Funding your study abroad experience

Student in Italy

All eligible students receive funding from the Center for International Education to assist with the costs of their study abroad program, if needed. The grants for semesters and short-term programs are detailed below.

Almost all study abroad providers (including KIIS, ISA, USAC, and many others) offer scholarships to participants in their programs. There are also many national and regional scholarships open to study abroad students. We encourage you to apply to any and all scholarships for which you are eligible.

Remember that a program’s total cost is more than the published price or the cost that is listed on a provider’s website (often substantially more).

The total cost of a study abroad program includes program tuition, Berea College fees for the term, room and board, international airfare, in-country transportation to program site, books, supplies, toiletries, passport, visa, insurance, immunizations, and logistical expenses.

Students work intensively on their study abroad budgets during the application and orientation process.

The Education Abroad Advisor guides students and ultimately approves standardized budgets; these budgets are then shared with Financial Aid.

UNDERSTANDING THE CIE GRANT 

Significant funding is available for a semester abroad – notably in the form of the Global Education Opportunity Scholarship, or GEO grant from the endowed funds held by the Center for International Education. The GEO can cover up to 75% of a program’s budget, although this grant is capped at $8,000.

Any Pell funding that is available is applied towards a student’s budget for their study abroad program. After Pell funding, external scholarships are applied (Gilman, for example).

Only after all these funds are applied does the CIE grant factor into a student’s budget. A student cannot be over-awarded; once their program cost is met, no further grants or aid can be applied. So, if a student meets their costs with Pell and outside scholarships, they may not need the CIE grant (in full or in part).

BEREA COLLEGE LOANS AT 0% INTEREST (must complete paperwork if needed)

Students studying abroad for a semester are eligible for Berea College loans at 0% interest for any balance other than their EFC (only federal loans can replace a student’s EFC).

0% interest loans never accrue interest. Payments begin post-graduation. For detailed loan terms and conditions, see Financial Aid.

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Rachel is studying abroad in Ireland for a semester. Her program’s total cost is $12,000; she has an EFC of $0.

  • Pell funding = $3,000 (example only!)
  • Rachel has no other scholarships.
  • She can use the full CIE grant of $8,000.
  • Rachel has a remaining balance of $1,000. She can take a loan for this amount at 0% interest from the College.

Example 2: Anton is studying in Argentina for a semester and his program’s total cost is $19,000. He has a semester EFC of $500.

  • EFC = $500
  • Pell funding = $1,500 (example only!)
  • Anton has $2,000 in KEES money (scholarship for KY high school graduates).
  • Anton also wins a Gilman award for $4,000.
  • Anton can still use the full CIE grant of $8,000.
  • After all the above sources of funding, Anton still has a balance of $3,000. He can take a loan for this amount at 0% interest from the College.

SELECTIVE BEREA AWARDS (No separate application necessary)
The CIE also administers several other scholarships that may be awarded to one student each per semester. No additional applications are necessary for these scholarships; recipients are selected from the pool of students approved for a term abroad.

  • Bolin Blaine Memorial Scholarship (awarded to one student per term)

Awarded to assist a Berea College junior with study outside the United States for a minimum period of one month during the junior year. The amount of the scholarship is typically $500.

The fund was established in 2004 and named for John Seelye Bolin and Sandra Anne Blaine Bolin in memory of their families and their contributions to Berea College. Both John and Sandra Bolin served as instructors and staff at Berea College.

  • Charles E. and Patricia Timberlake International Scholarship (awarded to one student per term)

A $1,000 scholarship is awarded each term for study in a non-traditional location (especially outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand) to a student with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

  • Boyd and Gaynell Fowler International Scholarship

This scholarship may be awarded to students with great financial need from Buchanan County, Virginia, or nearby counties (Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell counties in Virginia; Pike County in Kentucky; and McDowell and Mingo counties in West Virginia)

ADDITIONAL TRAVEL GRANT (Separate application required)

The Emilie Strong Smith Travel Grant allows students who are headed abroad for a semester to engage with sites of cultural and historical significance that are not already included in their program. Students must be accepted into their program before applying for this optional additional grant. The maximum grant amount is $500.

UNDERSTANDING THE CIE GRANT (No separate application necessary)

Partial funding is available for a short-term program abroad – notably in the form of the New Horizons grant from the endowed funds held by the Center for International Education. The New Horizons grant can cover up to 33% of a program’s budget. For BIST programs, this cap is raised to 50% of the program costs.

After a student meets their EFC for the summer term (Expected Family Contribution – this is determined by your FAFSA), any Pell funding that is available is applied. After Pell funding, external scholarships are applied (Gilman, for example). Only after all these funds are applied does the CIE grant (New Horizons) factor into a student’s budget.

A student cannot be over-awarded; once their program cost is met, no further grants or aid can be applied. So, if a student meets their costs with Pell and outside scholarships, they may not need the CIE grant (in full or in part).

For the winter, there is no EFC taken into consideration (winter is not a recognized instruction term at the College and is seen as an extension of the Fall semester).

Pell funding is also not an option for winter programs as any available funds would have been used in the Fall term. Additionally, there is no separate federal loan allowance for winter as it not an official term. These are federal guidelines, not rules put in place by Berea. Please speak to Financial Aid EARLY in the process if you are considering a winter program.

LOANS for SHORT-TERM PROGRAMS

  • BEREA COLLEGE LOANS AT 0% INTEREST 

Students studying on BISTs are eligible for Berea College loans at 0% interest for any balance other than the EFC (federal loans only can replace EFC). These loans never accrue interest. Payments begin post-graduation. For loan terms and conditions, see Financial Aid.

  • BEREA COLLEGE GENERAL LOANS (with interest) 

Students studying on other short-term programs (summer or winter programs) are eligible for Berea College general loans (with interest) for any balance other than the EFC (only federal loans can replace a student’s EFC). Payments begin post-graduation. For loan terms and conditions, see Financial Aid.

  • FEDERAL LOANS (with interest) 

Students may be eligible for federal loans. For loan terms and conditions, see Financial Aid.

SELECTIVE BEREA AWARDS (No separate application necessary)

The CIE also administers several other scholarships that may be awarded to students studying abroad on short-term programs. No additional applications are necessary for these scholarships; recipients are selected from the pool of students approved for a term abroad.

  • Boyd and Gaynell Fowler International Scholarship

Additional funds may be awarded to students with great financial need from Buchanan County, Virginia, or nearby counties (Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell counties in Virginia; Pike County in Kentucky; and McDowell and Mingo counties in West Virginia)

  • Albright and Shinn Grants

The Albright and Shinn grants are for students who demonstrate great financial need and are studying abroad for the first time. Awards are variable but generally will not exceed $250.

ADDITIONAL TRAVEL GRANT (Separate application required)

The CIE has an additional endowed fund for students to use for cultural and historical exploration – the Wade Francis Travel Grant (summer only; BIST students not eligible).

Students must be accepted into their program before applying for this optional additional grant. The maximum grant amount is $500.

External Scholarships

  • Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship – This is a  U.S. State Department scholarships that aims to increase diversity in study abroad.
    • Typical awards are $2,500 to $5,000!
    • Must be a U.S. citizen.
    • Applicants who are not awarded may reapply.
    • Deadline in Early October for programs the following Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall
    • Deadline Early March for programs the following Summer, Fall, Winter, and the following Spring)
  • Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant – PKP grants over 100 grants of $1,000 each to students across the country who have 3.75 GPAs or higher (no exceptions!).
    • Deadline is typically in March with results announced around May 1st.
    • Open to international students.
    • Students do not need to be a PKP member.
  • Fund for Education Abroad Highly selective award with less than 6% acceptance rate. Award of up to $10,000. Open to U.S. citizens only. Deadlines: mid-January for Summer, Fall Semester; early September deadline for Spring Semester.
  • Boren Scholarship Up to $20,000 to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests. Annual deadline in February. Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Rainbow Scholarship Supporting LGBTQIA+ students who study abroad. Deadlines in January for programs in the following Summer and Fall; September for the following Spring

Students are encouraged to apply for any and all external scholarships for which they are eligible.

Other Financial Aid

Since summer study is considered optional, the only forms of financial aid available for summer programs—other than education abroad scholarships and grants—are from federal sources, specifically the Stafford Loan and the Pell Grant (Berea College loans may be an option for BIST participants). Before applying for admission to a summer program, consult with Student Financial Aid Services to ensure that you are able to apply some of your Pell Grant money and that you are eligible for subsidized and/or unsubsidized Stafford Loans sufficient to meet the total cost of participation. The maximum Stafford Loan amount that a student can borrow is based on financial need, classification, dependency status, and annual borrowing limits as set by federal regulations.

To be eligible for a Stafford Loan, students must have a 2.0 GPA or higher and be enrolled on at least a half-time basis during the summer. This generally means enrolling in two courses for a total to 1.5 Berea course credits.

The application deadline for summer loans is 1 March. Stafford Loan applications will be processed after education abroad scholarships/grants have been awarded and you have been accepted to your program.

More Information

Questions?

For questions about education abroad scholarships and grants, contact the Education Abroad Team at abroad@berea.edu or 859-985-3453, or drop by 205 Woods-Penniman.

For questions about financial aid (e.g., your EFC, your Pell eligibility, any specific scholarships you hold, loan eligibility and criteria, etc.), please stop by the Financial Aid office in Lincoln Hall and/orcontact a counselor in Student Financial Aid Services.