Funding for Study Abroad

Using Financial Aid and Loans to Study Abroad

Studying abroad is a valuable educational experience and it can also be a costly one. It is important to get your finances together well before your classes are scheduled to begin. All aid, including alternative loans, is processed through the Office of Student Financial Aid. The process of filing a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) and/or applying for an alternative loan can take up to a month, even longer if there is a problem along the way.

• Need-based financial aid that can be used abroad: Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, State Grants, R.I. Children's Crusade, ACG Grant, SMART Grant, Federal Stafford Loan and Federal Perkins Loan.
• Support may also be available from The Ridgeway F. Shinn Jr. Study Abroad Fund (undergraduates only). Contact Professor Richard Weiner, Acting Chair, Shinn Awards Sub-Committee at rweiner@ric.edu or (401) 456-8749 for information about eligibility for Shinn funding and the application process.
• Good online resources for information about study abroad scholarships are http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/exchange.phtml#nation and http://www.studyabroadfunding.org.

Procedures for taking aid abroad:

1. Letter of Approval: You must get approval for your study abroad program from the Director of Study Abroad. The Director needs to send a letter/email verifying that you are going abroad to Kristen Marcantonio in the Office of Student Financial Aid and James Dorian in the Records Office. (Gale Goodwin Gomez is the Director and can be reached by email ggoodwin@ric.edu.)
2. Budget: You must submit an estimated budget to the Office of Student Financial Aid. This budget should be broken down into categories: tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation while abroad, plane tickets and other miscellaneous expenses.
3. Authorization of Credit Form: This form can be found in the Records Office or downloaded from http://www.ric.edu/recordsoffice/pdf/authorcreditform.pdf and is needed in order to ensure the credits you are taking abroad will transfer to RIC. One form is needed for each class you are registered for. A copy of each form needs to be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid. No aid can be awarded until the Records Office enters your study abroad credits into the system.
4. Consortium Agreement Form: This form can be found at the Office of Student Financial Aid or downloaded from http://www.ric.edu/financialaid/pdfs/consortiumagreement.pdf. You must have a representative from the host institution (i.e. Academic Programs International (API), Bryant College, etc.) fill out this form and return it to the Office of Student Financial Aid. If you have questions about who your host institution is you should contact Kristen Marcantonio in the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Steps 1-3 must be complete before your aid and loans can be awarded while step 4 must be complete before the money can be refunded to you. It is important to understand that even if you have completed the four steps outlined above there will be delays in getting your aid if your financial aid application, i.e. your FAFSA and any supporting documentation, is incomplete. It is your responsibility to make sure everything is processed for both federal aid and alternative loans in order for the aid to disburse two weeks before your departure.

If you have any questions please contact Kristen Marcantonio, Assistant Director, Office of Student Financial Aid at (401) 456-8033 or kmarcantonio@ric.edu.

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