Financial Aid FAQ

Yes.  A student who is enrolled in an approved study abroad program for credit can be eligible for federal, state, and some institutional aid.  Loans generally require a student to be enrolled for at least half time (6 hours for undergraduates and 4 hours for graduates) for their program and/or other hours in addition to. 

To be considered for financial aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is your application for federal and state grants and federal loans, and it must be completed every year. The federal government processes the FAFSA and the results are sent to Bowling Green State University. The FAFSA can be filed on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Once BGSU receives your information a financial aid award letter will be either mailed to you or sent to your MYBGSU account, explaining what types of financial aid you are eligible to receive.  You will want to meet with a financial aid counselor to go over your aid and determine how you will cover your expenses for your program abroad.

Students can use Bowling Green State University scholarships that are awarded by the Student Financial Aid Office or the Admissions Office for Bowling Green State University study abroad programs, provided you are enrolled full time. This does not include room, board, or book scholarships, which are specific to the Bowling Green campus. A student studying abroad through another Ohio, U.S. school, Third Party Affiliate Provider program or by direct enrollment at a foreign institution cannot use a Bowling Green State University scholarship at the visited school.

If your scholarship was awarded by an academic department, or other campus organization please contact that office to find out if you can use your scholarship.

If you are participating in a program offered through another university, you will be considered a Guest Student at that institution and you must complete the student section of the Consortium Agreement and submit it to the Student Financial Office along with all required paperwork. Students can download a copy of the Consortium Agreement form from the Student Financial Aid web site.

If you not a Bowling Green State University student but will be participating in one of our study abroad programs, you will be considered a Guest Student. You should contact the financial aid office at your “home” institution and initiate a Consortium Agreement there.

Contact the Student Financial Aid Office at least one full semester before beginning the study abroad program. This will assure that you have completed all the necessary paperwork needed in order for your financial aid to disburse to your Bursar’s account. 

Study abroad students may be eligible for a budget adjustment, which would allow for additional expenses related to studying abroad to be included in their Cost of Attendance. Please note: budget adjustments do not change the student’s eligibility for federal or state grant programs, and it does not increase the amount a student can borrow in a federal loan program. Typically, a budget adjustment will only increase the amount of money a student can borrow in a private loan from a bank or a PLUS Loan (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students).

Many affiliate programs have specific forms to be completed in order to verify the financial aid awards that are being used for the program.  In addition, some students may require a letter indicating financial aid in order to receive a Visa for their county.  These can be obtained by contacting the study abroad coordinator in the financial aid office and making an appointment. 

Financial aid and scholarship funds cannot be released to the Bursar’s Office any sooner than 10 days before the start of the semester at Bowling Green State University or 10 days prior to the start of the study abroad program, provided the program starts after the semester begins at Bowling Green State University. Therefore, funds may not be available to you until after your departure. You are strongly encouraged to sign up for the BGSU Refund, which will allow your excess financial aid to be refunded directly into your bank account beginning the first day of the semester. 

The financial aid, once disbursed to the Bursar, will first go towards any outstanding charges on the bill and anything left over will be refunded.  It cannot bypass this process and therefore all aid, including scholarships, will have to be used to cover the bill prior to refunding.