How do I pay for my LEAPYEAR?

The short answer is "the same way you pay for a year of college elsewhere."   The longer answer is that all LEAPYEAR students are enrolled as full-time college students, and are thus eligible for Federal Financial Aid.  Every American citizen is entitled to low-interest student loans. Grants and scholarships are also available through your state, high school, and through private organizations - see the list of websites and books below.

Costs for Study Abroad Program, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Study Abroad Loans, Fundraising

Federal financial aid is easily accessed through the FAFSA process (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.   So the first thing to do to apply for financial aid for LEAPYEAR is to complete the FAFSA form.   Do this online at the FAFSA website, since electronic filing is 4-6 times faster than paper filing (7-10 days processing time versus 4-6 weeks with paper filing.  

It is vital to make or print copies of all forms before sending them to any college.   Keep a folder of all of your financial aid information.  Respond promptly to any verification requests from the school - delays can jeopardize your financial aid award.

After you complete the FAFSA, a Student Aid Report (SAR) is generated.  A copy of your SAR is automatically sent to the financial aid offices at the schools that you highlighted on the FAFSA as prospects.  LEAPYEAR students are enrolled at Antioch University Seattle and the FAFSA Code is E00555.   The SAR shows your family's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) which assists Financial Aid Offices in determining your financial aid award.    The Antioch Financial Aid office will send you an Award Letter listing the amounts of financial aid for which you are eligible.   This may include grants and scholarships (which don't have to be repaid), low-cost Federal Loans including Federal Stafford Loans, and PLUS Loans. 

Washington State residents are eligible for additional financial aid in the form of Wshington State Need Grants which are based on income and family size.   These are available since Antioch University Seattle is based in Washington state.

Past LEAPYEAR students have substantially reduced the cost of their program by gathering frequent flyer miles for their international and domestic airfares (potential savings of up to $3000), by doing a paying internship in the United States or less commonly abroad (potential savings up to $4500), and by fund-raising through friends and family (past students have raised up to $7,000).

LEAPNOW also periodically reduces students overall program fee based on financial need.  We'd like everyone to be able to do the program, and during the past three years of the program, five students have successfully completed the program with VERY minimal to ZERO financial resources. LEAPNOW is committed to making the program available to you if the program is appropriate for you - please don't assume you can't afford it without speaking with our staff!

Scholarships available for undergraduate students studying abroad:

Free scholarship services and scholarship information:

Scholarships For Californian Residents, two good resources:

Most states have scholarships for their residents - search for scholarships in your specific state through the Internet.

Loans for study abroad:

Study Abroad Costs | Financial Aide | Study Abroad Loans | Scholarships | Financial Aid | Study Abroad Fundraising

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