Study Away Financial Information

Colby offers students many opportunities to study in a foreign country.  Domestic and international students can both study away and bring their aid with them to an approved program.   Programs are offered either directly through Colby, through an agreement between Colby and another institution, or through an approved non-Colby program.  Below is a video explaining what financial aid looks like while studying abroad.

These programs include Colby in Dijon, Colby in Salamanca, Colby at Bigelow Labs, and the Associated Kyoto Program.  These programs are billed the same amount as Colby’s on-campus comprehensive fee.  A $500 deposit is required that is applied against the charges for the program.  Deposits made for the Associated Kyoto Program are provided a comparable amount in Japanese yen upon arrival at the program.  Students who back out of a program forfeit their deposits.

These programs are approved by Colby, but not directly affiliated with Colby. Students attending non-Colby programs are assessed a $1,500 Off Campus Study Fee for each semester of study away.

Both domestic and international students at Colby can take their aid with them while studying abroad.  To receive aid, students must complete the financial aid application and work with the Office of Off Campus Study to successfully apply to an approved program.  Once a program has been selected, a student looking to receive financial aid must complete the study away budget agreement form below then send it to their program.

22-23 Study Away Budget Agreement (Domestic Students)
22-23 Study Away Budget Agreement (International Students)

Financial aid is based directly off the numbers reported through the budget agreement. Student Financial Services aims to keep a family’s out-of-pocket costs similar across semesters and will adjust aid accordingly. If the program costs less than Colby’s cost of attendance, aid will be reduced to match the lower costs. If attending a more expensive program than Colby, the difference will need to be paid by the family. Aid is capped at Colby’s cost of attendance.

For programs directly through Colby, billing is handled through Colby. Charges and payments can be tracked and managed through the MyColby portal like any other semester spent on campus. The charges are subject to the normal billing schedule.

For study away through non-Colby programs, billing is handled directly through the host institution. The $1,500 Off Campus Study Fee is charged to the student’s Colby account and subject to the normal billing schedule for semester fees.

If the student is receiving financial aid, the aid first applies to outstanding charges on the student account before being refunded. Students will then pay the program directly with refunded aid. Any charges assessed by Colby are due on Colby’s normal billing schedule. Aid is released in September for the fall semester and February for the spring semester.

Many programs are willing to defer some or all of the outstanding balance if financial aid is set to disburse after their billing due date. It is important to contact the program as early as possible to establish a payment plan that works with Colby’s disbursement dates.