OCS Financial & Scholarship Information
Reference the guidelines and videos below to learn more about the billing and financial aid policies for students studying off campus for a summer or semester. We work in collaboration with the F&M Student Accounts Office and the Office of Financial Aid. If you have any questions related to those specific areas, you can find information below to contact them directly.
Semester Tuition Fees (Invoiced by F&M)
Families who wish to use the monthly payment plan through Tuition Management Systems
(TMS) may do so for tuition fees billed by F&M.
Semester Non-tuition Fees (Invoiced by Program)
Non-tuition fees that are paid to the host program cannot be included in the Tuition
Management Systems (TMS) monthly plan. Contact the program directly to determine if
they offer a monthly plan for payment of non-tuition fees.
Semester Additional Estimated Fees
During the academic year, the cost for field trips, study tours, and labs that are
a required part of a course taken for credit in an off-campus study program will be
paid for by Franklin & Marshall as part of tuition. (There are some restrictions regarding
study tours with DIS.) Discuss these options with your OCS Advisor to fully understand
what costs will be covered by your tuition.
Additional Non-Tuition Fees:
Students should also expect to budget for items not included in the fees invoiced
by the program. These can include passport fees, visa fees, immunizations, travel to/from program site, books, meals, phone, and personal travel and expenses. Students are encouraged to view estimates of these additional
costs, which are available on the program webpages or can be provided by the program.
Students are also encouraged to disclose budgetary concerns with the OCS Advisor in
order to be directed to programs with more affordable non-tuition costs and lower
costs of living.
Program Deposits
Applying F&M Financial Aid to Semester Programs
Students who receive Grant-in-Aid benefits will continue to access these benefits
for the semester off campus. This benefit is only available to students of eligible
full-time F&M faculty and staff. Students who receive Tuition Exchange benefits will
continue to access these benefits for the semester off campus.
Students whose financial aid award exceeds the amount of F&M tuition will be sent a refund, which should be used to pay the non-tuition
fees billed by the student's program. Refunds are typically released approximately two weeks after the start of F&M's semester,
and refunds will be direct deposited into the student's bank account or mailed to
the student's home address if direct deposit is not set up. If you wish to have the
refund mailed to another address, contact the F&M Student Accounts office (see contact
information below).
Additional Scholarships
Please note that any outside scholarship must be reported to the Office of Financial
Aid at Franklin & Marshall and may change the amount of aid you receive from the College.
Summer Program Costs & Billing
Students who receive a federal Pell Grant should ask the F&M Office of Financial Aid
if they will receive Pell Grant funding for their summer off-campus study program.
All other F&M financial aid is typically not eligible to be used for summer programs.
Students may apply for F&M Summer Travel Awards, F&M summer departmental awards, and
other external scholarships for funding assistance for summer programs (see OCS Scholarships
& Grants below).
Program Consortium Agreements
You will receive information from the F&M Office of Financial Aid when it is time
for you to complete this process. You will also receive guidance from F&M Off-Campus
Study to help you navigate the steps. It is very important that you pay attention
to any emails that mention this requirement so that your federal aid can be applied
to your off-campus study term.
F&M Financial Aid Questions
F&M Student Account & Billing Questions
Semester Fin Aid Video
A short video detailing semester tuition expectations, how to compare costs of OCS programs, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities.
Summer Fin Aid Video
A short video detailing summer program cost expectations, how to compare costs of OCS programs, and scholarship opportunities.
Click the button below and DOWNLOAD the OCS Cost Worksheet. Input any financial aid
you receive as well as any non-tuition costs for the program you are interested in.
You may complete a worksheet for each program you are considering in order to compare
costs across programs.OCS Semester Costs Calculator
OCS Scholarships & Grants
Review our collection of potential scholarships for summer, semester, and academic year off-campus study programs. Though not exhaustive, the list does offer a wide range of scholarship possibilities. Many scholarships have early deadlines so be sure to start early and plan accordingly.