Whether you choose to participate in an intern or volunteer program abroad, deciding how to pay for the experience is an important step in the process. For some, program funding is the greatest challenge they face when preparing to go abroad. Financial assistance can come from sources such as financial aid, scholarships, and fundraising. Regardless of how you fund the program, we strongly believe that participating in an enriching experience abroad is one of the most important things you can do with your money. It will help build your resume, give you powerful learning experiences, and expand your global perspective. In today’s increasingly global economy, even a short-term experience immersed in another culture will prove to be invaluable both personally and professionally.
World Endeavors is committed to providing international programs that are not only culturally-immersive and life-changing, but also affordable. To make more learning abroad opportunities accessible to more people, we work hard to keep fees as low as possible for all of our programs. In addition to working with students to secure financial aid for our programs, World Endeavors offers several scholarships to provide additional support to our participants. Applicants may apply for these scholarships for any intern, or volunteer abroad programs.
World Endeavors program fees are kept as low as possible to make our programs more accessible to individuals with varied economic situations. Financial aid, scholarships, and fundraising are all great places to start looking for assistance.
If you are interning abroad for credit, it is a good idea to look into using financial aid. World Endeavors also offers scholarships that may help defray some program costs. Institutional or state loans are another way to finance the experience. Your local bank or credit union may also be able to offer small loans for travel abroad, too. There are several resources to check out if you think taking out a loan for your program is the most viable option.
Beyond loans, World Endeavors participants have gotten very creative with fundraising for a program abroad. Past participants have held concerts, asked for program donations in lieu of birthday or holiday gifts, and have held garage sales. Taking on an extra part-time job is another way for aspiring world travelers to achieve their dream of going abroad.
If, after reading this, you’re not sure where to start, give us a call! All of us here at World Endeavors have been where you are today. Each of us had a dream of going abroad, and we found a way to fund it. That experience has now become part of each of our stories. Let us help make an incredible experience abroad part of your story!
Recent amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 have broadened the use of federal funds for study abroad. Once your home institution approves the program, you can use government funding to cover your tuition abroad as well as “reasonable” expenses associated with the program, like transportation, living costs, and visa fees to name just a few. You may also be able to use financial aid to fund your World Endeavors internship or volunteer program as well depending on the allowances made by your school.
The best way to get started is to contact World Endeavors to talk about your options. We can help you work with your school’s study abroad and financial aid departments to secure program approval. We can also set up a payment plan to correspond with your school’s disbursement of funds. Our staff regularly works with universities with a variety of requirements and procedures to help coordinate financial assistance for applicants, so we are very experienced in helping students obtain financial aid for their World Endeavors program. Call us to get started with the process!
