Financial Aid FAQs

Yes! We encourage you to submit your financial aid application to find out your eligibility for IES Abroad scholarships and financial aid as soon as possible. While you can submit a financial aid application first, any scholarships you’re eligible for won’t be confirmed until you apply to an IES Abroad program.

The IES Abroad program application only takes about 5 minutes to submit online, and we recommend submitting that at the same time as your financial aid application.

Submit the Financial Aid Application

You will receive an email outlining your results within 5 business days of submitting your financial aid application.

The financial aid application is quick and easy! In fact, it takes most students about ten minutes to complete. 

Submit the Financial Aid Application

For documentation, you’ll need to access your Student Aid Report (SAR) which can be found on the Federal Student Aid website. You will be prompted to upload a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) with your ‘Expected Family Contribution’ (EFC) or ‘Student Aid Index’ (SAI) in the financial aid application. Read on to learn more about our required financial documentation.

You can email any updates to your financial aid application to FinancialAid@IESabroad.org. We’ll make the updates on your behalf and confirm via email when those updates are implemented.

No, we’ll automatically consider you for scholarships and financial aid for your second term with us based on your original financial aid application. If your EFC or SAI has decreased since you first applied, you can email us at FinancialAid@IESabroad.org, and we’ll use that new amount when we award aid for your second term.

Yes! IES Abroad will accept a FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR) from the past two years, ideally your most recent one completed.

Yes! If you did not file a FAFSA, you can upload an "Explanation of Funding" document. An Explanation of Funding document is exactly what it sounds like: a simple document, written by you, that explains what the sources are for fiancially supporting your current college/university enrollment. It's also worth noting that need-based aid is only awarded to students with an EFC or SAI under $30,000, so the Explanation of Funding should include details about how much and who is contributing to your funding.

Your SAR or ‘Student Aid Report’ is a document available for download after you submit The government Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA. You’ll need to have your SAR handy when you apply for IES Abroad scholarships and aid as it includes your "Expected Family Contribution" (EFC) or "Student Aid Index" (SAI) amount. This value is required for us to determine your eligibility for scholarships and aid. Learn more about the SAR on the Federal Student Aid website. 

According to the Department of Education, your "Expected Family Contribution" (EFC) is an index number that is calculated according to your family’s income and family size. Learn more about EFC on the Federal Student Aid website. 

We use your EFC to determine your eligibility for scholarships and financial aid. If your EFC is below $30,000, you are considered eligible for our need-based scholarships and financial aid.

When completing the financial aid application, you will be prompted to upload a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) with your EFC listed.

The Student Aid Index (‘SAI’) will be replacing the Expected Family Contribution (‘EFC’) methodology for determining eligibility for federal student aid beginning with the 2024-2025 FAFSA application cycle. Learn more about these changes on the Federal Student Aid website. 

But don’t fret, IES Abroad will accept a FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR) from the past two years. This means that we will accept SARs that list your EFC or your Student Aid Index (SAI) as long as the Student Aid Report (SAR) is no older than 2 years.

Yes! You may be eligible for more and we’d love to help you. Please email a copy of your new Student Aid Report with your updated EFC or SAI to FinancialAid@IESabroad.org. Once your Student Aid Report is received, we’ll reevaluate your financial aid eligibility and notify you of any additional aid that you’re eligible to receive based on your new EFC or SAI.

You will be prompted to notate any changes in your family income or circumstances in the financial aid application.

Yes, we will consider you for our donor funded scholarships! As all our need-based aid is awarded according to EFC or SAI (both of which are provided by the U.S. FAFSA form), international students are not eligible for that type of aid.

Starting with the Spring 2025 semester, all students will be eligible for the High-Impact Aid program. Summer 2024 students should refer to their representative. 

Our High-Impact Aid Commitment is a funding model which increases accessibility to study abroad for historically underrepresented students and those with high financial need. This commitment aligns with federal financial need metrics and your school’s institutional aid policies to determine your eligibility for guaranteed funding. It is designed to increase accessibility to study abroad—awarding the financial aid where it matters most.

The deadlines are the same every year, but are different depending on which term you apply for. Below are the financial aid deadlines for each term.

• Summer Internship Programs – March 15
• Summer Standard Programs – April 1
• Fall/Academic Year Programs – May 1
• Spring/Calendar Year/J-Term Programs – November 1

About six weeks after the financial aid application deadline for your term, we’ll email you with decisions about donor-funded scholarships—whether you were awarded the scholarship(s) or not. This email will include details about your entire scholarships and financial aid package so you can plan accordingly.

Nope! All of your scholarships, unless otherwise noted, will appear as credits on your IES Abroad invoice. Please keep in mind that if you pay your college or university directly for your program, your scholarship credits will appear on the invoice that we sent to your school. We recommend following up with your school directly if you have any questions about how your IES Abroad scholarships were applied to your school invoice.

No, IES Abroad scholarships and financial aid cannot be used toward your confirmation deposit.

We recommend you contact your study abroad or financial aid office directly for more information on how IES Abroad scholarships and financial aid could affect your current or upcoming financial aid package.

Yes, you can email us at FinancialAid@IESabroad.org if you need to decline any scholarships or aid awarded to you.

There are lots of scholarship options available to all students outside of IES Abroad financial aid. To start your research, learn more about our outside funding options.