Study Abroad           

Students who are planning to study abroad for a semester or the academic year, start the process with the International Affairs Office.  The budget is set up and signed off by one of their staff members, and the completed budget is submitted to the Financial Aid Office along with documentation to support the costs.  Our office also gets an original Power of Attorney if the student has one completed.  (The International Affairs Office has these forms for students to complete.)

Some costs on the budget form that do not need to be documented are the U.S. Passport, International Student I.D. Card, and the suggested personal spending allowance.  It was agreed between International Affairs and Financial Aid that $100 per week for personal spending is a standard recommended amount from various programs, but it can be increased if the student provides something in writing from the program saying it should be higher.  The costs for the U.S. Passport and Student I.D. Card will be adjusted when the costs increase.

In addition to the Study Abroad Budget Form indicating costs, it also indicates what type of program the student has chosen - NMU or NON-NMU program.  If the student has chosen a NON-NMU program, he/she is not eligible for any University aid, i.e., NMU Foundation Scholarships, Board of Trustees Grants, scholarships awarded through the admission process, and the faculty, staff, dependent or spouse tuition waiver.  Students are also not eligible to receive state aid such as the Michigan Competitive Scholarship, Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver and the Tuition Incentive Program.  (Students need to be paying NMU tuition to be eligible for these awards.)

Students are also not eligible to receive the housing portion of any scholarships for the semester(s) they are studying abroad.  It is meant for students living in our residence halls.  The exception to this is for students receiving the Presidential or Harden Scholarships.  They are eligible to receive the reduced amount, or off-campus amount, to study abroad provided they have chosen an NMU program.

Please refer to the web site for the International Affairs Office - www.nmu.edu/iao for more information on studying abroad.