Budgeting for a Summer Program
Summer study abroad is directly enrolling in summer courses at any of Case Western Reserve University's partner institutions.
- Register for at least one course at an overseas institution and transfer it back to Case Western Reserve.
- Students pay tuition, room and board, and fees to the overseas institution.
- It is very important to budget appropriately for study abroad. While there are many free budget spreadsheets available online, the Office of Education Abroad (OEA) prefers this excel workbook and its corresponding website.
- Be sure to look at the Costs/Scholarships section of your program on Terra Dotta. The section provides a sample budget for your summer program, including costs for tuition, housing, meals, books, passport, visa, airfare, local transportation and miscellaneous spending. The sample budget will give you a good idea of how much to budget for, but everyone's needs are different.
Money Matters
The Office of Education Abroad has a few quick tips we have for financial security.
- Call bank(s) and credit card companies before departing.
- Find out what their international transaction fees are and if they have student accounts for international travel
- Have phone numbers and account numbers for banks/credit cards somewhere safe (i.e. not with the cards!)
- Carry some U.S. currency in case of emergency
- Obtain some foreign currency before departing, if possible
- Traveler’s checks are NOT recommended. Many retailers overseas no longer accept them.
How to Find Funding
- Additional need may be met with Parent PLUS or private loans for undergraduate students and Graduate PLUS loans for graduate/professional students.
- For questions on federal financial aid, contact Nancy Issa.
- Programs less than 28 days:
- Most study abroad scholarships are not available to students participating on short-term programs, however, students can still get creative in funding study abroad experiences.
- The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship is available to U.S. citizens receiving a Federal Pell Grant who will be participating on a study abroad program 21 days or longer
- Consider crowdfunding platforms to raise funds
- Case Western Reserve departments may have grants or other sources of funding available for students participating in a short-term program
- Connect with a study abroad advisor to learn more about other resources
- Most study abroad scholarships are not available to students participating on short-term programs, however, students can still get creative in funding study abroad experiences.
- Programs 28 days or longer:
- There are many scholarships available! Talk to your study abroad advisor about them - they can help you choose specific scholarships tailored to your region, program, and identity.
- Fully-funded programs:
- Critical Language Scholarship: funded study abroad opportunity available to U.S. citizens or nationals to study languages essential to America's engagement with the world
- RISE Germany: funded research internships in Germany for undergraduate students