Financial Aid
& Scholarships
- Need-based Exploration Seminar scholarships are administered by the UW Financial Aid office and are available to students who: 1) are already Financial Aid eligible for Fall 2009, and 2) have submitted both an estimated budget of student expenses for their particular program and a Revision Request form, to the Office of Financial Aid. Please read the "Applying for Additional Financial Aid" section below for instructions on how to submit these documents. Students do not need to formally apply for this scholarship, but will automatically be considered if they follow this procedure.
- Need-based "GO!" (Global Opportunities) scholarships of $2000-$5000 are available for Pell Grant or Husky Promise-eligible students. Information and applications are available at: http://www.goglobal.washington.edu/
- Sonnenblick-Del Rio Global Citizens Scholarship: The Sonnenblick-Del Rio Global Citizens Scholarship is intended to support EOP students at the UW who have
an interest in studying abroad. Deadline is 5pm, March 4, 2009. Students must meet
the following criteria:
- 1) Be a student of the University of Washington’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) or
OMA&D affiliated programs;
- 2) Be enrolled as a matriculated undergraduate student at the UW;
- 3) Have a demonstrated financial need based on Financial Aid status;
- 4) Have been accepted as a full-time participant in a UW-sponsored international study program or exchange or have received pre-approved credits for an independent study program; and
- 5) Have a minimum of 3.0 GPA in their academic work at the UW.
- Fritz grants will be made to students who are either Social Science or Humanities majors, and these are also administered through the UW Office of Int'l Programs & Exchanges. See http://www.goglobal.washington.edu/ for an application.
- Seattle Foundation Scholarships: The Seattle Foundation administers 60 different scholarship funds for higher education. Each scholarship is unique and supports students with a variety of backgrounds, educational goals and economic status. Scholarship application deadlines are generally on or before March 1 each year. More info: http://www.seattlefoundation.org/page32313.cfm.
- Additional scholarship opportunities and information can be found through the UW's
Office of
Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards
Most forms of financial aid can be utilized during participation in early fall UW departmental programs. UW program participants who are recipients of financial aid should contact the UW Financial Aid Office to verify that their awards will apply. For eligible participants, Autumn Quarter financial aid is used to pay for early fall programs (not summer aid).
Students may apply for increased financial aid for Autumn Quarter 2009 to help cover the extra expenses. Generally, only student loans are available for early fall programs, and students should consider the costs of borrowing before accepting additional loans (visit the Direct Loan Calculator for a quick interest calculation). If a student’s current financial aid package already includes the maximum loan amount for the year, loan funds can be shifted from Winter/Spring to Fall Quarter for the additional costs, but this can leave future quarters’ costs uncovered. The financial aid counselors in 105 Schmitz can help with planning and evaluating other funding options, such as Parent Loans and alternative private student loans. A very limited amount of scholarship money may be available — no separate application is required, but students should turn in their revision requests as early as possible.
Applying for Additional Financial Aid
To apply for additional financial aid funding for study abroad:
- Complete the Revision Request for Additional Expenses form available on the UW Financial Aid website. You will also need an Estimated Budget Sheet for your specific program.You can download your program's budget here or request a copy by emailing: explore@u.washington.edu.
- Submit both your "Revision Request for Additional Expenses" form and your program's Estimated Budget Sheet to the UW Financial Aid Office in 105 Schmitz Hall.
Submitting these forms and discussing your options with the Financial Aid Office is an important part of planning your study abroad experience, so plan ahead and don't wait until the last minute to get the information you need.
Since information about aid packages and revisions for study abroad costs won’t be available until late spring or over the summer, students may need to make decisions before getting the details on their financial aid. In the meantime, in order to help make those decisions, financial aid counselors are available to make general assessments of possible eligibility for funding increases.
Covering the Gap for Financial Aid Recipients
Early fall program participants need to be prepared to pay $850 for initial program costs ($350 non-refundable deposit and $500 program fee payment) and for their travel costs (airfare, food and spending money) before they receive their fall aid. The balance of the program fee and the IPE fee will both be due on October 12, 2009, to allow aid recipients to pay the balance of their fees with their Fall financial aid.
If program participants do not have the personal savings or other resources to pay the upfront costs while waiting for their Fall aid, they may wish to look into the Short-Term Loan program. The Financial Aid Office has funds of up to $2500 (for undergraduate students) and $3200 (for graduates) available for short-term loans to assist students with temporary cash flow problems. Funds are generally available within one to three working days, only to students who are currently enrolled at the University.
Please Note: UW Short-Term Loans cannot be processed between quarters or for students who aren’t registered. Students who need a short-term loan while waiting for fall aid can apply on MyUW during Summer Quarter if enrolled in summer school. Students not attending summer will need to apply for a short-term loan before the end of Spring Quarter 2009 and will then need to use the extension request form under Student Personal Services on MyUW to postpone the repayment due-date to October 19.
Repayment of UW Short-Term Loans is due the next quarter, or whenever additional funds such as financial aid arrive on the student’s account, whichever comes first. There is no interest on short-term loans, but there is a $30 service charge added to the repayment amount.
Taking out a loan is an important responsibility. Students should feel free to talk to a financial aid counselor before choosing this option and should bear in mind that they will need to use part of their Fall aid to repay the loan. (Aid for 2009-2010 cannot directly repay a short-term from Spring Quarter; the student is responsible for making sure the loan is repaid on time.)
Student Fiscal Services offers a money management seminar designed to assist with budgeting and other financial matters. More information on "Money 101" can be found at http://www.washington.edu/students/sfs/outreach/index.html
Addresses for links:
- http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/ugaid/student.loan.guide.html
- http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/RepayCalc/dlentry1.html
- http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/ugaid/alternative.loans.html
- http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/ugaid/short.term.loans.html
- http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/0809revaddexp.pdf
Other resources:
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