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Financial Aid

Italy by Shelby Erickson

Financial Aid & Education Abroad

Ed Abroad Billing
Financial Aid & Scholarships

Students can use their federal, state and institutional financial aid to help pay for any approved CU Boulder Education Abroad program. (Non-approved programs cannot be paid for with this aid). More information on billing timelines and how financial aid and scholarships apply can be found on the Accepted Student Guide.

Financial Aid for Semester and Year-long Programs

Students/parents who have filed the annual FAFSA form are generally offered at least enough money in the form of Stafford and Parent Plus (a loan to the parent) loans to cover their education abroad costs. If there is high need, students may also be offered grants. If offered Parent Plus loans, the parent must be willing and able to accept the Parent Plus loan, otherwise students will need to try to qualify for an alternative loan which is more difficult to obtain. To get more information, see CU's Office of Financial Aid.

Perpetual Motion, London, England by Nathan Cook

Financial Aid for Summer Programs

To be eligible for federal aid for summer programs you must be enrolled in at least 6 credits. This can be a combination of education abroad and on-campus courses. You are eligible for summer aid only to the extent that you have not reached your annual aid limits during the previous fall and spring semesters and provided you meet all other eligibility requirements. If you borrow the maximum amount of student loans during the fall and spring semesters, you may be eligible for alternative loans, and additional Parent Plus loans.

You must notify the Office of Financial Aid that you want to be considered for summer financial aid. In addition to having a processed FAFSA on file, you must complete a CU Boulder Summer Aid Application.

How/When Financial Aid is applied

Your Financial Aid will be available the Monday before the start of your study abroad program in fall or spring, and 7 days before the start of your program in summer as long as all necessary steps are completed (for example, a Master Promissory Note for loans). Financial Aid gets applied to your online CU account as it usually does each semester.

The Office of Financial Aid recommends students authorize their Financial Aid to pay all university charges. More information and instructions to authorize this can be found at Financial Aid & Title IV.

Pre-Departure Costs

Since you won't have access to your financial aid until the term your program begins, you will need to pay out-of-pocket for some pre-departure costs. This could include your deposit to the CU Education Abroad office, your airline ticket, passport and visa, direct-to-program application fees or deposits, and vaccinations.

If you are concerned about paying for these expenses before your financial aid is available, contact your Ed Abroad program manager to discuss your options.

Additional sources of funding beyond State/Federal Financial Aid

GI Bill

Please refer to the Veterans & GI Bill page for specifics about using the GI Bill for Education Abroad programs or CU in D.C.: http://abroad.colorado.edu/?go=GIBill

Banner photo, Italy by Shelby Erickson