Financial Aid

If you currently receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid, you may be able to use some or all of your aid toward the cost of your SAI program. This includes scholarships, grants and loans (personal and educational).

Only your home university can confirm that the financial aid you currently receive may be used to fund your study abroad program.

As a student who utilizes financial aid, you have two options for paying your SAI program costs:

  • Pay in full and reimburse yourself when your financial aid is disbursed. In this case, you will follow SAI’s regular payment schedule that consists of submitting application fee, security deposit, enrollment deposit, 50% of the program cost and then a final payment.
  • Defer payment of your program cost balance (i.e., the amount that aid will cover) until your financial aid is disbursed. Only the amount covered by financial aid may be deferred. In this case, you are required to follow steps 1 – 5 below.

Steps for financial aid students who wish to defer payment

Step 1: Prior to submitting your application to SAI, speak with the financial aid office at your home university to ensure that you are able to use your financial aid (grants, scholarships, private or educational loans) toward your SAI program.

Step 2: Complete the SAI program application indicating the type of aid that you normally receive during a regular school year.

Step 3: Upon acceptance to your SAI program you’ll be asked to submit deposits to confirm your enrollment. After submitting your deposits, the SAI Business Office will send you the Financial Aid Agreement Waiver and the Financial Aid Verification form to sign and return.

Step 4: Complete the Financial Aid Agreement Waiver and submit your Good Faith payment (due by the 50% deadline or within 5 business days of your enrollment deposit*), which secures your position as a financial aid student with SAI. The Good Faith payment is not an additional cost, but rather will be applied toward your full program balance.

Step 5: Facilitate completion of the Financial Aid Verification Form by forwarding the email to the financial aid office at your home university. When the Financial Aid Verification Form is complete, the SAI Business Office will make the necessary adjustments to your invoice and send it to you and the listed emergency contact, if permitted.

* Please note that failure to submit the Good Faith Payment by the deadline will automatically revert your application to a regular pay schedule. If a payment deadline has been missed, your enrollment will be paused until your financial account is settled.

DEADLINES

Program Term Good Faith Payment & Financial Agreement Waiver Due Financial Aid Verification Paperwork Due Final Payment Due* Deferred Payment Due
Fall May 1**
Good Faith Payment: $1,000
June 15 July 1 2 weeks after disbursement
Spring
Winter
October 1**
Good Faith Payment: $1,000
Nov. 15 Dec. 1 2 weeks after disbursement
Jan Term
Maymester
Summer
Short
90 days prior to program start**
Good Faith Payment: $500
76 days prior to program start 60 days prior to program start 2 weeks after disbursement

* Applies only to students whose financial aid does not fully cover SAI cost.
** If you enroll after this date, the Good Faith Payment & Financial Agreement Waiver are due within 5 days of submitting enrollment deposits.

Please take careful note:

  • Financial aid students are responsible for ensuring that all forms are submitted by the dates listed above. Students who are unable to meet the deadline may be granted an extension by submitting payment to bring their account current.
  • Any SAI program balance not covered by financial aid must be paid to SAI by the regular payment due dates.
  • Financial aid students are bound by the SAI Cancellation and Withdrawal Policy. If a student withdraws from a program before all fees are paid, they will be liable for any penalties reflected in the Cancellation Policy.

SAI Financial Aid Resources

  • General Financial Aid Information (PDF) (106KB)
  • Past Webinars:
    • September 20 2024 at 11am PT
    • October 9 2024 at 3pm PT
    • If you have missed these live webinars, they will be available for you once the session is over