Study abroad or at another institution

Study Abroad

When you decide to Study Abroad, one of your major concerns is probably the cost - the cost of the program as well as the cost of traveling to and living in another country. If you are eligible, you may use financial aid to help pay for your study abroad experience.

The course work you take while on a study abroad program must transfer back and apply towards your degree.

If you plan to apply your existing financial aid to study abroad, contact us.

One of the early steps you need to take is to get a cost of living estimate from your host university. The Study Abroad coordinator can help you with this step.

Apply for federal/state financial aid

File the FAFSA
Log in to studentaid.gov to view a list of the holders of any previous student loans and be sure you have requested a deferment of payment while you are studying abroad.

If you have or plan to apply for scholarships

Check with the awarding agency/department to see whether you can use your scholarship money to study abroad.
OSU departmental scholarships may be offered specifically for study abroad. Check with the individual academic college Student Services Office.
Incoming Freshman and Transfer Scholarships– complete the Admissions application.
There are a variety of scholarships offered specifically for study abroad. Check out the Study Abroad offices for all of these opportunities.

Financial aid disbursement

Disbursement of federal student aid cannot occur until the first day of attendance at the host institution. This attendance must be confirmed by faxing official documentation to the Study Abroad Office. That information will be forwarded to our office.
Disbursements are divided by the type of terms at the host institution, for example, into blocks, quarters, or semesters. Your financial aid may be disbursed in increments that differ from the traditional two-semester academic year.
If you are studying abroad for more than one block, semester or quarter, the subsequent term’s financial aid cannot be disbursed until you submit the grades for completed coursework.
Official grades for completed coursework at the host institution must be received before disbursement will be made to students returning to OSU for subsequent terms within the current academic year (for example, spring or summer) or for the next academic year for students returning to the U.S. in late spring or summer.

National Student Exchange

The National Student Exchange (NSE) provides opportunities to students to study for up to one calendar year at another NSE member college or university. For more information regarding NSE, begin with our Study Abroad Office.

Consortium Agreements

Occasionally, you may want to enroll simultaneously at OSU and another institution and will want to combine the hours for financial aid purposes. Sometimes this is possible through the creation of a consortium agreement.
A consortium agreement is a contract between two colleges/universities that recognizes your registration at each location for financial aid purposes. It also certifies only one of the two institutions can administer federal and state financial aid.
If you are taking coursework at another institution approved by your academic adviser to count toward your graduation with an OSU degree then you need to contact our office to see if you need to meet with a counselor, by appointment, regarding a consortium.
NOTE: Not all students require a consortium and not all institutions are willing to participate in the consortium process.