Study-away programs are divided into four categories:
• Oberlin enrolled-not-in-residence (ENR) programs,
• Great Lakes Colleges Association-recognized programs,
• Oberlin-affiliated programs, and
• non-affiliated programs.

Policies for each category are described below. If you are not sure which category your program falls into, look it up in the Choosing Your Program section of the Office of Study Away web site.

Note: Effective beginning in the fall 2005 semester, Oberlin College implemented study-away fee.   The fee for the 2009-2010 academic year is $1,275 per semester.  This fee allows Oberlin to continue to offer a wide range of affiliated programs—more than 85 programs are currently on our list—to students in all disciplines.  The College maintains its commitment to enabling all students, regardless of financial background, to have access to high-quality study-away programs.  The Office of Financial Aid will take the study-away fee into account by awarding additional loans for students that are eligible.

Enrolled-not-in-Residence (ENR) Programs

Students participating in ENR programs (except Oberlin's summer programs) can expect to receive the same financial aid for their ENR semester(s) as they would receive if enrolled in Oberlin. No additional financial aid paperwork is required.

Federal work-study awards will be replaced with student loan funds, if a student is eligible.

Summer Programs

No financial aid is available for Oberlin's summer programs. Students may inquire about the possibility of increasing student loans for the academic year preceding their participation in the Oberlin summer programs.  Under certain circumstances, these loan funds can be used for the programs.

Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA)-Recognized Programs and Oberlin-Affiliated Programs

Students participating in GLCA-recognized and Oberlin-affiliated programs are eligible to apply for Oberlin-funded financial aid as well as federal and state financial aid. Eligibility for financial aid will be based on the cost of the program.

In general, financial aid recipients can expect that the amount they pay for a semester on a GLCA-recognized or Oberlin-affiliated program will be approximately equal to their cost for a semester of attendance in Oberlin. If the program costs more than the cost of Oberlin, your grant will not be increased. However, you may be eligible for additional loan funds.

To be considered for financial aid, students participating in GLCA-recognized and Oberlin-affiliated programs must apply for financial aid following the standard procedures. They must also complete a consortium agreement (see below).

Non-Affiliated Programs

Students participating in non-affiliated programs are not eligible to receive Oberlin-funded financial aid. They may apply for federal and state aid (including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Stafford Loans, and Federal PLUS Loans) by completing the standard financial aid application procedures and a consortium agreement (see below).

Consortium Agreements

A consortium agreement is a three-way agreement between the student, the host institution, and Oberlin College. This agreement allows Oberlin to process federal student aid for a student who is enrolled at another college while on a leave of absence from Oberlin.

The student should complete the student section of the the consortium agreement and forward it to his or her host school. The host institution will complete the host section and return the consortium agreement to Oberlin. Among other things, the consortium agreement establishes the costs that may be considered when Oberlin determines the amount of financial aid available to the student during leave of absence.
Go to Financial Aid Forms