Understanding the FAFSA: Can it be used to get funds to attend international schools?

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA is used frequently by American students wishing to study abroad. While there may be many students and taxpayers alike that decry this federal policy, it makes perfect sense in the eyes of the US Department of Education, who is the managing authority when it comes to the FAFSA. The USDE provides funds for students with financial need to use for educational purposes. The goal is to create an American public that is highly educated, so in that sense the USDE isn’t concerned about where that education is obtained. The general idea is that most US students who study abroad are not likely to move there permanently, and therefore will eventually bring their higher level of education back to the United States.

Those that oppose students using the FAFSA to receive federal aid state that the money provided by the federal government should only be given to American schools, thereby boosting the economy and reserving federal funds for domestic uses only. However, this logic is flawed when the high number of international students studying in this country is considered. To clarify, if we should not use federal funds to allow US students to attend foreign schools, what if every foreign country adopted this same policy? The answer is that the US would have thousands less students every year, as international students make up a significant percentage of US college populations.

If you wish to study abroad, you will be required by most schools to fill out a FAFSA if you are American. The best practice is to fill out the FAFSA online, then wait 48 hours for the SAR or Student Aid Report. When you receive this report, you should contact FAFSA administration officials and ask for the full report- not just the summary. The full report and all FAFSA information should then be mailed to the international schools you wish to attend. From there, school officials will instruct you as to their individual policies.

Don’t forget- international schools accept thousands of American students each year, so most will be very familiar with the FAFSA and the process to apply for federal student aid.