Study Away Programs Approved for Financial Assistance

Federal Eligibility Requirements: The U. S. Department of Education encourages students to consider study abroad or in other areas of the United States. Institutions are encouraged to provide these opportunities to students. The College of Charleston Office of Financial Assistance provides the following information in hopes the financial aid processes can serve your needs as expeditiously and efficiently as possible.

1. CofC Study Abroad Programs. These courses are treated in the same manner as all other CofC courses. Documentation of the costs for your individual choice of CofC Study Abroad Courses must be submitted to our office before final determination of your eligibility for aid can be made.
2. Bilateral Student Exchange Program (BSEP). Requires permission of the CofC BSEP Coordinator. The student must register as a full-time student in the appropriate BSEP course. If the student will not be paying tuition and fees at the College of Charleston, documentation of all costs must be submitted to the contact person in the Office of Financial Assistance by the deadline.
3. Affiliate Study Abroad Programs (ASAP). Students, who wish to study abroad through a program not listed above, must obtain certification from the Center for International Education that CofC has a written agreement (available for inspection on demand by federal officials) with that institution which states that the credits received at that institution meet all accreditation standards and institutional standards for transfer back to CofC for academic credit toward the student’s degree. If no such written agreement exists with the host institution, the student is not eligible for financial assistance in this program. The student must register as a full-time student in an appropriate ASAP course in the Registrar’s Office and submit documentation of all costs to the contact person in the Office of Financial Assistance by the deadline.

State of South Carolina Requirements: Students must be enrolled full-time to be eligible for state funds.

Veteran Benefits: Veteran Educational benefits may be used to study abroad. The VA certifying official at the office of Financial Assistance and Veterans Affairs will determine if the courses are required based on a degree audit. A student may only enroll in courses that are required for graduation, whether core or elective. If the courses are required, a request will be submitted to the State Approving Agency (SAA) on the student’s behalf for initial approval. The SAA’s decision must then be ratified by the Federal Education Liaison Representative (ELR). Students will not be certified without the final approval of the ELR.

College of Charleston Scholarship Requirements: Due to the funding source, certain scholarships are available only if you are paying full-time tuition and fees at the College of Charleston. These scholarships include but are not limited to: Merit/Presidential Scholarship, C of C Academic Scholarship, Institutional Scholarships, Dependents of Deceased & Disabled Veterans, SC Emp. of People with Disabilities, Law Enforcement Dependents Waiver, and/or Graduate Abatement Scholarship. There may be others not listed here. Scholarships from the C of C Foundation, such as named scholarships are available for study away regardless if tuition is paid at the College.

Please note that the scholarship renewal criteria for the Merit/Presidential Scholarship and State Scholarships are not modified due to studying away; therefore, a student may need to make up hours if taking a lighter course load while away, or if classes do not transfer back to CofC.

Early deposits: Any early deposits required by any of the above programs are solely the responsibility of the student. No form of aid may be disbursed early for any reason.

Disbursement of “Excess Financial Aid”: The disbursement date for excess financial aid is the same as for all other students. You are advised that there can be no early disbursement of funds for any reason. Therefore, if program fees must be paid in advance it will be the student’s responsibility to arrange to pay these fees and then get reimbursed with their financial aid.

Alternative Loans may be used to finance Study Away Programs.

The student is encouraged to set up an automatic deposit of excess aid via MyPortal, EBill suite. Otherwise, excess aid will be sent to student’s permanent address on file with the Registrar’s Office.

Study Away Aid Approved Per Program

For all Affiliate Study Abroad Programs, students must provide the office of Financial Assistance documentation of expenses in addition to completing the Study Away Certification form. Students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 hours) for all programs during the academic year. Students must be enrolled at least part-time during summer.

Students must be enrolled full-time for all scholarship programs.

*Institutional Grant/Waiver applies to all 4% funding sources and all other types of tuition waivers. This includes: Dependents of Deceased and Disabled Veterans, SC Employment of People with Disabilities, Law Enforcement Dependents Waiver, and Graduate Assistance Abatement. There may be others not listed here.

**Students must be pre-approved in order to receive Veterans Benefits to study abroad.

[3.5.9.1 REV: 2/6/15] 

The Study Away Certification Form can be completed in ViaTRM, once you commit to your program.