Study Abroad

Study Abroad Pre-departure Information for Parents and Guardians

BILLING, PAYMENT AND FINANCIAL AID

All Federal financial aid and most TU scholarships can be used to pay for study abroad, whether it is a TU program/exchange or a program run by an outside agency.

AMS (Academic Management System) and Tuition Pay Plans

If you normally use AMS or Tuition Pay Plans to pay for tuition, you may be able to continue to use those for study abroad. If your bill is coming from Towson, simply contact the company to arrange for a new amount for the plan. If you will be receiving a bill from a study abroad program, contact the program and the Plan to make arrangements. Some programs may not accept Tuition Pay Plans.

Study Abroad Fee

All students will be charged a study abroad fee by the TU Bursar’s Office. For TU exchanges and programs, and for non-TU programs including direct enroll, you will receive a bill from Towson for the Study Abroad Fee*. 

• FALL/SPRING SEMESTER - $300
• SUMMER - $100 (the summer study abroad fee will be increased to $150 commencing 2009)
• MINIMESTER - $150

*Fees are subject to change

How to use scholarships and Financial Aid to pay for Study Abroad

When the student has selected the study abroad program or exchange, the Study Abroad Adviser completes a budget outlining estimated and known costs. Costs can include program tuition, housing, food, TU study abroad fee, passport & visa fees, application fee, flight, books, local transportation, and insurance. The student submits the budget to the TU Financial Aid Office and the award will be made accordingly. Students who already receive Federal Aid may qualify for additional aid up to their maximum loan amount. Students who do not currently receive aid may apply for it to pay for study abroad. TU Scholarships may be used to pay for study abroad. For more questions about Federal Aid or scholarships, please contact the Financial Aid Office:

Telephone:: 1-888-4TOWSON / 410-704-4236
Fax: 410-704-2584
Enrollment Services Building, Room 339
Email: finaid@towson.edu
Website: wwwnew.towson.edu/main/finaid/index.asp

If a student participates on a TU program or exchange , the aid and/or scholarships will be deducted from the TU bill, with the remainder issued to the student in the form of a rebate check.

If a student participates on a non-TU program, the aid and/or scholarships will be issued to the student in the form of a rebate check. Rebate checks are distributed through the TU Bursar’s Office.

Release of Financial Aid Rebate

Students can use their financial aid to pay for all types of study abroad. Most Towson scholarships can also be used to pay for study abroad, whether it is TU sponsored or run by an outside agency.

Students will be issued a rebate of their federal aid and scholarships following the regular timetable of rebate releases. This timetable corresponds to the TU academic calendar and may not coincide with start dates at overseas institutions.

If a student will not be present at the start of the TU semester to pick up their check in person, they should complete a Rebate Release Form with the Bursar’s Office instructing them where to send their rebate check. Students should submit this form for each semester they will be abroad. wwwnew.towson.edu/adminfinance/fiscalplanning/bursar/.

Students should not arrange for their check to be sent to their overseas address because depositing checks in US Dollars to an overseas bank account will incur fees for converting to the local currency. Also, we do not recommend that students open bank accounts while overseas unless they plan to stay for more than one semester .Instead, the student should arrange for their Rebate Check to be sent to a trusted person who they have asked to act on their behalf while they are away. This person can deposit the Rebate Check into the account that the student is accessing while overseas.

Limited Power of Attorney

We recommend that all students appoint a responsible person to manage their affairs (including financially related issues) while they are overseas. This person must be officially designated to act on their behalf. Students should also consider appointing this same person as responsible for managing their affairs in general while they are overseas.

We have provided all students with a copy of a Limited Power of Attorney (POA) for this purpose. The form must be notarized in order for it to function and it should be left with the person designated as the Limited Power of Attorney.

The purpose of appointing a POA is to designate a person to perform certain acts on your behalf while you are away. These include:

• To receive checks made payable to the student for educational expenses.
• To endorse and to deposit those checks.
• To draw and sign those checks to pay for the educational expenses.
• To sign other documents on the student’s behalf

N.B.: A notary public must notarize the POA. The form should be left with the person designated – NOT the Study Abroad Office.

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