/Stony Brook University
Financial Aid & Scholarship Services

Study Abroad

Stony Brook students who plan to participate in a Study Abroad program and receive financial aid, need to be aware of the following:

Study Abroad courses must be applicable towards your degree and/or major/minor requirements in order to receive Federal and State financial aid. Most NY State programs require that 12 credits must be applicable towards your Primary Major. Please consult the International Academic Programs Office (IAPO) regarding your intended courses. You should also consult your major department and/or academic advising, if the Study Abroad coursework will be fulfilling SBC or elective requirements. The IAPO will give accepted students permission to register.  Please Note:  If you are going abroad through another SUNY institution other than Stony Brook, you still must register here under the appropriate course designation.   

You must have a completed FAFSA on file and no outstanding “To Do” list items.  New York State residents planning on using a TAP payment, need to complete the TAP application.  Students attending a study abroad program will be identified and will have a “To Do” notification on SOLAR, requiring the submission of a Study Abroad Budget Cost Sheet.   If a student wishes to maximize their financial aid eligibility, they will need to submit the Study Abroad Program Cost Sheet to the appropriate financial aid office.  The document can be uploaded through Stony Brook’s SOLAR system.  Instructions on the upload process can be found in our video library.  Students only need to submit the Program Cost Sheet if they want a cost of attendance increase.
Your Study Abroad Cost Sheet will be reviewed and your cost of attendance will be increased to reflect the additional costs associated with your study abroad term.  Please allow 7-10 business days for processing before applying for additional loans.  Additional loans you may want to apply for are the Parent PLUS loan or a Private Alternative loan.

Please Note: The financial aid office cannot process a cost of attendance increase unless the student is enrolled in the designated study abroad course (contact IAPO for guidance).

Financial aid awards will be applied to your student account based upon the scheduled disbursement date; any excess aid will be refunded to you.  Keep in mind that these dates may occur after you leave to go abroad.  Be sure to enroll in Direct Deposit (in the Campus Financial Services section of SOLAR).  We recommend contacting your bank to inform them you will be overseas.  For security reasons, banks may place a temporary block on your account if unusual activity or international charges occur.

Scholarships may be available through specific study abroad programs and not through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services.  Please consult with your study abroad advisor to determine if scholarships are available for your program.

GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP WEBSITES

  • Rotary International- (http://www.rotary.com) 
    • Offers several worldwide scholarships that vary in length and subject matter.
  • Benjamin Gilman Award- (http://www.iie.org/gilman)
    • Students receiving federal financial aid (Pell Grants) can apply.
  • Fulbright Commission- (http://eca.state.gov/fulbright)
    • U.S. citizens interested in graduate study or research abroad might contact the Fulbright Commission for scholarships or travel grants.
  • NSEP Undergraduate/Graduate grant- (http://www.borenawards.org)
    • Students planning to study under-represented languages as well as the sciences or other disciplines deemed critical to U.S. security may be eligible for the NSEP graduate grants. These scholarships have a service requirement upon graduation. 

OTHER COUNTRY OR REGION SPECIFIC SCHOLARSHIPS

Frequently Asked Questions

While the majority of programs are eligible because they are administered through financial aid eligible academic institutions, some outside agencies are not “financial aid eligible agencies” although their websites may be misleading and suggest that they are. 

Generally if a Stony Brook student is eligible to receive financial aid when attending classes here on campus, they will also be eligible to receive federal financial aid when studying abroad as long as the program is offered through a financial aid eligible institution (see question above). Additionally, Study Abroad courses must be applicable towards your degree and/or major/minor requirements in order to receive Federal financial aid.

TAP can be processed for Study Abroad Programs that are administered through academic institutions that are located in New York State, who are also financial aid eligible schools.  You may be eligible to receive TAP when you study abroad, provided that you have remaining TAP eligibility and meet the general TAP eligibility rules.

Generally you do not receive additional federal or state grant funding when studying abroad.  Based on the cost of the program, we will increase the limit on how much aid you can receive for the term in which you are going abroad.  In most cases, additional aid comes in the form of a Parent PLUS loan or an Alternative Loan. 

There are scholarships available for studying abroad offered by government and civic organizations and sometimes private companies.  Further details are in the scholarship section of this website.

In most cases the answer is no.  Financial Aid cannot disburse until after classes at Stony Brook have begun and by this time most students have already left the country.  When reviewing your financial aid awards on SOLAR you can access the disbursement dates for each award type.  Important: outstanding To Do List items will delay the disbursement of your financial aid.

We strongly encourage you to enroll in direct deposit, especially if you are going to be overseas attending a study abroad program.

No,  Stony Brook will not send financial aid funds to another school.  You are responsible to pay all charges associated with your study abroad program.   It is important that you find out if other institutions are willing to wait for your financial aid to disburse, or if they want their bill paid in full immediately.

Yes, we cannot process your financial aid unless we can see enrollment in the system.  The Study Abroad Office will provide you with enrollment information.

A Consortium Agreement is an agreement between two academic institutions whereby the home institution processes your financial aid while attending a Study Abroad Program through another institution.  Generally, if you are not required to pay anything to Stony Brook University you will be required to obtain a Consortium Agreement.  The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services can provide you with this form.

If you study abroad through a Stony Brook University program you can receive your scholarship.   

If you study abroad through another academic institution but are billed for tuition by Stony Brook University you will receive some or all of your scholarship depending on your scholarship award amount; the scholarship amount will not exceed your Stony Brook charges for the semester .