Education Abroad

1. Student applies for program with the Education Abroad Office
   1. If student plans on being awarded b, be sure to tick the appropriate box on the application.
   2. DO NOT tick the b box if you do not want to receive b.
2. Education Abroad determines the total cost of the program and sends this information to the Financial Aid Office.
3. The Financial Aid Office increases the student’s Cost of Attendance to include associated costs involved with the Education Abroad program and attempts to fill the resulting gap with federal aid.
   1. Please note: for 95% of all dependent (as determined by the FAFSA) students, this gap is filled by a PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students) or private loan.
   2. The Financial Aid Office posts a new item to the student’s Financial Aid To-Do List (on my.WSU): the Education Abroad/Financial Aid Checklist. This form is known as code "NS" and can be found on the forms page.The student must complete this form before aid may be released, for it includes necessary information the student is responsible for knowing.
   3. Per federal regulations, financial aid is released 10 days before the program start date (not the student’s departure date).  If your program begins before WSU’s semester begins, your financial aid will be released the first day of WSU classes.

For summer education abroad, complete the FAFSA for the current year.  For example, you would complete the 0809 FAFSA if you want to study abroad during Summer 2009.

For education abroad during the academic year, complete the FAFSA you would have completed if you remained here on campus. For example, you would completed the 09-10 FAFSA if you want to study abroad Fall 2009, Spring 2010 or the entire academic year.

If your aid does not cover your expenses, an option is to apply for a private loan. 

IMPORTANT:  Private educational loans, like other financial aid, cannot be disbursed prior to the semester for which they will be used.

IMPORTANT:  If your lender disburses funds with a paper check made out to you, not an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), the check will require an original signature endorsement.  These funds cannot be credited to your WSU student account and cannot be deposited directly into your personal checking account without the required endorsement.  At the very least, you will be inconvenienced if the paper check arrives at Washington State University after you leave for your education abroad destination!  Inquire about a lender’s disbursement method, and get answers, before you choose your lender and before your departure date!

No, WSU does not pay education abroad costs directly to your program.  It is you who completes all financial transactions with your chosen program.  Your financial aid will be disbursed into your WSU student account, just as if you were remaining here on campus.  If you have arranged for direct deposit, the funds will be electronically transferred to your personal checking account.  You then pay the costs associated with your education abroad experience.

Although government regulations do not allow WSU to disburse funds early to cover your program deposits, airline tickets, or other necessary fees, there are at least two ways you might be able to resolve this issue. 

• If a family member or friend can offer you a short-term loan, you could reimburse that person when your financial aid is disbursed. 
• Some, but not all, education abroad programs will defer a portion of the payment due until your financial aid disburses.  In order to do so, the programs must know in advance how much financial aid you will receive and when.  The programs have forms (e.g., “Financial Aid Verification,” “Payment Deferment Form”) you can give the Financial Aid Office to complete and return for you.  There are due dates for these forms to be completed. Please provide these forms to the Financial Aid Office at least two weeks before your program requires the form to be returned.  Bottom line: the student is solely responsible to either pay the fees when due or make other satisfactory arrangements with the program.

Direct deposit will allow your financial aid funds to be directly deposited from your WSU Student Account into your personal checking account.  You may arrange for direct deposit through my.WSU (click “Finances” on the left-hand directory) or at the Student Accounts web site.  The Student Accounts Office sends your direct deposit to your bank the same day the Financial Aid Office releases the funds; however, many banks hold the money 24-48 hours before making it accessible to you. Be sure to contact your bank regarding its policy.  Also note that although you may have direct deposit set up for WSU payroll, it is not the same system used for financial aid.

You will need to explicitly grant this access to a designated person using Shared Access on your myWSU. The student will find it under "Share My Info". Without this authorization, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is prohibited from discussing your individual circumstances with anyone other than the student themselves. Please note that this is not a requirement, students should not feel obligated to designate another person unless their individual situation warrants such access.

Go to myWSU and update each of the various address options.  Be sure that the mailing address you choose is where you can be reached most easily when abroad.  (Many students choose to use the U.S. address of a parent who has agreed to forward information to the student’s education abroad address).

If you decide that you are not going to study abroad, notify both the Education Abroad Office and the Financial Aid Office immediately.  A short written statement, signed and dated, will be sufficient.  It will be necessary for the Financial Aid Office to revise your budget and award to reflect your cost of attendance at WSU rather than your education abroad site.

The key to a smooth financial aid transition from your host university to WSU is to be prepared!  Ask the school for an unofficial academic transcript before you leave and submit it to the WSU Financial Aid Office upon your return.  Because the Financial Aid Office is required by the federal and state governments to monitor the academic progress of each student receiving financial aid, it relies on your transcript from the host school.  It is usually a lengthy process for your host university to send an official grade report to WSU, so the unofficial transcript will suffice in the interim.