Student account charges work differently when you are on a study abroad program. Home school tuition and the Student Resources Fee will be charged to your Brown student account and all other expenses (e.g. room and meals) will be charged directly to you, in most cases by your host institution.  

Your financial aid will be applied to your Brown student account, and you will be responsible for paying any remaining balance due. If your financial aid exceeds the home school tuition charge and the Student Resources Fee, a credit balance may be created and that refund can be sent to whomever you designate on the Refund Request Form. This refund may be used for indirect expenses, such as travel, room and board,  and/or personal expenses while studying abroad. Please note that refunds will not be processed until you have submitted all required financial aid materials, and your study abroad program has started.

Students studying abroad will receive the same amount of University Scholarship as they would have received if they were enrolled as a full-time student at Brown during the semester(s). 

Based on the variance of living, travel, and miscellaneous expenses, the study abroad cost may be different than the Brown cost. The Study Abroad Budget Worksheet (accessible on our website under Forms) is available to help you calculate your expenses abroad. You are not required to submit this form, however, it may be helpful in determining out-of-pocket expenses. 

Students cannot receive more scholarship/support for a study abroad program than what they would have received for studying at Brown for the same semester. Additional funding may be available from outside scholarships (see Outside Scholarship Opportunities below) or loans. 

If there is any concern about covering upfront expenses, such as airfare, visa, and/or deposit for your semester(s) abroad, you should contact the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible. We recommend speaking with a Financial Aid Counselor prior to the end of the previous term to discuss all available loan options.

Students who choose to attend a higher-cost program should seriously consider the amount of this additional expense. Students may not have enough federal loan eligibility to meet the higher cost. In this case, students will need to use other family resources or consider borrowing from private loan sources. Please note that private loan sources may not have the same benefits as need-based federal loan programs.  Students should be mindful of how a more expensive study abroad semester will affect their total loan indebtedness.

If eligible, a refund will be processed 7 to 10 days after the start date of your study abroad program. In order for your refund to be processed, all financial aid application materials must be submitted.  If you are expecting a refund, you should make plans to cover your expenses until your refund has arrived. You may also contact your program and request that the bill due date be deferred until your refund is received. For questions regarding your Brown Student Account and/or the refund process, please contact Student Financial Services at studentfinancialservices@brown.edu or 401-863-2484.

Work-Study or Campus Employment, cannot be utilized during any study abroad period. The work component will not be replaced with additional scholarship. However, a student may choose to replace this with a student loan, if funds are available. If you are interested in covering this with a loan, please contact the Office of Financial Aid to request this after you receive your aid offer.

Depending on the timing of your return from study abroad and when student accounts are generated for the upcoming semester at Brown, you may find that you have not been billed for a meal plan. Because Dining Services assumes that students are no longer on the meal plan when they return to campus, it is crucial that you inform Dining Services at 401-863-3343 as soon as possible if you wish to participate in a meal plan when you return from your study abroad semester(s).

A promissory note and entrance counseling for a first-time Federal Direct Loan and/or a 20th Century Loan should be completed with the Brown University Loan Office before leaving for a study abroad program. The Loan Office will send the student an email about loan requirements and instructions on how to complete the forms. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the requirements are completed and received by the Loan Office before departure. For questions, please contact the Loan Office at loans@brown.edu or at 401-863-3296.