International Student Financial Aid
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An overview of financial aid options for eligible international undergraduate students, including important tax information.
Financial aid resources for international undergraduate students are limited, and Penn practices need-aware admissions for students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. International students who wish to apply for institutional need-based financial aid must do so at the same time they apply for admission to Penn. International students who are not admitted with financial aid in their first year are not eligible to apply for financial aid at a later point in their undergraduate program.
That said, Penn’s grant-based financial aid policy fully applies to admitted international students, and Penn commits to meet 100% of their demonstrated need with grant funds and work-study, just like any other undergraduate student. The University provides over $10 million each year in financial aid to students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States, Canada, or Mexico.
Because international students are generally not eligible for federal funding, any financial aid received will be in the form of institutional funding. This includes grant funds and work-study. International students interested in pursuing a loan should speak to a financial aid counselor and will likely need to identify a U.S. co-signer.
As an international student, please keep in mind that a portion of any grant funding you receive from Penn may be subject to U.S. taxes. You will see a charge on your student account indicating any taxes Penn has paid on your behalf. Note that these taxes cannot be covered by additional grant funding from Penn. You may be able to recoup some of this funding by filing an annual tax return. For more information about international students and U.S. taxes, click here.
We strongly encourage international students to open a U.S. bank account while studying at Penn. There are multiple bank options near Penn's campus that you can visit to open an account. You can also access resources from Financial Wellness @ Penn to provide a broad overview of U.S. banking.
Student Financial Aid (SFA) will review applications for assistance for continuing international students and may provide financial aid to supplement the cost of a coach flight for students to travel home.
This funding is intended to assist with air travel expenses to students’ home country. We will not support students going anywhere other than their permanent address in their home county.
If approved, assistance will be provided in the form of grant funding for air travel expenses incurred by aided undergraduate international students who live outside of the United States. Submission of this application does not guarantee approval of funding.
If assistance is approved, students must purchase tickets as soon as funds are received. We do not book flights.
What we require
Travel Assistance Form - Submitted and correctly filled out. If you have unique circumstances, please be sure to explain this in our additional detail note section.
Flight Itinerary – Please ensure we can see the dates and times of flights and the price totals. This needs to match the information you have listed in the Travel Assistance Form.
All documents can be submitted directly in the assistance form.
How review works
SFA will review the Travel Assistance Form and itinerary of the flight. The amount approved is based on economy Google Flights prices. SFA will determine reasonable expenses by comparable price quotes to the destination city. Reasonable expenses will be covered with a portion of grant funding. We will include only one baggage fee if not included with the flight. This funding does not cover hotel stays, rental cars, train fares, or Uber/taxi.
Please ensure that all documentation is submitted in full and correctly as it can take 2 weeks to review. If documents are missing or not submitted, review can take longer.
Expectations from us
The SFA team is looking for reasonable requests. If students would like a more expensive flight or to cover more than one baggage, please note that the expense will need to come from out of pocket.
*Please keep your flight receipts, as we may request a copy after the ticket has been purchased.
Can this funding be used for Study Abroad or Global Seminar?
This funding is only intended for travel to and from your home country. Study-Abroad, Global Seminars, internships, and other academic programs abroad are not funded through this application. If you require assistance with these programs, please reach out to your program.
