The Fee Review Committee is considering a new addition to student fees of three dollars per semester to go toward a new international scholarship fund. If the committee accepts the proposal, about $180,000 worth of scholarships will be offered each year to students studying internationally.
According to Kelly Kirkwood, assistant director of study abroad, the suggestion of including a general student fee for mobility andglobalization was presented at the UNC system meeting on international programs.
N.C. State is not the first school in the UNC system that considers to create a specific fee for study abroad scholarships.
“One of the UNC system schools, Winston-Salem State, currently has such a fee,” Kirkwood said.
Scholarships for study abroad programs are usually granted for about $500. There are normally about $65,000 in study abroad scholarships and $75,000 in program-specific and departmental scholarships, Kirkwood said.
Zac Thompson, a freshman in First Year College, said a few extra dollars is not that big of a deal in comparison to what a student pays for tuition.
“What is three more dollars?” Thompson said. “That’s not even enough to buy two gallons of gas and a drink. I think that the increase would go to a good cause, especially for those that might miss out on going overseas to study.”
According to Kirkwood, current award amounts sometimes do not even cover the cost of an airplane ticket.
“For a student with a tight budget, a scholarship could make or break their decision to participate in the program,” she said. “If more funding is available, I believe this will encourage students to take advantage of our programs.”
Some students like Holland Killian, a freshman in biological sciences, said they do not see this increase as that big of a strain in comparison to the potential benefit the new scholarship fund could provide.
“In the end, it’s not that much of an increase and it will serve a giant benefit to the campus,” Killian said.
The University has more than 200 study abroad programs. Kirkwood said students may also choose from a selection of accredited non-NCSU programs.
“We are always updating our offerings and developing new relationships with exchange partners abroad,” she said.
