A semester abroad is a dream for many students but is often viewed as an expensive proposition unaffordable to the average student.
The University’s Office of International Affairs@@http://international.uoregon.edu/@@, which coordinates 165 study abroad programs in 90 countries around the world, seeks to change this preconception.@@http://las.uoregon.edu/study-abroad/@@
“Once people look at, ‘here’s my cost of living, here are my expenses,’ it’s usually not a whole lot more for the (study abroad) program,” scholarship adviser Katie L’Hommedieu said.@@http://www.linkedin.com/pub/katie-l-hommedieu/8/335/666@@
“A huge thing to remember is just planning ahead.”
Starting out
Selecting study abroad programs to apply for is the first step. Each program offers different academic advantages — some might allow a student to fulfill a needed science credit and others might get a historic literature class out of the way.
Every student has a specific set of credits and courses they need for their degree, so a good program for one student might not be worthwhile for another.
Make an appointment with an adviser in the Office of International Affairs to come up with a list of programs that best suit you. For example, you might want to work on your French while also taking a multimedia class or knocking out Econ 301 — the advisers know the academic focuses of each program and will make the appropriate recommendations.
In context
While the costs for language programs can range anywhere from $10,000-$20,000, it’s important to look at the numbers in the correct context.
The Oregon University System runs a program in Puebla, Mexico for students with three years of college-level Spanish that costs $9,437@@http://studyabroad.uoregon.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=492&Itemid=24&catid=113&itemid=24#financial@@ (this includes tuition, fees, airfare and an estimate for personal expenses). While this might look expensive, when the total cost is divided by the length of the program, the cost is $71.50 per day.
In comparison, the University estimates that in-state students who take 15 credits per term will pay a total of $21,846 for school and living expenses in the 2011-12 academic year — or about $97 per day.
Of all the programs offered, some are cheaper, many are comparable and others are significantly more expensive than day-to-day student costs — but the main thing is to look at the numbers in comparison to one’s current costs.
Additionally, students who receive financial aid (Pell Grants, general scholarships, etc.) should be able to apply these awards to the cost of their programs.
“Most forms of financial aid apply to study abroad programs,” L’Hommedieu said.
Scholarships
There are many different scholarships available for a study abroad applicant.
L’Hommedieu explained that students can apply for scholarships at a variety of levels to help offset program costs.
“The first one is the Office of International Affairs scholarships,” she said.
These include the scholarships only offered to University Study Abroad Programs students such as the Mills Study Abroad Scholarships@@http://studyabroad.uoregon.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=959&Itemid=147@@. Sensibly, the smaller the pool of applicants, the better the chances of getting an award.
She went on to explain that program providers also offer scholarships. “There are scholarships for just (Council on International Educational Exchange) programs, CIT and AHA (International). Each of them has their own set of scholarships,” she said.
These also include things like the Gilman International scholarship which awards up to $5,000 for students who already receive Pell Grants.@@http://www.international.shoreline.edu/study-abroad-scholarships.html@@
And finally, each department offers their students additional study abroad scholarships.
In all, it would be possible to have multiple scholarship applications that could apply to one program. The Office of International Affairs has advisers who specialize in helping students with scholarships and paying for programs.
“Our motto is to apply for any scholarship that you are eligible for. Don’t just apply but do a good job at applying, put some time and effort into it,” L’Hommedieu said.
“Tell us about how you know the program, make a clear explanation about how this program fits in with your academics and try to make a link about how this fits into your career goals. In terms of the financial part, tell us what isn’t clear from just looking at the FAFSA,” L’Hommedieu said.
There are other tricks to make your financial aid go as far as possible toward a study abroad program. L’Hommedieu explained that if students go abroad during the winter semester (as most foreign Universities run on semesters as opposed to quarters or trimesters), they will actually receive two financial aid payouts — one for the University winter term and one for the spring term.
Perhaps your financially cynical friends will laugh as you exclaim your desire to learn new things in foreign lands, but with the right amount of planning you can make it happen.
Study Abroad Fair
Nov. 16, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the EMU Concourse