Yes. When approved for participation by the Committee on Study Abroad, students remain eligible for institutional, federal, and state financial aid, including grants, scholarships, and loans with one exception—work-study.
Because students cannot earn work-study while studying off-campus, the financial aid office will remove your unused work-study from your financial aid award to allow you to borrow more of your unused eligibility for Federal Direct Loans if you wish to borrow. This award change will occur shortly before you begin participation in a SAGE program.
If you are participating in the SAGE program for only one semester you may earn more than one-half of your work-study award while you are on campus.
Yes. We understand that students often need to apply to or commit to participating in SAGE well in advance of receiving a final financial aid award for the upcoming academic year. Since you must apply for need-based aid annually, your award may change based on changes in your family’s financial circumstance. If your family’s financial circumstance has changed or you just want more information about next year’s aid before committing to the SAGE program, we encourage you to contact the Office of Financial Aid.
You can complete your FAFSA and CSS Profile for the 2026-2027 academic year on October 1, 2025. If you complete your application early and submit all of your supporting documentation to the IDOC website, financial aid staff can make a preliminary assessment of your award for the next year. We will do our best to help you understand any potential changes in your award so you can make an informed decision about SAGE. Remember, final costs for the 2026-2027 academic year won’t be determined until March 2026, and actual awards cannot be released until spring 2026 grades are finalized.
SAGE participants continue to pay the same Scripps semester fees for tuition, housing and food as every other semester on campus, regardless of the program chosen.
The SAGE Participation Fee covers the following expenses while participating in a semester away program:
- tuition
- housing and food while classes are in session
- contribution toward round-trip airfare based on travel between Los Angeles and the program site, for the dates of the program
- International Student Identity Card or equivalent
- a basic medical and accident insurance policy while abroad, and
- support for administering SAGE programs at the College.
The Office of Financial Aid will increase your estimated cost of attendance by $500 for each semester you participate in the SAGE program for related expenses (e.g. visa, passport, required inoculations). This is not a charge to your student account, but rather an allowance in the cost of attendance we use to build your financial aid award. Increasing your cost of attendance will allow you to access additional unused Federal Direct Loan eligibility should you wish to do so.
