Direct Deposit
Prior to departing for their programs abroad, students expecting to receive
financial aid funding were encouraged to sign up for direct deposit so that
funds would be deposited directly into their bank accounts. If you are
experiencing trouble with this process, or if you have another question
about your financial aid, you should contact the UI Financial Aid Office at
finaid@uidaho.edu
or at (208) 885-6312 (non-UI students receiving aid through their home
university should contact their home university Financial Aid Office).
Financial Aid Release Dates
Students participating in programs abroad that have different academic
calendars may have additional issues regarding financial aid. The
Financial Aid Office releases aid according to the U.S. academic calendar,
rather than the calendar of the overseas institution. Therefore,
students on programs that begin either much earlier or much later than the
U.S. academic calendar must do careful budgeting.
For example, the University of Idaho fall semester release date is in
August, yet some students in places like Australia or New Zealand may have
started their semester in July. They must cover expenses (airfare,
etc.) on their own until the financial aid release date, when they can then
"reimburse" themselves out of their financial aid award. In most
cases financial aid cannot be released early. In the reverse
situation, the University of Idaho spring semester release date is in
January, yet some students may not begin their programs abroad until
February or later. These students must carefully budget so that they
do not use up the funds intended for their study abroad/exchange experience
before it even begins.
Full Time Status
Students are reminded that they must remain full time students abroad
in order to maintain financial aid eligibility. Students who drop
below full time status may be placed on financial aid probation or may even
be required to pay back a portion of their award. Undergraduate
students must take 12 credits/semester while graduate students must take 9
credits/semester.
Financial Aid Suspension
Federal law requires UI to
verify that financial aid recipients were enrolled full-time and received
passing grades while overseas. You will receive a financial aid suspension
letter if UI does not receive a transcript from the institution you attended
by June 1st showing you were a full-time student and passed your
courses. While some institutions will be able to submit transcripts by the
required deadlines, many institutions--particularly in the southern
hemisphere--follow academic calendars that make this difficult. Students
particularly affected are those who will be abroad during the spring
semester, as there is little turn-around time between the end of their
program and the June 1st deadline. Before you leave your
study abroad site, you should make certain all your fees are paid, all your
coursework is submitted, and you have taken all your exams, as this will
speed up the issuance of your transcript. If you do receive a
financial aid suspension letter, you may go to the Associate Dean in your
college and petition to have your aid reinstated.
|
