Summer Study Abroad Financial Aid

Eligibility Requirements
  1. Students must have a completed 2023-2024 FAFSA on file and must have completed all items on their To Do List in the Student Information System (SIS). The 2023-2024 FAFSA must be completed by June 30, 2024 to be considered for Summer 2024 financial aid.
  1. Students must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standardsStudents on SAP suspension will not be awarded financial aid for summer until they are either meeting the SAP standards or they have successfully appealed their SAP status.
  1. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours for summer. All the credit hours must be either on-Grounds, through a UVA-sponsored study abroad program, or a combination thereof. 
  1. Students who were required to submit a CSS Profile for 2023-2024 will be considered for grant funding.
How to Apply for Summer Study Abroad Financial Aid

Students who have completed the 2023-2024 financial aid application process and are enrolled in a UVA summer study abroad program of at least 6 credit hours are automatically considered for financial aid for summer, provided they are also meeting the eligibility requirements listed above. Summer study abroad students are not required to complete a separate financial aid application to be considered for summer study abroad financial aid; however, students must apply online for a summer study abroad program through the International Studies Office (ISO) by the application deadline (varies by program). Information regarding summer study abroad programs (including application deadlines) is available on the ISO website at http://educationabroad.virginia.edu.

Students who have completed the 2023-2024 financial aid application process and are enrolled in an outside or exchange program for at least 6 credit hours must also submit the 2023-2024 Education Abroad Expense Form to be considered for summer study abroad financial aid. Please note that financial aid eligibility for students attending outside or exchange programs for summer will not be reviewed until the Education Abroad Expense Form has been received. 

Students who are attending UVA programs do NOT need to complete the 2023-2024 Education Abroad Expense Form as this information is already provided to our office by the International Studies Office (ISO).

See the Summer on Grounds section for more information

Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance for UVA summer study abroad programs includes tuition, program fees, airfare, books, personal expenses, local transportation and meals. Program costs for UVA summer study abroad programs are available at http://educationabroad.virginia.edu/uva-programs. These numbers are provided to Student Financial Services by the Education Abroad Office.

The cost of attendance for outside or exchange programs is provided to Student Financial Services by the student through the 2023-2024 Education Abroad Expense Form, available in our SFS Forms Directory.

Types of Financial Aid Available

Grants

Applicants should be aware there is a limited amount of scholarship and grant funding available for students studying abroad. Students with demonstrated financial need who wish to study abroad will be considered for a Study Abroad Grant, which may provide additional aid for study abroad program costs or substitute for need-based loans. The grant may be used for study on UVA Programs, exchanges, or other approved study abroad programs. For more information, visit our main Study Abroad web page.

Scholarships

For a list of possible scholarships through the Education Abroad Office, please refer to their website at http://educationabroad.virginia.edu.

Loans

SFS will award a student any Direct Loan eligibility that a student has remaining for the 2023-2024 academic aid year. The annual Direct Loan limits are listed on the chart below:

Annual Direct Loan Limits

Academic Level in SIS

Dependent Student

Independent Student (or dependent student whose parent was denied a PLUS Loan

First Year

$5,500

$9,500

Second Year

$6,500

$10,500

Third Year and beyond

$7,500

$12,500

 
  • To determine the remaining Direct Loan eligibility available for the summer term, view the financial aid awarded for 2023-2024 in SIS. Compare the total amount of Direct Loans awarded for 2023-2024 to the limits listed on the above chart. If a student has remaining Direct Loan eligibility, the student will be offered his/her remaining annual eligibility for summer up to the cost of attendance.
  • Once Direct Loan eligibility is exhausted, the only other option for financial aid will be a Direct Parent PLUS loan (for undergraduate dependent students) or a private student loan.
  • The loan term dates to use for students who wish to apply for a private student loan for summer are based upon the Summer Session calendar. Once those dates are determined and published, check back here for specific dates to use. This loan term will alert Student Financial Services that the loan should be certified for summer only.
How the Financial Aid Process Works
  • Student Financial Services will award summer study abroad financial aid on a rolling basis.
  • Students will receive an email notification once Student Financial Services has reviewed their financial aid eligibility. This email will detail how students are able to view their awards and outline options to cover educational expenses if students are not awarded financial aid or the aid awarded does not cover their program’s cost of attendance.
  • Notification of financial aid does not imply acceptance to a study abroad program; however, information regarding financial aid eligibility will be helpful to students in their financial planning and decision making. 

Notification of University-affiliated scholarship awards, such as ROTC scholarships, athletic grants-in-aid, or department awards, will be communicated to students by the department that sponsors the scholarship. The award will subsequently appear under the Financials section of your Student Information System (SIS) account. Please note that Education Abroad-administered scholarships (awarded through the “Education Abroad Scholarship Application”) are recorded in SIS as "Education Abroad Grant” or “ISO scholarship.”

Payment Due Dates and Financial Aid Disbursement Dates
  • Payment due dates will appear under the “Due Charges” section of the student account in the Student Information System (SIS). Please note that summer study abroad charges will not appear on the student account until after the International Studies Office (ISO) has enrolled students for their summer study abroad program. Information regarding summer study abroad registration is available on the ISO website at https://educationabroad.virginia.edu/registration-billing
  • The scheduled disbursement dates for summer study abroad financial aid are listed on the chart below:

2024 Summer Study Abroad Disbursement Dates

Program Start Date

Disbursement Date

Prior to June 18

May 22, 2024

June 18 - July 14

June 20, 2024

July 15 and after

July 17, 2024

 
  • Students who have been awarded summer study abroad financial aid will have a credit for summer on their student account.
  • Students whose anticipated aid covers the billable charges for their summer study abroad program should not receive a financial hold.
  • Students whose anticipated aid does not cover all of the billable charges for their summer study abroad program are responsible for paying the difference by the due dates specified on their student account to avoid a financial hold.
  • Students will not be dropped from their summer study abroad program for non-payment; however, a financial hold will remain on the account until any past due charges have been paid. This past due balance may impact the student's ability to start the succeeding fall term and will delay any refund of fall financial aid that is in excess of fall direct charges.
  • Payment plans are not available for summer.
How to Determine Out-of-Pocket Costs

Financial aid awards are based on the cost of attendance for your study abroad program and include tuition, program fees, airfare, personal expenses, local transportation, and meals. To determine your out-of-pocket costs, you will need to subtract your summer financial aid award in SIS from the study abroad program budget.  You can pay these costs with your own resources, apply for a Direct Parent PLUS Loan (for undergraduate dependent students) or a private student loan, or a combination of these.

Examples of Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid

Example #1

You are a 2nd year Non-Virginia resident who will be attending the UVA Architecture in Italy: Vicenza summer program for 6 credit hours. Your cost of attendance is $8,252. You received a summer Direct Subsidized loan for $4,500 and a summer Direct Unsubsidized loan for $2,000. Your remaining cost of attendance is $1,752.

Example #2

You are a 3rd-year Virginia resident who will be studying abroad with an outside program for 6 credit hours. You submitted a Education Abroad Expense Form which indicates a cost of attendance of $8,472. You received a summer Direct Unsubsidized loan for $2,000. To cover the remaining cost of attendance of $6,472, you must either pay the amount with your own resources and/or apply for a Direct Parent PLUS or a private student loan.

How Enrollment Changes Impact Financial Aid Eligibility

To remain eligible for Federal Direct loans for summer, students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours for summer. These credit hours must be taken over the course of the summer term and may be earned through one or more study abroad program and/or by combining summer study abroad courses with on-Grounds summer courses. If a student drops below 6 credit hours for summer, his/her financial aid awards may be reduced or canceled. In addition, a student’s financial aid may also be reduced or canceled if he/she drops, withdraws, or fails to attend all scheduled summer sessions for which he/she has registered. If a student’s enrollment hours for summer change, it is the sole responsibility of the student to notify Student Financial Services so that financial aid can be adjusted accordingly. A student will be responsible for repaying any amount of excess aid awarded if aid has disbursed and a student later makes enrollment changes that impact aid eligibility for summer.

Information regarding the summer study abroad schedule changes and refund policy is available on the Education Abroad website at http://educationabroad.virginia.edu.