Education Abroad

Yes, you can utilize most types of financial aid to pay for your education abroad. The are a few aid programs that are not allowed abroad, including work-study, the Cougar Commitment award, and some waivers. The Cougar Academic Award and the University Achievement Award are allowed only on direct exchange programs. The majority of scholarships can be used for education abroad expenses, but the best plan of action is to contact Scholarship Services at (509)335-1059 to confirm which scholarships can be used for studying abroad. If your scholarship is through an outside organization, you will need to contact them directly.

The WSU Education Abroad Office offers scholarship assistance to students wishing to study abroad. The WSU Education Abroad scholarships do require a separate scholarship application. In addition, their website provides links to assist students in seeking specific study abroad funding through external organizations. For more information, please visit the Education Abroad site.

For summer education abroad, complete the FAFSA for the current year.  For example, if you want to study abroad during Summer 2012 complete the 2011-2012 FAFSA .

For education abroad during the academic year, complete the FAFSA you would have completed if you remained here on campus. For example, you would completed the 2012-2013 FAFSA if you want to study abroad Fall 2012, Spring 2013 or the entire academic year.

If your aid does not cover your expenses, an option is to apply for a private loan. 

IMPORTANT:  Private educational loans, like other financial aid, cannot be disbursed prior to the semester for which they will be used.

IMPORTANT:  If your lender disburses funds with a paper check made out to you, not an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), the check will require an original signature endorsement.  These funds cannot be credited to your WSU student account and cannot be deposited directly into your personal checking account without the required endorsement.  At the very least, you will be inconvenienced if the paper check arrives at Washington State University after you leave for your education abroad destination!  Inquire about a lender’s disbursement method, and get answers, before you choose your lender and before your departure date!

No, WSU does not pay education abroad costs directly to your program.  It is you who completes all financial transactions with your chosen program.  Your financial aid will be disbursed into your WSU student account, just as if you were remaining here on campus.  If you have arranged for direct deposit, the funds will be electronically transferred to your personal checking account.  Then you pay the costs associated with your education abroad experience.

Although government regulations do not allow WSU to disburse funds early to cover your program deposits, airline tickets, or other necessary fees, there are at least two ways you might be able to resolve this issue. 

• If a family member or friend can offer you a short-term loan, you could reimburse that person when your financial aid is disbursed. 

• Some, but not all, education abroad programs will defer a portion of the payment due until your financial aid disburses. In order to do so, programs must know in advance how much financial aid you will receive and when you will receive it. The programs have forms (e.g., "Financial Aid Verification" or "Payment Deferment Form") for this use. Programs will generally ask students to submit the form to the financial aid office. However, at WSU this form must be submitted to the WSU Education Abroad Office and will be forwarded to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships with the WSU Program Expense Form. Only then will the OFAS have sufficient information to complete the form. Bottom line: Students must stay in close communication with their program representatives and be sure that this information is communicated clearly. The student is solely responsible to either pay the fees when due or negotiate other satisfactory arrangements with the program.

Direct deposit will allow your financial aid funds to be directly deposited from your WSU Student Account into your personal checking account.  You may arrange for direct deposit through zzusis. From "Student Finances," click on "Check Your Student Aid," and in the "Additional Links" box, click on "Authorize Direct Deposit." Alternately, you can set up direct deposit at the Student Accounts web site.  The Student Accounts Office sends your direct deposit to your bank the same day the Financial Aid Office releases the funds; however, many banks hold the money 24-48 hours before making it accessible to you. Be sure to contact your bank regarding its policy.  Also note that although you may have direct deposit set up for WSU payroll, it is not the same system used for financial aid.

You will need to explicitly grant this access to a designated person using Shared Access on your zzusis. On the main menu, click first on "Student" and then on "Shared Info." Without this authorization, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is prohibited from discussing your individual circumstances with anyone other than the student themselves. Please note that this is not a requirement. However, if the student is already abroad and financial aid does not deliver as expected, it can be helpful to have someone at home authorized to assist you. Each student should consider what is best in their particular set of circumstances.

WSU will not mail items to an international address during your semester abroad; therefore many students choose to use the U.S. address of a parent who has agreed to forward information to the student’s education abroad address. Go to zzusis and update each of the various address options. Under the main menu, click on "My Profile," then "Update Personal Information."

If you decide that you are not going to study abroad, notify both the Education Abroad Office and the Financial Aid Office immediately.  A short written statement, signed and dated, will be sufficient.  It will be necessary for the Financial Aid Office to revise your budget and award to reflect your cost of attendance at WSU rather than your education abroad site.

The key to a smooth financial aid transition from your host university to WSU is to be prepared! If you are going to be abroad during the WSU spring  or summer semesters, and if you will be returning to WSU the following fall semester, be sure to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before the priority deadline on February 15! Many students do this before their departure date. Also, while you are away, be sure your keep a close eye on your zzusis account and respond to any requests for documentation that the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships makes of you and/or your family.

Because the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is required by the federal and state governments to monitor the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) of each student receiving financial aid, it is necessary for WSU to rely on your transcript from the host school. You are responsible for ensuring that the host school has the correct mailing address for the WSU Education Abroad Office and that your documents are sent there. Generally, preparing and sending the transcript is a lengthy process for your host university. Therefore, proactively bringing home an unofficial transcript, or at least your attendance records, could be useful should an unusual situation warrant that documentation. Students that are studying abroad for more than one term are advised that the federal requirements for SAP will be waived for one term only while awaiting your transcript from abroad.