Calculate Your ISA | International Study Award
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Calculate Your ISA

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To request the ISA:

Students must apply for credit through the Study Abroad Office before they can request the ISA. Study Abroad deadlines are earlier than the ISA deadline!

Calculate your Anticipated ISA Funding

TOC:

Please contact yss.funding@yale.edu for individual guidance on how to best use your funding sources. See below for general guidance and in order to be informed for your advising appointment.

How to Calculate your ISA

Note: The ISA is disbursed in two lump sums. Travel Expenses are disbursed as a flat stipend directly to students via Zelle. Program Expenses are disbursed in proportion to student financial aid eligibility percentage directly into the student's Yale account.

Point: Travel Expenses + (Program Expenses   x   Your % eligibility)   =   Your ISA (up to the capped amount)

Travel Expenses: Expenses related to travel and other costs not specific to a study abroad program. Categories include airfare, health, and visa/miscellaneous. Travel expenses are disbursed as a flat award by region of travel via Zelle directly to students.

Program Expenses: Expenses specific to a study abroad program. Categories include tuition, room and board, books, and local transportation. Program expenses are disbursed as a percentage equal to the percentage of financial aid a student receives through Yale. The funds are disbursed as a lump sum into a student's Yale account and must be withdrawn to a personal bank account.

To calculate your ISA:

  1. Find your aid percent eligibility in Yale Hub:
    • Log in
    • Go to the Financial Aid Menu
    • Click on the International Study Award Calculator at the bottom of the page
  2. Find your program budget. Travel Expenses are disbursed separately as a flat stipend by region of travel. Program Expenses are disbursed in relation to financial aid percentage.
  3. Mulitply your aid percentage (as a decimal) by your program budget's Program Expenses. If you receive a fellowship or salary to help fund your experience, your ISA amount may be reduced so that your total funding does not exceed the program budget. Please see examples below if your experience will be supported by other funding sources or if your program budget exceeds the ISA cap.

Please note that if you are a First-Year, you must wait until November 1st to be able to use the ISA calculator in YaleHub.

FAQ: How are living and travel expenses calculated?

Some ISA categories are estimated based on regional rates, if not billed by the study abroad program directly. Refer to the data below for a breakdown of regional costs.

Africa
Airfare: $1,700 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $90/wk | Local Transport: $10/wk

East Asia
Airfare: $2,000 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $115/wk | Local Transport: $25/wk

Eastern Europe
Airfare: $1,500 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $105/wk | Local Transport: $10/wk

Latin America and Caribbean
Airfare: $1,100 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $110/wk | Local Transport: $10/wk

Middle East
Airfare: $1,500 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $135/wk | Local Transport: $10/wk

North America
Airfare: $900 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $130/wk | Local Transport: $20/wk

Australia and Oceania
Airfare: $2,000 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $110/wk | Local Transport: $25/wk

Central, Southeast, and South Asia
Airfare: $1,700 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $110/wk | Local Transport: $10/wk

Western Europe
Airfare: $1,400 | Health, Visa, Misc: $200 | Books*: $50 | Meals*: $120/wk | Local Transport: $20/wk

*Books and Meals are sometimes included in tuition or listed as specific costs. In those cases, the category amount will be adjusted to match the actual cost required by the program.

Please note that these expenses are calculated as regional flat stipends. They may not match the exact cost associated with a student's individual flight or other expenses.

FAQ: What are the regional Travel Expenses stipends?

Regional ISA Travel Expenses stipends include Airfare, Visa/Misc, and Health expenses. These stipends are as follows for Summer 2025:

Africa: $1,900

Australia and Oceania: $2,200

Central, Southeast, and South Asia: $1,900

East Asia: $2,200

Eastern Europe: $1,700

Latin America and Caribbean: $1,300

Middle East: $1,700

North America: $1,100

Western Europe: $1,600

Funding Scenarios

Keep in Mind:

  • A student’s total ISA scholarships, YSS COVID-19 Courses*, and outside aid cannot exceed the total program budget (just like financial aid for the academic year).
  • You can only receive the ISA once.
ISA Funding Scenarios
Travel Expenses Program Expenses % Aid Fellowships Total Program Budget ISA After Adjustments (if any) Funding Gap Notes
$2,000 $10,000 70 $0 $12,000 $9,000 $3,000 Travel Expenses are a flat stipend. Program expenses are awarded based on Financial Aid %
$2,000 $10,000 70 $5,000 $12,000 $5,000 $0 Travel Expenses are a flat stipend. Program Expenses were $7,000, reduced to $5,000 after fellowship to not exceed program cost.
$2,000 $16,500 100 $0 $18,500 $18,000 $500 2025 ISA cap is $18,000.
$2,000 $17,400 100 $1,000 $19,400 $18,000 $400 ISA was not reduced because the student does not exceed the program cost after receiving the fellowship.

*If you have questions about COVID-19 course credits, please contact Yale Undergraduate Financial Aid at yss.funding@yale.edu.

If you have questions about how a fellowship you are receiving will impact your ISA amount, please contact yss.funding@yale.edu with your intended program, aid percentage, and award amount.

Combining Fellowships or Scholarships with the ISA

If a student is named the recipient of a fellowship or scholarship after they have submitted their request for ISA funding, it is the obligation of the student to inform the ISA Committee of this additional funding via email, even if the student does not believe that the amount of funding received will impact their final ISA amount.

If a student is receiving summer funding for an experience separate from their ISA-funded experience, it is in the student's best interest to inform the ISA Committee via email in order to prevent delays in the disbursal of ISA funds to the student.

If you have questions about how a fellowship you are receiving will impact your ISA amount, please contact yss.funding@yale.edu with your intended program, aid percentage, and award amount.

Note: It is the obligation of the student to inform the ISA Committee of this additional funding via email, even if the student does not believe that the amount of funding received will impact their final ISA amount.