Apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after October 1.  If you do not have a FAFSA application on file, please apply soon and allow for sufficient processing time (6-8 weeks is recommended).   The FAFSA can be found at www.studentaid.gov.

Contact the Office of Study Abroad and Global Learning concerning the cost of your program.  The information is also provided on their website under the specific program information. This information not only helps you determine the cost of your program but helps Student Financial Assistance determine your budget and financial aid.  The budget is the maximum amount of money that you are allowed for your program. Loans are generally the only type of aid that can be increased.

Study abroad students are held to the same annual federal limits as students not studying abroad.  If you already received your maximum amount of financial aid for the Fall and Spring terms, you may not be eligible to receive additional federal aid for the Summer term.  If you received Pell Grant in the Fall and Spring semesters and attended full time both semesters, Pell Grant is not available for the Summer term. The table below lists academic year limits for federal student loans. If you have not borrowed the annual limit, you may be eligible for a loan. In the financial planning stages, it is a good idea to find out how much aid might be available to you.  

Federal regulations require undergraduate students to be enrolled in at least 6 hours to receive federal loan, while graduate students must be enrolled in at least 4.5 hours.  The hours can be comprised of all study abroad hours or a combination of study abroad and non-study abroad hours.  

After you are enrolled in at least 6 hours (4.5 for a graduate student) and have loan eligibility, we will email a link to the Summer Loan Preference application.  Submitting this application will initiate the summer awarding process. Summer awarding typically starts in late March/early April.   

If you are only eligible for Parent PLUS Loan or only eligible for a PLUS increase, you will need to contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance after you are enrolled at least half time.  Our system will not automatically send the application.  If your parent wishes to borrow PLUS Loan for your program and has not been preapproved, he/she can complete the preapproval process at studentloans.gov.

To help with funding your study abroad experience, the Study Abroad and Global Learning provides some tips and scholarship links on their website. Please be sure to start the process early.  

Students planning to utilize financial aid (financial aid includes grants and loans) should be aware that federal regulations prohibit the early release of federal aid to WKU.  Funds, including residuals, will be released with the regular university disbursement.  Students will be responsible for making any advance payments that may be due.

If you already received your maximum amount of financial aid for the Fall and Spring terms, or if you are going to be enrolled less than half-time, you may not be eligible to receive additional federal aid for the Summer terms.  Another option is a private/alternative loan. This is a loan from a private or outside lender.  Generally, a co-signer is required.  Interest rates for alternative loans vary by credit score. More information can be found on our Loans page.  It is a good idea to utilize federal student loans before pursuing alternative loans. Under some circumstances, students are able to increase a spring loan to receive funding.  To determine if this is a possibility, please contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance before the last week of April.    

If you are a graduate student who has borrowed his/her yearly Stafford Loan limit and will be enrolled at least half-time, another option is a Graduate PLUS Loan.  If you wish to apply for the PLUS Loan, you can complete the preapproval on studentloans.gov.    

Apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after October 1. If you do not have a FAFSA application on file, please apply soon and allow for sufficient processing time (6-8 weeks is recommended).   The FAFSA can be found at www.studentaid.gov.

Contact the Office of Study Abroad and Global Learning concerning the cost of your program. The information is also provided on their website under the specific program information. This information not only helps you determine the cost of your program but helps Student Financial Assistance determine your budget and financial aid. The budget is the maximum amount of money that you are allowed for your program. Loans are generally the only type of aid that can be increased.

For financial aid purposes, winter term enrollment is combined with the Spring term.  If you are applying for financial aid for the Winter term, you must be enrolled in both Winter and Spring terms before we can initiate the review for winter aid. If you will be attending classes in the Winter term, but not the Spring term, we will be unable to award additional loan money for the Winter. If you already received your maximum amount of financial aid for the Fall and Spring terms, you may not be eligible to receive an increase for the Winter term. Study abroad students are held to the same annual federal limits as students not studying abroad.

After you are enrolled in both Winter and Spring term and you possibly have additional financial aid eligibility, our office will send an email with instructions for completing the Winter Loan Preference application. Completing this application will initiate the review for additional aid.  

If you are only eligible for Parent PLUS Loan or only eligible for a PLUS increase, you will need to contact the Department of Student Financial Assistance after you are enrolled at least half-time between the Winter and Spring semesters. Our system will not automatically send the application.  If your parent wishes to borrow PLUS Loan for your program and has not been preapproved, he/she can complete the preapproval process at studentloans.gov.

If your aid has been increased for the Winter term, funds (including PLUS loans) will be released with Spring term financial aid after the 100% drop/add period. Students planning to utilize financial aid should be aware that federal regulations prohibit the release of aid to WKU before the beginning of the term. Students are responsible for making any advance payments that may be due (for example, airline tickets).    

If the bill is not paid before the Winter term due date, a hold will be placed on your account until the bill is paid in full. If you are utilizing financial aid to help pay for these costs, the hold will not be lifted until after the Spring disbursement, if the bill has been paid at that time. Please make any needed adjustments to your schedule and transcript requests before the Winter term due date.  

Yes. The Office of Study Abroad and Global Learning is aware that financial aid will pay to WKU after the Spring 100% drop/add period.  

After other types of federal aid have been exhausted, private/alternative loans may be used to help cover study abroad program costs. Generally, a co-signer is required. Interest rates for alternative loans vary by credit score and lender. More information can be found on our Loans page.