Budgets and Financial Aid
Preparing for Your Experience Abroad
Get your budget in order a full quarter before you leave.
Planning a trip outside the U.S. presents an array of challenges including finding the money you will need. Not only do you have to have enough money, you will need to carefully plan how you spend and access your funds while abroad. Following is basic information to help you get started on your financial plan.
Budgets
Prepare your budget in advance by using one of the following templates
- General Budget Worksheet: Excel
- Faculty-led Budget Worksheet: Excel
- Exchange Budget Worksheet: Excel
- Consortium Budget Worksheet: Excel
- Study Abroad Individual Contract Budget Worksheet: Excel
Study Abroad & Financial Aid
Because additional expenses are typical with study abroad, students receiving financial aid may submit a budget detailing their additional costs. Evergreen's Financial Aid Office will take these expenses into account and may adjust financial aid awards.
What are additional expenses?
Unforeseen or extra expenses above the *standard Evergreen financial aid budget. These expenses can include the following items for an exchange program.
If any of these items are covered by a scholarship you may not include them in your request.
- Round trip airfare (get an official, written estimate from a travel agent or airline web page.)
- Transportation in your destination country/area such as rail passes, bus tickets, cab fare, subway tokens, passes, etc. (You will need to document these, too. Travel agents may be helpful as well as current documentation from travel books such as The Lonely Planet Guides.)
- Instructional costs abroad including tuition, fees, or other program costs. Be sure to indicate if any portion of this cost is covered by Evergreen.
- Books and supplies.
- Admission fees and tickets to events you will be attending as part of your program trip.
- Passport costs.
- Medical exams and necessary vaccinations.
- Travel insurance.
- Lodging and food.
- Special equipment or gear you do not own but must purchase to participate in the program (include a brief explanation).
How can I receive more financial aid?
- If you already receive financial aid then you may itemize the expenses provided by your program faculty on the financial aid form, Documenting Additional Expenses. Attach the **required documentation to the form and submit this information to Financial Aid. It may be up to four weeks before you receive a response. If approved, your budget will be increased by the difference between your allowable documented costs and Evergreen's standard budget allowance.
- If you do not currently receive financial aid, but want to apply, speak with a financial aid staff person, or research the steps on the financial aid web pages. Then complete the request for documenting additional expenses. If you have not begun the financial aid application process please note that it can take up to two months, depending on the time of year you apply for additional expenses, so plan ahead.
What kind of financial aid can I receive for these expenses?
- Any additional financial aid you may receive will come in the form of loan recommendations. This includes Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan for you, or a PLUS loan for your parents. You will not receive additional grant aid or workstudy. Note: It can take up to six weeks for student loans to be processed so plan accordingly.
*Standard Financial Aid Budget.
Please use the current Financial Aid Budget from the Financial Aid home page to determine costs: http://www.evergreen.edu/financialaid/home.htm
**Required Documentation
Itemize all of your expenses on the back of the Documenting Additional Expenses form.
Attach receipts or other official documentation from any additional items lists above.