FAQ's

1. First, please determine whether your program is eligible for financial aid. For example, if you are seeking to use federal/state loans or grants, please see the section on Programs Eligible for Financial Aid. If you have a scholarship, please check with the scholarship administrator(s) to see if it is applicable to your program. If you need further guidance on this, please contact the Study Abroad Programs Office.

2. Complete the study abroad application on the Study Abroad Programs Office web site.

3. If you plan to use federal and/or state financial aid (i.e. Stafford loans, Texas grants, Pell grants, etc.), please complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov if you have not done so already.  Generally, if you are classified as having calculated need, the sooner you complete a FAFSA, the better chance you have to receive grant funds that Student Financial Aid may have available. Please be aware that grants are awarded on the basis of need and availability. Awarding of grants is not guaranteed! Please contact Scholarships & Financial Aid Office for assistance.

4. Summer study abroad student seeking federal/state financial aid must also complete the Summer Supplement Form online at myfinancialaid.tamu.edu.

5. Meet with a Study Abroad advisor to complete a Study Abroad Budget Request Form for your program.  This budget provides a total cost of attendance for your program, which allows Scholarships & Financial Aid Office to assist you in providing an award package.

6. When you meet with your Scholarships & Financial Aid counselor, they will keep the budget form and complete a disbursement form (either the Texas A&M Study Abroad Financial Aid Disbursement form or a similar form provided by your program provider).  If you are participating in a Texas A&M faculty-led or reciprocal exchange program, you will give the disbursement form to the Study Abroad Advisor for your program by the request due date. For independent programs, you will give the disbursement form to your program provider or foreign institution by the requested due date.

7. The financial aid will apply directly to the program costs for a Texas A&M faculty-led or reciprocal exchange program. For independent programs, you will use the financial aid to pay the program provider or foreign institution directly. You will be responsible for paying all costs that financial aid does not cover.  (Note:  For students receiving the Texas Tomorrow Fund/Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan, program fees will be billed through Texas A&M.)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form can be found online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/  If you have never filled out a FAFSA before, please contact Texas A&M’s Scholarships & Financial Aid Office for assistance.

To determine which FAFSA you need to complete (i.e. 2007/2008 vs. 2008/2009), please note that the financial aid award year starts in the fall semester and continues through the next summer.  For example, if you plan to study abroad Summer 2008, please complete the 2007/2008 FAFSA.

First, you will want to research if and how you can use your scholarship(s) by contacting the appropriate contact who manages your scholarship(s).  If you are not sure whom to contact or your contact is unsure if your scholarship can be used, please contact the Study Abroad Programs Office.

If you are an honors student, you can use your regular Honors Scholarship Stipend provided they will meet the University Honors Program eligibility requirements for enrollment.  Please contact the University Honors Program for more information.

You might also be able to use your ROTC scholarship for study abroad; please contact your designated ROTC scholarship officer to discuss the requirements for using the ROTC scholarship.

The Study Abroad Programs Office also has two scholarships for which you can apply.  The Study Abroad Fellowship is a need-based scholarship, whereas the International Education Fee Scholarship is merit-based.  You can find more information about these scholarships and the scholarship application on our web site at http://studyabroad.tamu.edu/scholarship_forms.asp

8. How do I use my Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan/Texas Tomorrow Fund for study abroad?

In order to access your Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan (a pre-paid tuition plan set up by a parent(s)/guardian(s) prior to a student’s entry into college), you must be paying tuition to Texas A&M University.

For students participating on a Texas A&M faculty-led or reciprocal exchange program, this is an automatic disbursement to your Texas A&M account since you will pay tuition and fees for the study abroad course(s).

For students studying abroad independently through a U.S. university or Texas A&M-affiliated foreign university/program provider, the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan can be applied toward the program costs. Students enrolling directly at a non-affiliated foreign university or program provider are not eligible.

Because this tuition fund can only be paid directly to Texas universities and colleges, you should not pay the program provider directly aside from the initial application fee/deposit upon applying. Independent study abroad students must first complete the Independent Study for Credit form indicating that they wish to use their Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan. Once you have completed the Independent Study for Credit form and turned it into the Texas A&M Study Abroad Programs Office, you will be contacted with further instructions to provide an invoice from your independent study abroad program provider detailing the amount owed for the program. Texas A&M will then bill you directly for this amount owed. This will allow for your Texas Guaranteed Tuition plan monies to apply to your Texas A&M account, and you will be responsible for paying any difference owed once these monies apply.

First, you must obtain approval from your designated ROTC scholarship officer to apply these funds to a study abroad experience. If you are not sure whom to contact, please contact the Commandant’s Office.

For students participating on a Texas A&M faculty-led or reciprocal exchange program, this is an automatic disbursement to your Texas A&M account since you will pay tuition and fees for the study abroad course(s).

For students studying abroad independently through a U.S. university or Texas A&M-affiliated foreign university/program provider [link to list on independent programs page], the ROTC scholarship can be applied toward the program costs. Students enrolling directly at a non-affiliated foreign university or program provider are not eligible. 

Because the ROTC scholarship can only be paid directly to the student’s home university, you should not pay the program provider directly aside from the initial application fee/deposit upon applying. Independent study abroad students must first complete the Independent Study for Credit form indicating that they wish to use their ROTC scholarship. Once you have completed the Independent Study for Credit form and turned it into the Texas A&M Study Abroad Programs Office, you will be contacted with further instructions to provide an invoice from your independent study abroad program provider detailing the amount owed for the program. Texas A&M will then bill you directly for this amount owed. This will allow for your ROTC scholarship to apply to your Texas A&M account, and you will be responsible for paying any difference owed once these monies apply.

If the Scholarships & Financial Aid counselor explains that your costs cannot be covered completely by federal and state financial aid, the counselor can advise you about private loans (also known as alternate loans).  Private loans are borrowed from financial institutions such as banks and lending companies, like Wells Fargo or Fannie Mae.  These loans usually require a co-signer and often have higher interest rates.

Financial aid is disbursed just before the beginning of the fall, spring, and summer I and II terms.  To find out the exact dates that funds will be disbursed, you can check the Scholarships & Financial Aid calendar or ask a Scholarships & Financial Aid counselor

Students participating on an independent program pay their program provider for tuition and fees, so they do not pay Texas A&M University for their credit hours. Since tuition is not being charged by Texas A&M, a tuition waiver would NOT apply in this case. Any questions about tuition waivers should be directed to Student Business Services .