Financing Study Away

Studying away is more affordable than you think! Don't let money be your obstacle from studying away!

Any hesitation students have about studying away is typically related to the cost. However, what most students don't know is that they can actually apply their current on-campus financial aid package to their study away program, as well as additional scholarships and grants! In fact, for some students, studying away can sometimes be cheaper than staying at SSU! Be sure to review the cost estimates, and pay attention to what is included in those cost estimates on the program pages. 

Some tips for getting started:

• Start early and apply to everything that may be eligible for you.
• Start locally (Often many campus-based scholarships have the fewest number of applicants.)
• Visit the Writing Center (First floor Schultz Library) to work on your essay for many different scholarship applications.
• Ask your teachers about any scholarships they may know about in your field of study.
• Do not FORGET about your community: clubs, churches, volunteer organizations may be willing to sponsor you.
• Order multiple copies of your transcripts so that you have them on hand when you find new scholarship opportunities.
• Stop by the Scholarship Office in Stevenson Hall 1050. Apply to the SSU Scholarship Program.

Financial Aid

When discussing study away, there are generally two types of financial aid - Federal Financial Aid and CA State-Based Aid. Federal Financial Aid includes the Pell grant, federal loans, and any external scholarships the student may have received that do not depend on the student attending a university in a particular state. CA State-Based Aid is any financial aid that is dependent on attending school in California, at a CSU, or at SSU, which includes Cal Grants, State University Grants (SUG), Middle-class Scholarships, EOP Grants, CSU Waivers, and SSU Scholarships. To see which SSU programs can use the different kinds of financial aid, be sure to check out our Programs page! Veterans and dependents of Veterans should contact the VA representative in the Financial Aid Office to understand how government assistance can apply to study away programs.

Scholarships and Grants

General Websites:

• Academic Programs International (API) Scholarships
• Asian Pacific Fund Scholarships
• Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (Pell Grant Recipients Only)
• Boren Awards Scholarships
• CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California
• CIEE Global Access Initiative (GAIN) Scholarship
• Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship
• CSU IP Scholarships
• Discover Student Loans Sweepstakes
• Diverse International Women of Color
• Fastweb
• FASFA
• Foundation for Global Scholars
• Fund for Education Abroad
• International Scholarships.com
• Getting Real About Distracted Driving Scholarship
• GoAbroad.com Scholarship Search
• IES Diversity Scholarships
• Percy Martinez Cultural Diversity Scholarship
• Rover Scholarship
• Rotary's Peace Fellowships
• SSU Scholarship Program
• SIT Study Abroad Pell Grant Match
• Study.com's Complete Guide to Scholarships and Financial Aid for International Students
• The Going Abroad Scholarship
• USA Study Abroad
• U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs - Critical Language Scholarship

​​Country specific:

• Australia - Scholarships for USA students
• Canada - The Killam Fellowships Program
• Denmark - DIS Scholarship Danish Institute for Study Abroad
• East or Southeast Asia - Freeman ASIA Scholarship
• France - Reilly French Scholarship
• Germany - DAAD Scholarship
• Ireland - Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships
• Ireland - Trinity College Dublin Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships
• Italy - The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF)
• Italy - ItaliaRail Scholarship
• Japan - Study Abroad in Japan Bridging Scholarship (AATJ)
• Japan - The Toshizo Watanabe Endowed Scholarship Fund
• Japan - Tanaka & Green Academic Scholarships
• Scandinavian - The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF)
• UK - British Universities Transatlantic Exchange Association
• New Zealand - AUT University Scholarship
• New Zealand - Education New Zealand Study Abroad Travel Awards

External Study Abroad Programs:

• The Education Abroad Network (TEAN) Full Ride Scholarship
• The Education Abroad Network (TEAN) Scholarships for Australia, New Zealand, China, Southeast Asia, and South Korea
• California State Fair to students Studying Arts: Visual,dance,music,film,or Physical Education degree programs
• Semester at Sea - HACU Scholarship

Fundraising

Students can also make efforts to raise money on their own through fundraisers, only fundraising campaigns, summer jobs, or special events. Each semester GEO will host a "Financing Your Study Away Experience" workshop where guidance and tips are provided to help get students started! Contact us to find out more information.