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Unpacking How to Pay for Study Abroad: Ambassadors Talk Scholarships, Budgets, and More!
IES Abroad
If you want to study abroad, but are worried about the cost – our IES Abroad Ambassadors are here to help! They’ve been in your shoes and are here to share advice on budgeting, resources, and first-hand experience about how they found study abroad scholarships that made a difference. Let’s dive in!
Maximize On-Campus Resources
Your home campus’ study abroad office is a hub for learning more about the nitty gritty details when it comes to approved programs and credit transfer, as well as a key for finding scholarship and aid opportunities.
“Explore study abroad scholarships within AND outside of your university. At your university, check with your department/school to see what scholarships they offer. Ask your study abroad office. Talk to the global/international affairs department to see if they offer study abroad scholarships. Outside of your university, explore scholarships related to your academic interests.”
Sarah Esslinger • Penn State University • IES Abroad Vienna
“Planning ahead helped me the most. A year before even applying to my program I contacted my school’s study abroad advisor to ask about what scholarship opportunities were available. Lots of schools have scholarship funds specifically for study abroad, make sure to apply, you never know what you’ll get!”
Hannah Rees • The Ohio State University • IES Abroad Nantes
“Reach out to your study abroad office at your home institution to inquire about any available scholarships or financial assistance that you can apply for. This is something I wish I had done before considering studying abroad. I would advise that even if you are considering studying abroad, start looking into scholarships at least 9 months before the start of the program.”
Diane Fakinlede • Howard University • IES Abroad London- Queen Mary University of London
Get to Know Your Scholarship and Funding Options
Let’s face it, the scholarship process can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be— at IES Abroad, we’re proud of how easy our scholarship application process is.
A singleapplication allows you to apply for all of our scholarship and aid opportunities at once! The application takes most students around 10 minutes and can be completed before you’ve applied to an IES Abroad program; after submitting the aid application, you’ll hear back within 5 business days on how much need-based aid you will receive and any scholarships you’ll be considered for.
Our study abroad scholarships and aid page also features resources for outside funding options including identity-based opportunities, location-specific scholarships, and other study abroad scholarship databases. Keep reading for some more tips and tricks:
“I highly encourage students to take a look at scholarships they can apply for! When it comes to scholarships, you can look into scholarships that are offered from your school or outside ones as well. There are different databases where they have legitimate scholarships open to all students.”
Olivia Cavallaro • Penn State University • IES Abroad Barcelona
“I recommend going on Google and searching for "scholarships for study abroad in [region/country of study]," as there are numerous databases and foundations that offer financial assistance.”
Diane Fakinlede • Howard University • IES Abroad London-Queen Mary University of London
“If you are studying abroad for more than a semester, there are scholarships from the Japanese government for international students studying in Japan. It is called 'Scholarship for international students in Japan' from Jasso. Moreover, there are some scholarship opportunities from Nanzan University also if you choose a year-long program.”
Hamin Kim • Penn State University • IES Abroad Nagoya
Dive into IES Abroad Resources and Opportunities
When it comes to planning your study abroad adventure, we’ve got your back from start to finish! Each program page includes a program cost sheet outlining our program fee, which includes the cost for tuition, housing, and international health insurance. It’s important to consider additional costs you may have from predeparture needs like passports, visas, additional housing upgrades, and on-the-ground expenses like field trips. Our Study Abroad Expense Worksheet is a great tool to help you plan and prepare for these ahead of time.
Now imagine this, the moment you've been waiting for: you're in your new host city, taking in the sights, making friends in class, and of course, stopping for a quick snack along the way. Starting to wonder how much your daily expenses might be? Once you're an admitted IES Abroad student, you can check out your Predeparture Guide in your MyIESabroad account! It covers everything from the conversion rates, to the price of a coffee at a local cafe or weekly grocery expenses and is easy to access once you’ve been admitted into a program. But don't just take our word for it. Our Ambassadors have shared how IES Abroad resources made a real impact:
“Utilize the resources available on the IES Abroad website, as there are very detailed breakdowns of potential costs you may face while studying abroad. ”
Peter Marsh • Indiana University • IES Abroad Barcelona
“IES Abroad has a budget sheet for every program and that helped me make an informed decision when picking my abroad location.”
Olivia Cavallaro • Penn State University • IES Abroad Barcelona
“I was awarded the HBCU Scholarship and a Need-Based Scholarship from IES Abroad, which reduced my invoice by $2500 and provided an additional $500 for travel expenses. I highly recommend applying for IES Abroad Scholarships, even if you don't think you have the right qualifications, because you never know! The cost of traveling to London is quite high, so the travel credit was incredibly helpful for me. I also received an institution-based scholarship that helped cover the remaining costs of my program.”
Diane Fakinlede • Howard University • IES Abroad London-Queen Mary University of London
Ready to turn your study abroad dream into a reality? The easiest place to start is with our one simple Financial Aid application, which you can do even before applying to an IES Abroad program. That’s not all, dig into more resources, external funding options, and more detail about our High-Impact Aid Commitment! And to hear more stories about student experiences, check out our unfiltered student blogs ✨
IES Abroad News
Read More
IES Abroad regularly publishes news stories, articles, student stories, and other helpful study abroad content. Stay up to date on the latest from IES Abroad by reading our recent posts.
“Explore study abroad scholarships within AND outside of your university. At your university, check with your department/school to see what scholarships they offer. Ask your study abroad office. Talk to the global/international affairs department to see if they offer study abroad scholarships. Outside of your university, explore scholarships related to your academic interests.”Sarah Esslinger • Penn State University • IES Abroad Vienna
“Planning ahead helped me the most. A year before even applying to my program I contacted my school’s study abroad advisor to ask about what scholarship opportunities were available. Lots of schools have scholarship funds specifically for study abroad, make sure to apply, you never know what you’ll get!”Hannah Rees • The Ohio State University • IES Abroad Nantes
“Reach out to your study abroad office at your home institution to inquire about any available scholarships or financial assistance that you can apply for. This is something I wish I had done before considering studying abroad. I would advise that even if you are considering studying abroad, start looking into scholarships at least 9 months before the start of the program.”Diane Fakinlede • Howard University • IES Abroad London- Queen Mary University of London
“I highly encourage students to take a look at scholarships they can apply for! When it comes to scholarships, you can look into scholarships that are offered from your school or outside ones as well. There are different databases where they have legitimate scholarships open to all students.”Olivia Cavallaro • Penn State University • IES Abroad Barcelona
“If you are studying abroad for more than a semester, there are scholarships from the Japanese government for international students studying in Japan. It is called 'Scholarship for international students in Japan' from Jasso. Moreover, there are some scholarship opportunities from Nanzan University also if you choose a year-long program.”Hamin Kim • Penn State University • IES Abroad Nagoya
“Utilize the resources available on the IES Abroad website, as there are very detailed breakdowns of potential costs you may face while studying abroad. ”Peter Marsh • Indiana University • IES Abroad Barcelona
