How it Works Financing your Program

Financial Aid

The Education Abroad Network accepts all forms of financial aid. In order to use federal, state or institutional financial aid for a study abroad program, we recommend that you first speak with your home institution’s Financial Aid Office and Study Abroad Office to determine if they will allow you to use your financial aid for TEAN programs. Your home university Financial Aid Advisor should be able to guide you through the process of transferring your financial aid for your program abroad.

Federal Financial Aid

According to the Higher Education Act of 1965, students can use government-issued financial aid for study abroad if they are enrolled in programs that their home university approves. Financial aid can be used to offset costs associated with studying abroad including:

  • program tuition and fees
  • travel and transportation
  • living costs
  • health insurance
  • passport and visa fees

Types of Government Financial Aid

  • Direct Loans (borrowed money that you will eventually have to pay back to the lender)
    • Subsidized Loan: Available to students who demonstrate financial need. The Federal government pays interest on the loans as long as the student is enrolled half-time. Repayment and interest begins after you graduate, leave school, or drop below half time.
    • Unsubsidized Loan: Available to students regardless of need but interest is charged to the students while in school. A student may choose to make the interest-only payments on the unsubsidized loan or allow the interest to be added to the loan principal and then pay both principal and interest after leaving school.
    • PLUS Loan: Available to graduate students and parents of dependent undergraduate students. Interest accrues while students are in school.  For graduate students, repayment begins 6 months after you graduate, leave school, or drop below half time.  For undergraduates, parents must begin repayment once the loan is fully disbursed.
  • Grants (“Gift Money” awarded to you that you do not have to pay back)
    • Federal Pell Grant is awarded to exceptionally needy undergraduate students.
    • Federal Supplemental Educational Grant (SEOG) is awarded to exceptionally needy undergraduate students.
    • Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program. Open to undergraduate Federal Pell Grant recipients who intend to study abroad for a semester, summer or year-long program.
    • Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship program funded by the U.S. Department of Education provides study abroad funding to undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing foreign language and area studies.  
    • GI Bill- According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA cannot pay a third-party provider; therefore, VA cannot directly pay ISA. Very few students have been able to successfully apply VA benefits to an ISA study abroad program. For the most up-to-date information related to VA Benefits, please visit the Veterans Benefits Administration website here: benefits.va.gov/benefits.  
        • TEAN is honored to offer a Give (GI Veterans Excellence) Scholarship – further details are available on our scholarships and grants page

Home Institution Financial Aid

Not all universities will allow students to use their financial aid for study abroad programs administered by a program provider such as TEAN. To learn about your home institution’s policies, contact your Financial Aid Office or Study Abroad Office.

Additional Financial Aid Resources

Download the TEAN Financial Aid Agreement Form.