abroad is less than the cost of Amherst , you may not be expected to contribute campus earnings, depending on the cost of your program.

7. A few programs offer need- or merit-based scholarships. You should seek information from the program about this assistance. If awarded, you can use this aid to replace Amherst loan monies.

As soon as you have a few programs selected that you are interested in applying to, you should meet with Dean Kate Gentile in the Office of Financial Aid by calling x2296. She will counsel you on the process, i.e. submiting a regular application for financial aid, drafting an official statement of expenses from the program, and creating a study abroad budget. You need to do this by April 20. It is essential that you request an early reading so that your aid can be processed before you leave the country.

Students studying abroad for the spring semester only should submit the official statement of program expenses and a study abroad budget (including travel costs) by November 1, having already submitted their yearly aid application the previous April. If you will be abroad all year or just during the spring, be sure to inform the Office of Financial Aid of your foreign address so that financial aid forms can be mailed to you in the spring term.

You may obtain further information from the Financial Aid Office.

Students who do not receive financial aid are responsible for all costs of their study abroad program, paying the program directly. The college will not bill you for the semester(s) spent studying abroad, as long as the Study Abroad Confirmation Form has been submitted, informing the College which program(s) and semester(s) you will be on educational leave. This form should be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than the final day of classes of the semester previous to departure. [In some cases, students studying abroad in the fall or for the full year may not know which program they will study abroad with until the summer. In this case, please either fax the study abroad confirmation form to the attention of the Study Abroad Advisor, at (413) 542-5790 or send it to the attention of the Study Abroad Dean at Amherst College, The Career Center, 102 Converse Hall, Amherst, MA 01002.

There is, in general, little national, non-institutional, scholarship aid available for undergraduate study abroad. What exists is largely need-based, as opposed to merit-based. However, scholarships may reduce your total student loan amount, and post-graduation debt. It is strongly recommended that you ask your program sponsor if it offers any scholarship assistance based on academic merit. An award can be seen by employers and graduate schools as a tangible sign of academic achievement, worthy of mention on your resume and in applications for more prestigious awards, such as the post-graduate Fulbright, Rhodes, or Marshall awards.

Information can be found here or in the guide Financial Resources for International Study in the Career Center . Examples include:

Rotary Scholarships will fund from 3-12 months of study ($10,000-$23,000, depending on program and cost of tuition, etc.) in a foreign institution by direct enrollment only, are applied for and funded by local chapters of the Rotary International Foundation; and may be open to international students as well, if there is a chapter of Rotary International in their home city or country. Applicants must typically submit the application a year in advance of the term in which they wish to study (deadlines vary according tot he sponsoring chapter), and a considerable amount of research is involved in selecting a suitable foreign university. Information is on the internet at the link above or through the Rotary Club in your home town or country.

CIEE Scholarships and Travel Grants, fund the cost of airfare and can be used for study, work, volunteering, or research in less-traditional countries (i.e. excluding Western Europe , Australia , New Zealand , Canada ). Application deadlines are twice a year, typically in October and March or early April.

The National Security Education Program is an initiative of the US government to encourage study in "less commonly taught" languages, and as such is available only to US nationals. The "critical language" list varies slightly from year to year, but in all cases applicants must be proposing a course of study outside Western Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Study of a foreign language appropriate to the identified country must be an integral part of each proposal; however, study of a more commonly taught language may be approved if it is at a very advanced level or the course of study is in the applied sciences or engineering. The maximum award for any one academic term is $8,000. Year-long study abroad proposals are given preference; however, shorter term scholarships are considered, particularly for freshman and sophomores. All recipients of NSEP awards are required to seek employment with a federal agency or office involved in national security affairs, but may be allowed to fulfill their service through work in higher education if a position is not available in government. Deadlines are typically in November for the following academic year.

The Association of Teachers of Japanese (ATJ) Bridging Scholarship program will award 50 scholarships to American students participating in study-abroad programs in Japan that began in Fall 2002. Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study and attending any recognized exchange or independent program in Japan are eligible to apply for these scholarships.
Recipients of Bridging Scholarships will receive stipends ranging from $2,500 to $4,000, depending on the length of their study program in Japan. The scholarships are funded by donations from U.S. corporations and foundations. The deadline for applications is in early April of each year. Successful applicants will be notified by May 30. Selection will be based on academic potential and financial need. In addition, Morgan Stanley will award two $10,000 scholarships to undergraduate students who will be studying abroad in Japan who have an interest in economics and international finance. Applicants must submit an essay on one of three public-policy topics to ATJ along with an application for the Bridging Scholarship program.

DAAD, The German Academic Exchange Service offers Undergraduate Awards to highly qualified undergraduate students for study abroad, university language or summer courses, senior thesis research and/or internships in the Federal Republic of Germany. Two types of awards are available:
--Short-term awards for stays of two or three months in conjunction with German university language or summer courses, independent senior thesis research, or an internship at a German institution or firm.
--Long-Term Awards for a Semester or Year Abroad for between four and ten months, either as part of an organized study abroad program, or as part of an individual, student-designed study abroad semester or year.