The College Standards Committee has approved the following policy guidelines involving the use of financial aid for external study programs (referred to as "portable funding"):
Given the limited University financial aid funds available, priority for portable funding will be given to students for whom a foreign language is an integral part of their academic program. If funds are sufficient, or if a small number of such foreign language-related majors apply for portable funding, non-foreign-language-related majors will receive funding consideration.NOTE: Students planning to attend University-sponsored external study programs, such as European Studies, Sewanee in Spain, etc. also need to apply for portable funding consideration. Acceptance into University-sponsored external study programs does not carry with it automatic approval of portable funding.
Students wishing to receive portable funding must meet the following grade-point average guidelines: 2.50 for their cumulative GPA and a 3.00 GPA for their major courses. Any exceptions to these requirements will be at the discretion of the Standards Committee.
Students wishing to receive portable funding must apply for funding consideration by the following deadlines: February 15 for those students wishing to study externally for the Advent Semester of the upcoming academic year, and October 10 for those wishing to study abroad during the Easter Semester of that academic year. The application process is listed below.
The application process for consideration of a portable funding request will consist of a letter from the student to the College Standards Committee, outlining his/her rationale for external study, and an accompanying letter of support from a faculty member with knowledge of the student and the proposed program. Both letters are to be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid by the stated deadlines, where they will then be conveyed to the Committee for its consideration and subsequent notification to the student.
Students wishing to receive portable funding for external study must have had determined by the Associate Dean of the College that the academic credits they will earn in their external study program will transfer back to Sewanee as credits applicable toward graduation requirements. Course work which will not be accepted at Sewanee will not be allowed for funded external study.
Students participating in external study programs which are sponsored by other domestic, degree-granting institutions will be eligible to receive portable funding, provided all indicated conditions are met.
Additionally, students receiving portable funding should be aware that such funding is released according to the University's timeframes, generally in August for Advent Semester and January for Easter Semester. Any deposits and/or early payments required by the external study programs are theresponsibility of the student and his/her family. In those cases, portablefunding may be used to reimburse previously-paid expenses. No portable funding can be released unless and until a leave of absence for study abroad has been properly filed with and approved by the Office of the Associate Dean of the College.
