Financial assistance is available to students
who wish to study abroad and who demonstrate need. However,
depending on the type of study abroad program, a student may
not be eligible to receive all forms of aid. Students participating
in Northwestern affiliated programs will be considered
for all types of financial aid, including Northwestern
Scholarship. Students attending what are classified as unaffiliated
programs are not eligible for any type of financial assistance,
nor may they use Northwestern University financing options such
as the 9-Pay or NU Loan programs for terms during which
the student is abroad. Federal Work-Study is not available to
students studying abroad regardless of program affiliation,
because students cannot hold jobs while abroad. Families may
consult the Study
Abroad Office website for additional information on study
abroad costs and billing.
The same criteria that are used to determine need for students
studying on campus are applied to those studying abroad. Regardless
of the actual program costs, the expected family contribution
will not differ from what it would be if the student were
remaining on campus. Therefore if the program costs are greater
than the cost of studying on campus, the student's total financial
aid award will be greater; if the program costs are less,
the award will be less. (See Components
of an Aid Package for an explanation of how family contribution
and financial need are determined.)
Financial aid awards for students participating in affiliated study
abroad programs will generally remain proportionate to the
award the student would receive for on-campus study, meaning
the ratio of scholarship to self-help (loan and work-study) will
not change. The only difference is that, because work-study
is unavailable to students while abroad, loan amounts offered
to these students are usually higher. Additional loan assistance
may also be offered to compensate for the fact that the schedules
of some programs limit opportunitites for summer employment.
Therefore the loan debt that most students carry during the
time they are abroad is larger than what they would have for
on-campus study. Students participating in unaffiliated
programs should also anticipate a larger loan debt. Please
refer to Frequently
Asked Questions - Financial Aid for Study Abroad for more
information.
Students intending to study abroad should be aware that they must meet earlier financial aid application deadlines than for those remaining on campus. This is so that they can receive their aid decisions before finalizing study abroad plans. Note that if these deadlines are not met, we cannot guarantee a timely aid decision. | 
