Shuford Away Funding
The Shuford Program recognizes studying abroad can be cost-prohibitive and is dedicated to supporting all students in their plan to study abroad.
Study Abroad Funding Overview
Each study abroad program contains specifically tailored budget sheets under the Costs/Scholarships section that outline the entire Cost of Attendance (COA) for the specific program. Tuition and fees for the program are based on the cost of operating the program abroad and are subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuation. Additional living expenses are also estimated for planning purposes. The budget should be considered an estimate and is subject to change without notice and does not include any additional travel students may plan while abroad. The COA may vary based on term, program option, NC residency status, UNC-Chapel Hill student status, etc. Line items on the budget sheet are sorted into two sections:
These charges are applied to your UNC Student Account. Tuition and program fees are not paid to the host institution. Each program budget is different and may include some but not all of the following:
- Study Abroad Fee – cost related to studying abroad. Students will be billed only if they accept an offer from the Study Abroad Office to study abroad. If students withdraw from a program after accepting the offer, they still will be charged in the same billing cycle. However, they may apply the paid fee to a future UNC Study Abroad program.
- Tuition & Fees – costs related to the academic delivery of the program. Students will be billed by UNC for the program sponsor/host university tuition rates in addition to any UNC instructional costs for faculty on UNC-taught courses.
- Program Costs – can include things such as housing, meals, included excursions, activity fees, and other costs required by the host institution
- GeoBlue Insurance – international health insurance
- Application Fee – non-refundable fee to process application and must be paid by the Application Deadline
- ISOS fee
These are your estimated educational and living expenses while studying abroad and may vary based on your spending habits. For some programs, you may be responsible for paying your host university directly for housing/meals. These out of pocket expenses may include some but not all of the following:
- Airfare
- Local Transportation
- Meals
- Passport Costs
- Personal Expenses
Estimating Your Financial Aid Package
The Study Abroad office has many resources to help you figure out funding here. Generally, students participating in approved study abroad programs can apply their regular financial aid (except work-study) to their study abroad expenses. For summer, additional loan eligibility is typically available through the UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid (OSSA). OSSA can also provide an estimated financial aid package to help you prepare financially for your chosen program. Students are encouraged to reach out before the application deadline. Email studyabroad@studentaid.unc.edu with the following information:
- Name
- PID
- The term you are planning to study abroad
- A link to your study abroad program’s budget sheet
Please note that financial aid (scholarships, grants, or loans) will post to UNC student accounts right around when UNC classes begin for the study abroad term (regardless of the study abroad program start date). All funding is first applied to cashier-billed expenses; anything leftover, called a credit balance, is generated as a refund to use for out-of-pocket estimates.
Shuford Away Funding Opportunities
- Study abroad scholarships are linked to program applications, so when you open an application to study abroad, you automatically see all relevant scholarship questionnaires.
- Scholarship eligibility criteria often includes but is not limited to: financial need (based upon FAFSA), academic merit, the geographic region of the study abroad program, major, and your county of residence.
- To be considered for UNC Study Abroad Scholarships, select “yes” to the scholarship question(s) in your application and answer any additional prompts by the designated deadline. There is no separate application for UNC Study Abroad Scholarships.
- All students that apply to an Honors Carolina Away Program or Burch Seminar are prompted to answer a scholarship questionnaire to be considered for UNC Honors Carolina Study Abroad Scholarships.
- Scholarship eligibility criteria include financial need (based upon FAFSA) and academic merit, among other factors related to each particular scholarship fund.
- To be considered for UNC Honors Carolina Study Away Scholarships, simply select “yes” to the scholarship question(s) in your Honors study abroad program application and answer any additional prompts by the designated deadline. There is no separate application for UNC Honors Carolina Study Abroad Scholarships.
- All students that apply to a Shuford Away Program eligible to complete an additional scholarship application to be considered for ADDITIONAL funding outside Study Abroad & Honors Carolina Scholarships from the Shuford Program.
- Scholarship eligibility criteria include financial need (based upon FAFSA), among other factors related to each particular scholarship fund.
- To be considered for Shuford Program Scholarships, complete this application by the deadline listed for your program. This is a separate application for Shuford Away Scholarships – students must complete the Study Abroad application AND this application to be considered for a Shuford Program scholarship.
Other scholarship opportunities are available through various UNC departments and outside organizations. The Study Abroad team has a list on their website here.