Can You Use Student Loans to Study Abroad?

Studying abroad offers the chance to experience a different culture while earning credits toward a degree. But airfare, housing, and other international expenses can make a semester overseas more expensive than staying on your home campus.

Fortunately, you may be able to use student loans for study abroad, including federal student loans, if your program meets eligibility requirements. Your options depend on your school, program, enrollment status, and financial aid package.

Can you use student loans to study abroad?

Yes. You can use federal student aid for a study abroad program that your home school approves for academic credit. Your school determines your cost of attendance and the financial aid available for the program.

Your cost of attendance typically includes reasonable expenses associated with an approved study abroad program, including additional costs associated with living and studying overseas.

Private student loans may also be an option, depending on the lender and program.

Read more >> Student Loans Explained: What You Need to Know

Federal student loans for study abroad

If your study abroad program qualifies for federal student aid through your home school, you may be eligible for the same types of federal loans you’d use while studying at home.

Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans

Undergraduate and graduate students may qualify for Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Undergraduate students may qualify for Direct Subsidized Loans based on financial need, and the government generally covers the interest while you're enrolled at least half-time. Interest on unsubsidized loans begins accruing when the loan is disbursed.

You generally need to remain enrolled at least half-time to receive these loans. Your school determines how much you're eligible to borrow based on factors including your cost of attendance and other financial aid.

Federal loan limits still apply when you're studying abroad, so a higher-cost overseas program doesn't automatically mean you can borrow enough in Direct Loans to pay the entire bill.

Parent PLUS Loans

Parents of dependent undergraduate students may be able to use Parent PLUS Loans to help cover study abroad expenses.

But for limited exceptions, Parent PLUS borrowing is capped at $20,000 per academic year and $65,000 per student over the course of the student's undergraduate education as of July 1, 2026. Borrowing limits may change for the 2027 academic year, so contact your school’s financial aid office for current information on how much you can borrow.

Graduate PLUS Loans are no longer available to most new graduate and professional borrowers as of July 1, 2026. Some previously enrolled borrowers who meet the requirements for a limited exception can continue using them.

Read more >> How Much Can You Borrow in Student Loans?

Private student loans

Private student loans could help cover a funding gap if federal aid, scholarships, and savings aren't enough. Borrowers can find these loans at banks, credit unions, and other private lenders, and each lender sets its own eligibility requirements.

Unlike most federal student loans, private loans generally rely on your credit when determining eligibility and interest rates. You may need a cosigner if you don't have sufficient credit history or income. The CFPB warns that private loans generally don't offer the same borrower protections and flexible repayment options as federal loans.

A private lender might require your school to certify your need for additional funds before issuing the loan.

Read more >> How to Get Help With Student Loans

How to use student loans for study abroad

Using financial aid abroad usually requires planning before you book your flight or put down a program deposit.

Enroll through an eligible program

Confirm your study abroad program is approved by your home college or university and that you'll receive academic credit. Federal aid rules specifically allow reasonable study abroad costs to be included in your cost of attendance when the home school approves the program for credit. Talk to your college or university’s study abroad office and financial aid office before committing.

Complete the FAFSA

Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the applicable academic year. The FAFSA is used to determine eligibility for federal grants, work-study and federal student loans, as well as some state and institutional aid.

Pay attention to federal, state and school deadlines. School priority deadlines can arrive before the federal deadline.

Your school's deadline is the one that matters. The federal FAFSA deadline is late — June 30 after the school year ends — but most schools set their own priority deadlines months earlier. Miss the priority date and you can still get federal loans, but grants and scholarships may already be spoken for. Check the financial aid page for every school on your list and work from the earliest date.

Confirm your school's financial aid policies

Ask your financial aid office how your aid package will work overseas. Find out which grants, scholarships and loans can transfer to your study abroad program and when the money will be disbursed. You might have to pay for airfare, a passport, visa fees or a housing deposit before your financial aid arrives.

Budget for additional costs

Build a realistic budget for the entire trip rather than focusing only on tuition.

Consider expenses such as:

• Round-trip airfare and local transportation
• Housing and food
• Passport and visa expenses
• Books and course materials
• International health or travel insurance
• Local phone or data service
• Exchange-rate fluctuations
• Personal and emergency expenses

Your school's cost of attendance may include reasonable study abroad costs, including some passport or visa expenses.

Read more >> How to Calculate Loan Interest and Pay Less Overall

What student loans can cover when studying abroad

For an approved study abroad program, your school establishes a cost of attendance reflecting reasonable costs associated with the program. Federal cost-of-attendance rules might account for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food, transportation, and eligible personal expenses, including how study abroad costs may be part of the equation.

If studying abroad significantly increases your educational expenses, talk to your financial aid office. A higher approved cost of attendance may make you eligible for additional aid, although federal loan limits still apply.

Run the numbers >> See what compounding adds to a balance you're carrying with Kikoff's compound interest calculator.

What to watch out for

Being eligible to use student loans abroad doesn't mean borrowing enough to cover every possible expense is a good idea.

Federal loan limits apply to your study abroad program costs, so you may need to combine loans with scholarships, grants, savings, private loans, or other resources.

Consider interest costs if you borrow. Direct Unsubsidized Loans accrue interest while you're in school. Private student loan rates and repayment terms vary by lender, and private loans don't generally provide the protections available with federal debt.

Finally, consider currency fluctuations and upfront costs. Financial aid disbursement schedules might not line up with airfare purchases, visa appointments or housing deposits. Keeping some cash available before departure can help you avoid relying on higher-cost debt, such as credit cards or short-term loans, for these expenses.

Conclusion

Federal student loans can help pay for an approved study abroad program, and private loans may cover remaining gaps.

Before you commit, talk to both your study abroad office and financial aid office. Confirm which aid travels with you, add up the full cost of the program, and borrow only what you actually need.

That second part is where your credit matters. Private student loans are based on credit, which means many undergraduates need a cosigner or good credit score of 670 or higher to get a low rate.

Kikoff’s Credit Account can help you start building a positive credit history, reporting on-time payments to the credit bureaus with no hard credit check required.