Financial Aid Process for Studying Away

In order to determine if your study away program/course is eligible to receive financial aid, please see the Office of Financial Aid. If your eligibility is approved, the following steps apply:

1. Complete the Google Doc sent to you by the Office of International Law and Policy with your personal information. The Office of International Law and Policy will enter the required information needed for our office to award you federal financial aid. The financial aid process for the study abroad program can take four to six weeks.
2. Required one-on-one counseling appointment with the Office of Financial Aid prior to departure. The other school's calendar may not match the Chicago-Kent academic calendar. If your start/end dates are outside the standard Chicago-Kent calendar, it is considered a unique circumstance and requires special attention. Therefore, you are required to make an appointment for special one-on-one counseling as to how it will affect your financial aid disbursement.
3. Our office will review your eligibility criteria: You must have the corresponding FAFSA on file, be enrolled at least half-time, be a degree-seeking student and demonstrate reasonable academic progress toward graduation or completion. Also, you must not be in default on federal student loans and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
4. You must be enrolled in courses that count toward the 87 credits required for graduation. Any credits taken above the 87 credits required for graduation may not be eligible for federal financial aid. Please plan accordingly.
5. Your Cost of Attendance budget will be based on the living expenses and tuition charges of the program, not the standard Chicago-Kent Cost of Attendance budget. The information is obtained by the Office of International Law and Policy from the partner school abroad. If a currency conversion is required, the Office of Financial Aid will perform the conversion.
6. You will be paying Chicago-Kent tuition in addition to any program/administrative fees required by the partner university that may be applicable.
7. A financial aid award will be formulated for you. You will be notified via email once you can view and accept your financial aid award on the Illinois Tech Portal.
8. Loan funds will be disbursed to your student account according to the Kent disbursement schedule. Typically funds are scheduled to disburse 10 days before the start of your enrollment period. This means you will need to make financial arrangements to secure your travel, books, room and board, and other personal expenses ahead of time. You may contact the Office of Financial Aid for disbursement information.
9. If you are expecting a refund from an excess in student loan funds, please contact the Student Accounting Office. It is recommended that you set up a direct deposit for your refund before it is processed by the Student Accounting Office. Please keep in mind that the Office of Financial Aid does not process refunds. You can reach the Student Accounting Office by email at sa@iit.edu or by phone at 312.567.3794.

The Office of Financial Aid does not determine the Cost of Attendance for host schools. For this reason, it is very crucial for each student to thoroughly research the host school's charges and costs of living prior to their departure. It is the students responsibility to budget themselves until their financial aid is processed.