International Education Fee Scholarship

The 1991 Texas Legislature passed legislation enabling each Texas state-supported institution to charge a $1 per student fee to support opportunities to study abroad. The University of Texas Arlington chose to establish the International Education Fee Scholarship (IEFS) by adding $1 to each UTA student's fee bill beginning in Spring 1992. The University's tuition and fee proposal for 2018-2019 included an increase in the International Education Fee from $1 to $4, which was approved effective Fall 2018. All monies collected are used only to assist students participating in international exchange or study programs.


For Affiliate and Exchange program students, to apply please start an application for your program of choice.


For Faculty-led program students applying for the International Education Fee Scholarship (IEFS) should contact the Study Abroad Office to receive guidance on next steps. We will provide key information required documents, and any other necessary instructions to help complete the application process. Reaching out to the Study Abroad Office in a timely manner is important to ensure a smooth and successful application submission.

Winter & Spring Programs Deadline: November 1st

Summer, Fall & Academic Year Programs Deadline: April 1st

Scholarships are awarded based on the term of enrollment. Students should apply for the IEFS application cycle that corresponds to the term in which they are enrolled for their study abroad course. For example, students enrolled in a spring course with a May travel component should apply during the Winter & Spring Programs cycle. Students enrolled in a summer course with a May travel component should apply during the Summer, Fall & Academic Year Programs cycle.

The scholarship is competitive and is based on financial need and academic merit.

  • Students must be enrolled at UTA in order to apply and must also be enrolled at UTA during the term abroad.
  • Students must be participating in a credit-bearing study abroad program. All approved UTA Study Abroad programs (Affiliated, Exchange, and Faculty-Led) are eligible.
  • If a student is not participating in an approved UTA Study Abroad program (Affiliated, Exchange, or Faculty-Led), the student must have the approval of the Director of Study Abroad to qualify for an IEFS. Student should contact the Director prior to the IEFS application deadline to obtain necessary approval.
  • Recipients should be willing to represent UTA Study Abroad upon return.
Award tiers are established by official program length, which is determined by the number of weeks abroad. Orientation meetings or class days at UTA do not count towards program length, nor does personal travel time before or after the official program dates. Students applying to study abroad for two consecutive terms (Fall/Spring, Fall/Winter, Winter/Spring, Spring/Summer, or Summer/Fall) should submit one IEFS application for the earliest term abroad. Applicants would be eligible for the award tier representing the combined weeks abroad for the two programs, excluding personal travel time before, after, or between programs. Should a student receive an IEFS award for two consecutive terms,

the award amount will be split between the two terms. Examples: A student planning to study abroad for both the Fall and Spring terms would submit one IEFS application for the Fall cycle. A student planning to study abroad for both the Spring and Summer terms would submit one IEFS application for the Spring cycle.

Notes:

  1. For the purposes of IEFS, the Winter and May terms at UTA do not affect a student’s “consecutive” time abroad, i.e. a student planning to study abroad during the Fall and Spring terms, but not the Winter term, should still submit one IEFS application during the Fall IEFS application cycle.
  2. Some study abroad programs offer calendar year options where students take courses for both the Spring and Fall terms uninterrupted by a Summer term. This differs from programs offering distinct Spring, Summer, and Fall terms. Students planning to study abroad during both the Spring and Fall terms should consult with UTA Study Abroad to determine which IEFS application cycle(s) their program qualifies for.

 

Award Tiers

Less than 4 Weeks $800
4 - 10 Weeks $1,500
11 - 18 Weeks  $2,000
19 - 24 Weeks  $2,500
25 Weeks or More $3,000

IEFS-FAQs

Award tiers (noted above) are established by official program length, which is determined by the number of weeks abroad. Orientation meetings or class days at UTA do not count towards program length, nor does personal travel time before or after the official program dates.
Scholarships are awarded based on the term of enrollment. Students should apply for the IEFS application cycle that corresponds to the term in which they are enrolled for their study abroad course. For example, students enrolled in a spring course with a May travel component should apply during the Winter & Spring Programs cycle. Students enrolled in a summer course with a May travel component should apply during the Summer, Fall & Academic Year Programs cycle.
No. Students applying to study abroad for more than one consecutive terms (Fall/Spring, Fall/Winter, Winter/Spring, Spring/Summer, Summer/Fall) should submit one IEFS application for the earliest term abroad. Examples: A student planning to study abroad for both the Fall and Spring terms would submit one IEFS application for the Fall cycle. A student planning to study abroad for both the Spring and Summer terms would submit one IEFS application for the Spring cycle. Should a student receive an IEFS award, the amount will be split between the two terms.
The IEFS is a competitive scholarship. As such, the number of applicants, which varies from competition to competition, greatly affects a student's chances. It really depends on where you stand in relation to the other applicants.
The Committee tries to have results ready within three weeks of the application deadline. A letter will be sent through the online system to you as soon as the committee has made its decision telling you whether or not you received an award.
YES. Financial aid is determined by comparing your resources to your needs. An IEFS award will count as a resource. Be sure to discuss this with your counselor in the financial aid office if you receive an IEFS award.
Awards are disbursed to your MyMav account no earlier than ten days prior to the start of class at UTA in the term for which you received your award. If you are going abroad before your award is disbursed, you will need to make the proper arrangements to defer any payments until the award is made. Awards for students studying abroad for two consecutive terms will be split between the two terms.