Studying abroad is an important part of the college experience for many U-M students, and financial aid is available. The type and amount of financial aid you are eligible to receive depends upon the study abroad program you choose.

If you enroll in a UM-sponsored study abroad program, you may apply for assistance through the Office of Financial Aid. We encourage you to email us if you have any questions about how your financial aid will be impacted by studying abroad. Non-resident students paying a program fee rather than U-M tuition for their study abroad program may see a change to their existing financial aid for this experience and should submit the Study Abroad Estimate Worksheet for details.

The University of Michigan Grant is available to eligible U-M undergraduate students who are working towards earning their first bachelor's degree and who are meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Email [email protected] for more details.

Depending on the cost of your study abroad program, the aid you receive may not meet your full demonstrated financial need. To cover the gap, you may choose to apply for a departmental scholarship, a study abroad scholarship, funding from M-Compass, a private scholarship, or a supplemental loan. If you have questions, email our office.

Applying for Aid

Make sure you have completed a FAFSA for the aid year in which you are studying abroad.

Complete the Financial Aid Questionnaire on M-Compass as part of your pre-departure work. This questionnaire notifies the Office of Financial Aid you will be studying abroad. 

Contact the Office of Financial Aid study abroad team at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Study Aboard Estimates

Complete a fillable Study Abroad Estimate Worksheet to get an estimate of financial aid you will receive for your specific study abroad program. Fill in the estimated expenses using your program's cost sheet found on M-Compass, then email the form to [email protected].

Participating in Non-UM Programs

If you study abroad independently and will not be enrolled at U-M during your term abroad, check first with your program to see if you may apply for financial aid as a "guest student" through the sponsoring institution.

If you cannot apply for aid through the sponsoring institution, you may apply for aid through U-M's Office of Financial Aid, so long as you are transferring credit back to your degree at Michigan. Because you are attending a non-UM program, you will only be eligible for federal aid programs. If you have an institutional grant or scholarship and you choose a non-UM program, your scholarship or grant will be canceled for the term abroad. When you return, you must transfer your credits back to U-M to have your scholarship reinstated.

If you are receiving a departmental or private scholarship, check to make sure you are eligible for the scholarship while attending a non-UM study abroad program.

Depending on the cost of your program, the financial aid you receive may not meet your full demonstrated financial need. To cover the gap, you may want to apply for a supplemental loan. For more information, contact our office.

Applying for aid: Non-UM Programs

  • Contact the Office of Financial Aid study abroad team at [email protected] to talk through your plans to study abroad independently.
  • Complete a Consortium Agreement (see below). This agreement notifies the Office of Financial Aid that you will be abroad for a term or terms. If you do not complete the form, our office will not know that you are abroad and you will not receive financial aid.
  • Submit the agreement four to eight weeks before your program start date.

What is a Consortium Agreement?

Consortium agreements allow the Office of Financial Aid to process your federal aid, private scholarships, and/or private loans, even though you are not a registered U-M student during your term(s) abroad. This agreement must be completed by you, your academic advisor and/or the Office of Credit Transfer Evaluation and your Study Abroad program. You will need to obtain signatures and/or paperwork from each office and participant in the agreement. You will also need to register your travel as U-M Related Travel on the M-Compass Student Travel Registry. Allow four to eight weeks to complete this process before you leave.

A consortium agreement is needed for any of these situations:

  1. Study Abroad programs that are sponsored by institutions that have a Title IV School Code (e.g., EMU, MSU, WMU). To find out whether the institution sponsoring your program has a Title IV School Code, please visit the FAFSA website.
  2. Study Abroad programs that are sponsored by an agency or foreign university (e.g., CEA, CET, ISA) that does not have a Title IV School Code.
  3. To obtain a consortium agreement, you must meet with a study abroad financial aid advisor (forms are not available online). Please email [email protected] to set up a meeting.

The following programs do not qualify for a consortium agreement:

  • Programs that occur in the United States
  • Programs in which the student does not earn any credit toward their U-M degree
  • Non-UM programs that take place in countries listed as restricted on the Global Michigan Travel Resource webpage.

Even if the non-UM program is not listed, check eligibility with the Office of Financial Aid. If your program does not qualify, you cannot receive federal aid, private scholarships, and/or a private loan through the university. You will need to fund your study abroad program on your own.

Travel Warnings and Restrictions
  • Undergraduate students are not eligible for financial aid if traveling to a country in a “U-M Travel Restriction" status as posted on the Global Michigan Travel Resource page.
  • Students traveling to countries in a U-M Travel Warning status must be able to document an approved University of Michigan travel safety plan. 
  • The Office of Financial Aid is unable to provide additional support if travel plans suddenly change, including living costs associated with being in-country longer than intended in the event of border closures or high flight costs/repatriation flights to the student's home county. Students traveling to “warning” countries must have an approved safety plan to return home without additional financial assistance from the Office of Financial Aid.

Register your travel with U-M

The university encourages all U-M travelers to register their travel so that they can be notified quickly in case of an emergency, regardless of how the travel is organized or funded. Registration is quick and easy. View the U-M International Travel Policy and visit Global Michigan to register your trip. You must register your travel as U-M Related Travel if you have a consortium agreement in place. Your program may have additional international travel requirements.