Appalachian State ACCESS students are eligible to study abroad, with careful planning and preparation.
ACCESS students may utilize their ACCESS scholarship along with all of their other financial aid awards for study abroad, however, they should enroll in a program that accepts their financial aid as payment. The best programs for this are App State Exchange or ISEP Exchange programs.
ACCESS sometimes has a scholarship students can apply for for additional funds for Study Abroad but ACCESS is unable to provide any additional funds outside of that.
The student is responsible for costs that exceed the financial aid allowable budget/refund for the term or year.
Financial Aid can be dispersed no sooner than 10 days before the official program start date (this can be an issue when students need to pay things upfront).
If students do not have a charge for room and board on their student account, the money that is paid towards these charges is refunded or goes towards any balance on their account. This is typically about $6,100 per semester.
These are great options if you are interested in shorter-term trips (typically 1-3 weeks in length). Additionally, these trips are often entirely groups of just App State students and faculty so if going on a trip with familiar faces is your preference this might also be the best fit for you. We encourage you to connect with faculty in your department and ask them more about what/if their are faculty-led programs related to your major! You can also investigate on the Office of International Programs (OIP) website.
ACCESS cannot guarantee any financial aid for short-term study abroad trips.
We do typically have funds to be able to cover tuition and fees for 6 hours of credit over the summer and try to prioritize study abroad students for these funds (but it is not guaranteed).
Students would be responsible for any additional charges.
If you know you want to study abroad, here are the steps you need to take!
Attend Study Abroad 101
This presentation typically happens in ACCESS class but if you missed that day or need a refresher, you can click the link above to find a time to attend!
Review Study Abroad website. They have FAQ and a lot of helpful things you should know.
Start reviewing different programs- remember you want faculty led or exchange programs only.
Meet with your ACCESS advisor to make sure it looks like a good fit.
Meet with study abroad advisor to make sure it looks like a good fit to them as well.
Start the Application and apply for other scholarships.
Sometimes students are worried about being gone for an entire semester or maybe it does not work well with their class schedules. If that is the case, the office of Community-Engaged Leadership (CEL) offers Alternative Service Experience (ASE) trips during winter break! You can always check and see where they plan to go during fall, winter, and spring breaks and join any of those trips if you are interested. Since this is not a class, ACCESS funds will not be available, but you can apply to our specific study abroad scholarship for funds for these trips.
Click the link above for the App State office devoted to helping you go on the educational trip of a lifetime!
The Gilman Scholarship is a nationally competitive scholarship available to students with financial need. We have had numerous ACCESS students earn this scholarship and we encourage you to apply for it! Ask your program advisor or OIP for assistance if needed.