Program Costs

Financial Aid

Scholarships

Other Funding Opportunities

How to Develop a Competitive Scholarship Application

How to Develop a Budget for your EA Program

Program Costs

The broad range of program options available to UK students is matched by a range of program costs.  Some programs cost the same or less than UK tuition and fees. Exchanges are an excellent low-cost option, including ISEP exchanges. KIIS programs are also quite cost effective, as are many UK-sponsored programs. Information on these and other programs are available through our online program search.


Our Education Abroad Advisors will help you find the program that best suits your budget, as well as your academic and personal interests and needs.

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Financial Aid

All UK students who apply to and are approved by Education Abroad at UK will be allowed to use their federal and state financial aid for credit-bearing education abroad programs. If you plan to use federal financial aid, complete your FAFSA as you would for a normal year at UK. Once you have chosen your program, and have been approved for federal financial aid, an amended budget letter with all applicable education abroad expenses may be submitted to your Student Financial Aid Advisor.


Your Education Abroad Advisor will help you develop an estimated budget for Student Financial Aid based upon your chosen program and situation, and can submit an official budget letter on your behalf. You may be eligible for additional federal funding if the cost of your chosen program is above that of a typical semester or year at UK. Please see the outline on this page that lists the items you will want to consider when preparing your budget. It is helpful to have these estimates with you when you meet with your EA Advisor.




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Scholarships

Most UK scholarships may be applied to education abroad expenses. Check with your scholarship contact or your Education Abroad Advisor about your specific scholarship. Please note that the UK Legacy Tuition Program is not a scholarship, but a UK tuition plan and so will not be applicable to any Education Abroad program with the exception of UK Exchanges.

UK students should consider applying for UK Scholarships, as well as External Scholarships, for studying abroad.

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EA at UK Scholarships for Education Abroad

Education Abroad at UK Scholarships
Deadline: October 1 and March 1

• All full-time UK students are eligible to apply for these scholarships.
• Awards range from $500-$1,500. Awardees and amounts will be determined by a faculty/staff selection committee.
• Awards are currently based on financial need, but academic merit will also be taken into account. 
• The Education Abroad Scholarship application is available on your application home page.
• Deadlines are October 1 for Spring/Winter scholarships and March 1 for Summer and Fall scholarships
• EA Scholarship Application 2009-10
  

Caen Scholarship
Deadline: January 15

• Two students each year will be awarded tuition and housing for a semester at the University of Caen.
• Applicants must be proficient in French, demonstrate academic achievement and plan to continue French study.
• Caen Scholarship (pdf)
  

Deauville Exchange Teaching Assistantship
Deadline: January 15

• Two UK students are awarded this teaching assistantship each year to teach English in the Deauville Public Schools for one academic year. Awardees receive a small salary and the use of a house and car.
• Applicants must be proficient in French and desire classroom experience with young students.
• Deauville Scholarship (pdf)

Heidelberg Scholarship
Deadline: February 15

• UK students may apply to spend a year attending the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Two awardees will receive a full tuition scholarship and a stipend of approximately 500 Euros/month.
• Applicants must demonstrate academic achievement and some German fluency.
• All Heidelberg Scholarship applicants are automatically considered for the Heidelberg Exchange and vice-versa unless they indicate otherwise.
•  Heidelberg Application (pdf)



UK College Scholarships for Education Abroad

College of Arts and Sciences


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External Scholarships

The following external scholarships are either specifically for education abroad or may be used for education abroad expenses:

Gilman Scholarships (for undergraduate students receiving Federal Pell Grants)
Fulbright Grants (available to graduate students and professionals)
Marshall Scholarship (available to undergraduate or graduate students)
Rhodes Scholarship (available for graduate study at the University of Oxford)
English-Speaking Union Scholarship (for study at a British summer school)
Bridging Scholarship (for study in Japan)
Freeman-Asia Scholarship (available for undergraduates to study in Asia)
Mitchell Scholarship (for graduate study in Ireland)
NSEP Awards (available for undergraduates studying languages critical to National Security)

Literature on some of these awards is available in the Education Abroad Library and can be further discussed with your Education Abroad Advisor.




Other Funding Possibilities

Some of the main scholarships available to UK students for Education Abroad are listed above; however, there may be other possibilities not listed here.

You should be certain that your academic department is aware of your plans to study abroad, as they may have specific funding set aside to support their majors.

We encourage you to be creative in brainstorming funding opportunities. For example, many social, religious and professional organizations may be willing to offer you some amount of sponsorship, especially in exchange for a small presentation upon your return.

Check back on this website frequently, as we will continually add information on any other funding opportunities we discover. If you know of any funding that we have not listed, please pass that information on to us by email to EducationAbroad@uky.edu.




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How to Develop a Competitive Scholarship Application

• Carefully read the entire application and instructions before you begin.

•  Follow the directions exactly as given and contact the institution or department managing the scholarship if you have questions about the application.

• If you must request a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, make sure that you give him or her advance notice. Provide the faculty member with a description of the scholarship, a description of your intended program, and any relevant information about why you have chosen this particular program. You may want to consider including your resume if the faculty member is not familiar with your awards and/or achievements. Always include explicit instructions on where the recommendation should be sent and the deadline for submission of the letter. If the letter is to be mailed, include a stamped, addressed envelope for convenience.

• As you complete your application, remember that clarity and good grammar are important! If the application is not submitted online, print clearly, or consider typing the application. If typing, use spell check!
  

• When answering essay questions, format your responses in an essay format as you would use for a graded essay in a course. Even if the application is online, carefully construct your essay with a thesis statement and supporting paragraphs. Pay attention to word limits. The Writing Center can assist you with editing and revising your statements.

• Before hitting the submission button or sealing your envelope, go through your checklist. Is everything included and complete? Are you submitting the documents exactly as requested? If mailing your application, you might consider sending by trackable mail for peace of mind.

• If selected for the scholarship, don't forget to follow up with the persons who provided your letters of recommendation. Faculty enjoy hearing about your successes, and you can thank them again, as their time and energy helped to make for a strong application.

• Let us know about it! Education Abroad likes to celebrate your awards and we can recognize you for your accomplishment!
  

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How to Develop a Budget for Your EA Program



You may begin planning for your education abroad experience long before you choose a specific program. In fact, we recommend that you determine your personal financial situation, develop a realistic figure for what you can afford, explore opportunities for additional funding, and consult with your Education Abroad Advisor as soon as possible. With proper planning, you will ensure that your program costs are covered and that you have a little extra for unexpected opportunities or independent travel.



As you plan for expenses, remember to note the currency in which you will be making payments. Most programs sponsored by U.S. higher education institutions, including UK Exchanges and UK-Sponsored Programs, list their costs in US dollars. If you are directly enrolling in a foreign university, and will be paying tuition and/or accommodations directly to the foreign university, you will need to determine the exchange rate and plan accordingly in US dollars. For all students: any estimated expenses incurred in your country of destination will need to be made with the foreign currency conversion in mind. For example, a souvenir in Spain which costs 5 Euros is equivalent to $7.73 US dollars (at the time of this writing). This may not seem like a big difference on that scale, but you can imagine how this can add up over the course of a semester. This is where a budget is absolutely necessary!




Online currency converters, such as xe.com or oanda.com are very useful. Remember that currency values fluctuate, so you will want periodically to check the rates, even while you are abroad. When comparing programs in different countries, this currency conversion can help you determine an accurate estimate (in US dollars) of the true cost difference.



Once you have chosen a program, or have one in mind, your budget will have both known and estimated expenses. The known expenses are those provided by your program provider, and estimated expenses are somewhat different for each student, based on personal lifestyle and spending habits. You will need to consider both types of expenses to have a realistic idea of your total program financial needs. A good guide book for your destination country will give you an idea of the average prices for a me