Financial Considerations and Scholarships for Education Abroad

Fill out your FAFSA and apply to a variety of scholarship opportunities to help offset the cost of studying abroad.

Funding Your Education Abroad

Using your Financial Aid

Check Your Eligibility

You and your program MUST be approved by Education Abroad in order to be eligible to use Missouri State financial aid, including scholarships.

Using Your Financial Aid

Your financial aid may apply toward an approved program.
File a FAFSA for the term you will be abroad, even if you do not normally do so!
Before meeting with financial aid, students must complete the cost sheet (within your online application) and MUST have your cost sheet approved by Education Abroad or International Business Programs (if College of Business Student).
To determine your financial aid package for your program abroad. Your cost sheet must have been approved by Education Abroad or International Business Programs before you request a meeting.
Meet with Financial Aid

Complete the Education Abroad Financial Aid – Payment Deferment Form if you are participating on a program with ISA, TEAN, SAI, SOL, USAC, KCP or ISEP Direct. If accepted by the program provider, this means that you won't pay your program fee until your Financial Aid gets disbursed after the 2nd week of MSU classes in the semester. The student is responsible for knowing their provider's deadline for accepting this form.

planning to pay for your program with financial aid monies?

Download the Payment Deferment Form!

Know the expected amount of loan money you are to receive for the term you plan to study abroad.

Education Abroad College Scholarships, MSU Foundation Scholarships, and MSU Vouchers

Education Abroad College Scholarships

All students participating in an Education Abroad program are encouraged to apply to Education Abroad scholarships divided by college.

Missouri State's colleges have partnered with the President's Office and International Programs to offer scholarships for education abroad students!

Fill out one application to apply for your corresponding college scholarship.

Students may use awards to help cover expenses directly related to education abroad, including transportation to and within the host country, lodging, tuition and supplies.
To be considered, you must have your complete application and all required supporting documents submitted by the stated deadlines, no exceptions.

NOTE: This application is separate from the MSU Foundation Scholarship application. These scholarships are awarded directly from our office.

Apply Here!

Education Abroad College Scholarship Deadlines

Term of Education Abroad Program	College Scholarship Deadline*
Fall	April 1
Academic Year	April 1
Summer	April 1
Spring	November 1

* Scholarship deadlines are prior to the program.

*If going on a Fall program in December, the scholarship deadline is the previous April.

*If going on a Spring program in March, the scholarship deadline is the previous November.

MSU Scholarship Vouchers

Recipients of these scholarships receive one $1,000 education abroad voucher:

Board of Governors, Provost, Deans, and Inclusive Excellence.

These awards may be applied to tuition, travel expenses, living expenses, or any other costs related to your education abroad program.
The award will be automatically applied to your MSU account after your education abroad participation is verified with our office.
Funds are dispersed the second week of classes during the semester of your education abroad program.

MSU Foundation Scholarships

Donor funded scholarships are privately donated funds from private gifts to the University made by individuals, groups or companies that are given to Missouri State students each year.

Several donors provide funds specifically for education abroad students. The annual MSU Foundation Scholarship Application is available each year around November 1 and the deadline is March 1 for the following academic year.

You only need to complete one Foundation scholarship application to be applied for all scholarships you're eligible for. Apply early!

NOTE: This application is separate from the Education Abroad College Scholarships application. Foundation Scholarships are not managed or awarded by Education Abroad.

External Scholarships

Apply for the Scholarships offered by your provider

Program Provider Scholarships

All of our affiliate program providers listed below offer scholarship opportunities to their program participants. If yours isn't listed, do your own investigation and apply to any that are available to you.

Go to your provider's scholarship website
Mark the dates on your calendar
Apply

SAI Scholarships

Semester at sea scholarships

Barcelona SAE Scholarships

Magellan Scholarships

Scholarship Search Tools

The more scholarships you apply for, the more likely you are to get awarded. Use these tools to search and apply for multiple scholarships (often with only one application).

IIEPassport Study Abroad Funding
FastWeb Comprehensive Scholarship
Designed to simplify the scholarship search for high school and college students. No more digging to find scholarships you qualify for. Students create a profile and get personalized scholarship recommendations.
Scholarship Owl
Scholarship Owl has a free version that allows you to search scholarships, but to apply for them, you will need to pay. The cost is $20 a month and you can cancel any time. If you are serious about applying for several scholarships, consider this resource.
StudyAbroad.com’s Scholarship

External Scholarships

Funded by the U.S. Department of State

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

The Gilman International Scholarship is for Pell-eligible students to study abroad. Here is a guide created by the Education Abroad Advisor to help students through the Gilman essay and application process.
Who can Apply: U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university.
Amount: Up to $5,000 depending on the length of study and student need.
Critical Need Language Award of $8,000 is offered to a limited number of students studying a 'critical need language' (Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bahasa Indonesian, Bangla, Chinese (Mandarin), Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu, 2023).
Length of program: No minimum length. MSU faculty-directed program participants can apply!
Deadline:
There are 2 application windows available to each student with enough advanced planning. One in Spring (for following terms) and one in the fall (for following terms).

Application deadlines are in Pacific Time

Language. Culture. Service

Boren Awards

Boren Awards fund study in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (colored grey in the map below) are always ineligible for Boren Awards funding.

Boren Scholarships Maximum Award Amounts:

8-11 weeks: $8,000 for a summer program (STEM majors only)
12-24 weeks: $12,500
25-52 weeks: $25,000

All Boren Awards-funded programs must include language study as a core element for the duration of the grant.

Location
Boren Awards fund study in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (colored grey in the map below) are always ineligible for Boren Awards funding.

up to $5,000 for Select programs

Fund for Education Abroad

One online application leads to many opportunities. As an applicant to FEA, you are considered for all of the below scholarships you meet the criteria for, along with the FEA General Scholarships.

strengthening the bonds of friendship between the United States and countries of East Asia

Freeman-ASIA Scholarship

2.8 GPA
Must have applied or have been accepted to a study abroad based program in: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
View deadlines here

The Honor Society of

Phi Kappa Phi

Awards 125 $1,000 grants toward eligible study abroad programs each year.
You do NOT have to be a member to apply!
3.75 GPA

Frequently Asked Questions about Financial Aid and Scholarships

You are not financially liable for a program until you have a) confirmed your participation and b) the program application deadline has passed. We encourage you to start an application even if you may need to withdraw it later. We do not charge an application fee!

If you are applying for a faculty-directed program, you can click “Apply Now” on the program brochure to complete and submit your application. Then, Education Abroad and your program director will review your application. If you are approved by both, you will be asked if you would like to “commit” or “decline” your participation on the program. If you have committed to the program and the application deadline passes, you may be held financially liable if you decide to withdraw. During your application, you are asked to review and sign this policy two different times, so take your time and read what you are signing.
First, let me assure you that you will not be financially liable if you start an application, so feel free to open one, read through some of the information, and meet with us!

Every Education Abroad program application has a “cost sheet” connected to it. Even before you apply, you can find that cost sheet on the program brochure under the “Costs, Financial Aid, Scholarships” tab (“Costs” tab for long-term program brochures). Consider the scholarships and financial aid you normally receive and notice the difference between the two. Remember there are additional scholarship opportunities you may be able to apply for!

If you are worried that your program of choice may be too expensive for you, come see us! We can help you find a program right for you and your budget and give you information about scholarship opportunities.
If you are traveling on an approved Education Abroad program, you will most likely be able to use your financial aid and scholarships. During your application process you will complete a “cost sheet”. After completing and submitting this document, Education Abroad will review it for you. Once Education Abroad has approved the cost sheet, you are free to meet with Financial Aid about your program.

All MSU scholarships will still apply during your semester abroad. Additionally, the Board of Governors, Deans, Inclusive Excellence, and University Scholarships all include a $1,000 voucher for study abroad! These vouchers will be applied to your student account during the financial aid disbursement period for the term you are going abroad and can be used for short-term or long-term programs.
The Mo State Access Award is additional funding provided by Missouri State to close the gap between what your Pell Grant has awarded you and your total costs for studying on campus at our university. We don't believe this can be used for Education Abroad.
We’re happy to help you use whatever funding sources are available to you. Some external scholarships require an invoice from the University. Some may not disburse your funds until after the payment deadline. Please let us know as soon as possible so we can help you make a plan and set up direct billing if necessary.
If you are working with ISA, TEAN, SAI, USAC, KCP, Roehampton or ISEP, you can fill out a Payment Deferment Form with Financial Aid. This form, when signed by Financial Aid, notifies your program provider of how much aid you will receive, and what day they can expect the program fee to be paid. Remember that it is your responsibility to use your Financial Aid to pay your program provider on the agreed upon date. Any additional program fee balance that is not covered by your Financial Aid will need to be paid by the deadline set by your program provider.

For other program providers, ask the representative what policy they have in place for payment deferment.

The deadline for all faculty-led programs is purposefully scheduled for after Financial Aid and Scholarships should be applied at Missouri State. If you don’t see your financial aid applied to your account and the deadline is approaching, just let us know. Financing charges are applied by Financial Services for any unpaid balance after the payment deadline.
If you are going on a faculty-directed or exchange program, you can pay with your MO 529 funds as you normally would since billing will occur on your MSU account.

If you are participating in a long-term program with a program provider, you will need to notify Education Abroad by the deadlines below. We can Direct Bill you for the amount of MO 529 funds you plan to use and send a check to your program provider. MO 529 accounts can only pay out to your home institution. Read more about using your MO 529 funds for Education Abroad.

For Spring programs – November 1

For Summer and Fall programs – April 1
Financial Services has a system to determine what items should be paid in what order when funds are applied to an account. When you pay a portion of your balance, Financial Services applies it to which billing item ranks higher. You can call Financial Services to request the payment be used specifically for your Education Abroad fees.

Take note that Financial Services asks that if you request a payment to cover one specific charge, you should pay it as a separate transaction. They cannot take a portion of a larger payment to apply it to your Education Abroad charge. For example, if you have a program fee remaining for $500, you should pay $500 to your MSU account and call Financial Services to request that they use the payment for your Education Abroad bill. If you pay $1000, they won’t be able to break it down into categories.
Your financial aid will flow through MSU, not your host institution.
You must sign up for direct deposit through the Bursar's Office before departing for your program. When your financial aid is ready to disburse at Missouri State, it will apply to any outstanding charges and the remainder will be sent directly to the bank account you designated on the direct deposit form.
If you are working with a program provider (i.e., SAI, Barcelona SAE, ISA, USAC), you will only be billed the International Programs Academic Experience Fee and Student Services Fees from Missouri State University. The remaining program fee will be paid to your program provider.

If you are going on a long-term exchange program (i.e., ISEP Exchange, UTAS, or Study in Mexico), you will be at least partially billed by MSU. In most cases you will pay Missouri State University tuition and housing.

If you are traveling on a faculty-directed program, your program fee will be billed by Missouri State University except if your program director is working with a program provider to plan your program.

Your financial aid and scholarship opportunities will not be too much different between the programs you can choose from.

If you have any questions or concerns about your program, the billing and payment process, or how scholarships and financial aid will apply, do not hesitate to contact our office!
The elements required to keep your full-time status while studying abroad are the following:
- Enroll in the appropriate number of credit hours abroad which will make you a full-time student.
- Pass your classes abroad.
- Travel with an approved Education Abroad program.
- Work with Financial Aid after you complete your approved cost sheet.
- Research your own personal situation with external funding source eligibility requirements.
Long Term Education Abroad students (semester, summer, and academic year) are prompted to enroll in a placeholder course, SAP 099, which is built for the number of credit hours a student would need to keep full-time status during the semester they are abroad. This course ensures that Financial Aid and the Registrar see you as a “full-time” student even while you are off campus for the term.

If these steps are followed, your Financial Aid for the following semester should not be affected and your place in the registration sequence for the next term should be held.
Some MSU scholarships may be used in the summer. The summer term counts as a full semester of the number of total awarded semesters.

The amount of scholarship funds will be less in the summer than for a spring or fall term. View the policy here.
Generally, decisions are made within a month after the application deadline. Please look at each application for the specific decision date.

Remember to log into your application and confirm your participation in the scholarship if you receive the congratulations email! Your acceptance of the scholarship is required for you to receive the award.

If you are not selected, you will be notified by our office.
Please check with the MSU Oldham Family Veteran Student Center for more information about using your GI Bill to pay for education abroad programs.

Fundraising Ideas

You CAN Afford Education Abroad PowerPoint presentation