About the ISA
1. Why is this program being offered?
Yale College would like more students to participate in a Yale-designated international opportunity. While students with Yale-calculated financial aid can use that aid to fund a Year or Term Abroad, we recognize the need to provide similar funds for summer opportunities.
2. Why does Yale want undergraduates to spend time outside the United States?
The academic study of the international world and first-hand experiences of foreign cultures are crucial training for citizens of the global future. Yale undergraduates should gain experience of the larger world and plan to spend time abroad as an integral part of their education.
3. Will ISA funding continue to be expanded over the next few years to include more programs?
Yes. There are many new designated programs this year, and we expect to add further options in the coming years. As the fellowships list expands, the ISA-SIC funding will continue to cover those as well.
4. What is the difference between an ISA-SIC and an ISA-SIC Plus?
The ISA-SIC provides funding for all eligible students who win a Yale-funded fellowship for an international activity of four or more weeks duration listed on the Student Grants Database.
The ISA-SIC Plus provides eligible students who are admitted to one of the Yale-designated study or internship programs abroad with additional funding to help pay the program costs.
Eligibility
5. Who qualifies for this program?
Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who receive a Yale scholarship based on Yale-calculated need in the spring of 2008, and
• are accepted into a designated program
- or -
• receive a Yale-funded fellowship listed on the Student Grants Database for an international activity of four
or more weeks duration
6. If I don't receive a Yale scholarship, can I still apply for an ISA?
No, but you can still apply to participate in any of the designated programs or to Yale-funded fellowships listed on the Student Grants Database.
7. If I receive only work study and/or loans, am I eligible for an ISA?
No. Only students who receive a Yale scholarship based on Yale-calculated need are eligible to receive an ISA.
8. If I don't qualify for an ISA, can I still apply for fellowships and/or to the designated programs?
Yes, you can still apply to any of the fellowships listed on the Students Grants Database and/or designated programs offered through Undergraduate Career Services, Yale Summer Session, Yale in London, and those non-Yale study abroad programs that were approved for the ISA by International Education & Fellowship Programs.
9. Do I have to be accepted to a designated program or receive a fellowship listed on the Students Grants Database to receive an ISA?
Yes. In order to receive ISA funding, you must apply to and be accepted by a designated program or apply for and be awarded a Yale-funded fellowship for four or more weeks abroad listed on the Student Grants Database.
10. If some of the deadlines for designated programs have passed, can I still apply for them and ISA support?
No. But you can plan to apply next year, if you are still eligible.
11. What special paperwork do I need to complete?
Application/registration instructions for the designated programs can be found on the Web sites of the administering offices.
Application/registration instructions for fellowships can be found on the Student Grants Database.
Review the application process for the ISA-SIC and the ISA-SIC Plus.
12. Is there a GPA requirement for the ISA?
While there is no minimum GPA required for ISA funding, students must be in good academic standing to participate in Yale Summer Session courses abroad, and must meet the GPA requirements for admission to the non-Yale study abroad programs on IEFP's designated programs list. The Fellowships listed in the Student Grants Database are competitive and GPA is often a factor in being selected to receive an award. Consult the awarding office on the relative weight of the GPA in deciding their specific awards.
13. I am on a Leave of Absence during the spring 2008 term; can I still apply for an ISA?
Yes. Your percentage level of funding will be based on your fall 2007 Yale scholarship based on Yale-calculated need.
14. If I receive an ISA award this year, can I apply for another one next year?
Students normally will receive only one ISA during their enrollment at Yale. Those who have previously received an ISA for language study abroad will be eligible for a second ISA only if the second proposed summer activity is an Undergraduate Career Services Bulldog designated internship that requires the use of the language studied on the first ISA.
e.g. summer #1, Yale Summer Session Abroad Spanish language program in Bilbao; summer #2 Bulldogs Abroad internship program in a Spanish-speaking country.
15. Since I am a non-Canadian international student without a requirement for the summer income contribution, am I still eligible for the "plus part" or % funding of the ISA-SIC Plus?
Yes, you should check your eligibility to determine what percentage of support you may obtain for a designated program.
Funding
16. I don't receive a Yale scholarship, but a summer opportunity abroad is still a financial hardship for my family. What should I do?
You are encouraged to apply for non-need based fellowships; visit the Yale University Student Grants Database.
17. If I do qualify for an ISA-SIC, exactly how much money will I receive?
You will receive a summer income grant equal to the standard student income contribution expectation for the 2008-09 academic year. In summer 2007, SIC grants were $2,400 for U.S. citizens and $1,560 for Canadian citizens. The summer 2008 SIC amount will be announced later this spring. You should check your eligibility for both the percentage of total costs and the SIC. Non-Canadian international students are not eligible for the ISA-SIC because they do not have an expected summer income contribution.
18. If I do qualify for an ISA-SIC Plus, exactly how much money will I receive?
Depending on your level of Yale-calculated financial need for spring 2008, you will receive a percentage (ranging from 20% to 100%) of the total program costs plus a summer income grant equal to the standard student income contribution expectation for the 2008-09 academic year. In summer 2007, SIC grants were $2,400 for U.S. citizens and $1,560 for Canadian citizens. The summer 2008 SIC amount will be announced later this spring. You should check your eligibility for both the percentage of total costs and the SIC. Non-Canadian international students are not eligible for the ISA-SIC because they do not have an expected summer income contribution.
19. How do I find out the percentage of costs for which I am eligible?
Check your eligibility for both the percentage of total costs and the SIC.
20. My award percentage doesn't seem high enough; how can I appeal?
Since ISAs are based on the level of Yale funding in the prior spring term, you must appeal the spring financial aid award (deadline March 1).
21. How do I find out the total program costs?
Contact the office administering the designated program.
22. Are the program costs the same for all programs?
No, the costs vary from program to program, but your award will remain the same percentage of the total costs plus the fixed grant for the student income contribution, if you are eligible for the latter.
23. Since I am a non-Canadian international student without a requirement for the Summer Income Contribution, am I still eligible for the "plus part" or % funding of the ISA-SIC Plus?
Yes, You should check your eligibility to determine what percentage of support you may obtain for a designated program.
24. Can I combine my ISA with other funding I have received, such as from my residential college?
It may be possible to combine other funding with some ISAs. In no case may combined funding exceed the total budget of a designated program.
25. Can I combine my ISA with the Yale Summer Session (YSS) tuition scholarship?
Yale College students who receive an ISA and are accepted into a Summer Session Abroad course are not eligible to apply for a Yale Summer Session (YSS) tuition scholarship for that course in addition to the ISA. However, a student who received an ISA in a previous summer and is participating in a YSS program abroad is eligible to apply for a YSS tuition scholarship.
26. If I am not accepted into a designated program, can I use the ISA-SIC Plus funds for something else?
No, the ISA-SIC Plus is limited to use on a designated program.
27. Can I receive ISA funding for two short programs in one summer?
Students normally will receive only one ISA during their enrollment at Yale. Those who have previously received an ISA for language study abroad will be eligible for a second ISA only if the second proposed summer activity is an Undergraduate Career Services Bulldog designated internship that requires the use of the language studied on the first ISA; e.g. summer #1, Yale Summer Session Abroad Spanish language program in Bilbao; summer #2 Bulldogs Abroad internship program in a Spanish-speaking country. Due to the timing of the summer study abroad options, and the full-summer requirement of the Bulldogs Abroad internships, the two activities are not possible in one summer.
28. What happens if I decide not to participate in my program, or withdraw before the end of my program?
Students who receive institutional funding for an ISA are required to use the money for the purposes for which it was granted. Students who withdraw from funded programs and activities will be required to repay Yale the amount of their award. Students who received federal funding for their program will be subject to a pro rata schedule which will be used to determine the amount of Title IV funds a student has earned at the time of withdrawal.
29. Do I have to pay taxes on my ISA award?
For information on the taxability of ISA awards, US students should log on to http://www.irs.gov/individuals/students. Toward the end of the information on taxable income is the section "scholarships and fellowships".
International Students must meet with a member of the International Tax Office. See www.yale.edu/tax/int/index.html for instructions.
ISA-SIC
30. What is the ISA-SIC?
The ISA-SIC provides funding for all eligible students who win a fellowship for an international activity of four or more weeks duration listed on the Student Grants Database.
31. How do I qualify for an ISA-SIC?
In order to receive a ISA-SIC, a student must receive a Yale scholarship based on Yale-calculated need this semester, must be a first-time ISA recipient, must register for the fellowship competition through the Student Grants Database, and must be the winner of a Yale-funded fellowship for an international activity of four or more weeks duration.
32. If I receive an ISA-SIC this year, can I also receive an ISA-SIC or ISA-SIC Plus next year?
If a fellowship winner receives only the ISA-SIC, he or she is not eligible to apply for a second ISA award.
33. Why don't I qualify for the ISA-SIC as an international student?
International students (other than Canadian citizens) on financial aid who do not have a student income contribution (SIC) requirement do not need and therefore are not eligible for the ISA-SIC or the SIC portion of the ISA-SIC Plus. However, these students are eligible for the additional funding portion of the ISA-SIC Plus.
34. My fellowship isn't on the Student Grants Database. What should I do?
Talk to the administrator of the fellowship and ask him or her to contact
for assistance on listing the fellowship in the Student Grants Database.
ISA-SIC Plus
35. What is the ISA-SIC Plus?
The ISA-SIC Plus provides eligible students who are admitted to one of the Yale-designated study or internship programs abroad with additional funding to help pay the program costs.
36. What are the Yale-designated study or internship programs? Do they include academic and non-academic options?
View the ISA-SIC Plus information for a list of designated programs with links to further information. The programs offer both study and work abroad opportunities.
37. Are International Summer Awards (ISAs) limited exclusively to the designated programs?
No, only the ISA-SIC Plus funds are limited to the Yale-designated study or internship programs. The ISA-SIC funds are available for eligible recipients of Yale-funded fellowships listed on the Student Grants Database.
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