Costs and Financial Aid

Oberlin College charges students studying off campus Oberlin's own tuition rate for any approved academic leave of absence (ALOA) semester whether on an Oberlin Affiliated Program or a non-affiliated program.  If the program tuition is higher than Oberlin's tuition, the higher tuition will be charged.  Room and board costs for the semester are those charged by the program.  There will be no additional study away fee charged by Oberlin College.  Oberlin merit and need-based aid will be applied to the tuition for the semester away if the student participates in an Oberlin-Affiliated program or GLCA-recognized program.

Every student receiving merit or need-based financial aid must secure a signature from the Office of Financial Aid on the academic leave application. If you receive financial aid, ask at this time how your individual aid package will apply to your program choices. Oberlin institutional aid will transfer only to Oberlin Affiliated programs, including Great Lakes Colleges Association recognized programs. For students approved for an academic leave to attend a non-affiliated program, no Oberlin need-based or merit aid is available; however, federal aid (e.g. Pell grant, Stafford and PLUS loans) can be applied to the cost of your program if you complete the ALOA Consortium/Contractual Agreement and submit it to the Office of Financial Aid.

Occasionally students may wish to request that their institutional aid be applied to a non-affiliated program.  A non-affiliated program is one that has not been nominated by an Oberlin department and has not been approved by the Off Campus Study Committee.  This means that, without special approval, neither Oberlin need-based aid nor scholarship funds will transfer to the cost of the study-away semester. It is also more difficult to transfer credits from non-affiliated programs back to Oberlin.  Special approval must be formally requested in the on-line application, which will be reviewed and considered on the basis of compelling academic reasons, including the strength of the academic program; the relationship between the program and the student's own program of study; the administrative structure (housing, health and safety issues, etc.); and on the rationale presented by the student.  

 Students approved for study away programs who wish to receive aid must complete the same financial aid forms as those students intending to remain on campus. All financial aid deadlines and requirements apply. In addition, all students who wish to apply any Oberlin, federal or other type of financial aid to a study away program must complete the Consortium/Contractual Agreement and submit it to the Office of Financial Aid. There is more detailed information in the study away application about financial aid and billing policies.

Some programs and institutions offer their own funding which may change your eligibility for Oberlin aid. If you have a financial aid package and you choose an Oberlin Affiliated program (including GLCA recognized programs), your family's financial contribution will most likely remain constant while on ALOA. Oberlin does not offer aid for any type of summer study. WARNING: ask the program and the Office of Financial Aid how the refund policy of a program may impact your financial aid if you withdraw early from your program and return to Oberlin.

Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) Tuition Remission Exchange
As stated in the Guidelines for the Tuition Remission Exchange (TRE), each college in the consortium determines its policy regarding the application of TRE funds to off campus study. Students attending Oberlin on the TRE program may apply their TRE benefit to any Oberlin Enrolled-Not-in-Residence semester program and all GLCA recognized programs. The maximum amount applied to the cost of these programs is the mean TRE amount for the academic year in which the off campus study program takes place. Any costs in addition to the TRE amount may be covered by Oberlin financial aid if the student qualifies for additional aid.

The TRE benefit is not applicable to off campus study programs (other than GLCA recognized programs) in either the affiliated or non-affiliated program category.