International Education Fee Scholarship

The International Education Fee Scholarship (IEFS) was established by the 72nd Texas Legislature in 1991, granting higher education institutions the authority to collect a fee dedicated to funding scholarships for international education programs. At UT Arlington, the IEFS was introduced in Spring 1992 through a $1 fee added to each student’s bill. In the University’s 2018–2019 tuition and fee proposal, the IEFS was increased from $1 to $4, an adjustment approved and implemented in Fall 2018. All funds collected through this fee are exclusively used to support students participating in international exchange and study abroad programs.

All UTA students enrolled in an approved credit-bearing study abroad program are eligible to apply for the IEFS. The application process is simple: the IEFS application is built directly into the study abroad program application. Once you begin your program application, you will be given access to the IEFS application. This means you do not need to submit a separate application—just start your study abroad program application, and you’ll be able to apply for the scholarship at the same time.

Winter & Spring Programs: May 1st - November 1st

Summer, Fall & Academic Year Programs: November 1st - April 1st

Scholarships are awarded based on the term of enrollment.

The IEFS scholarship is competitive, and eligibility is determined 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—including Affiliated, Exchange, and Faculty-Led—are eligible. Students participating in non-approved programs are not eligible to receive the IEFS.
  • Recipients are expected to participate in events that support UTA Study Abroad upon return. This may include attendance at the UTA Study Abroad Fair, assisting with classroom presentations, serving as a Study Abroad Ambassador, etc.
  • Students are eligible to receive the IEFS Scholarship for multiple programs. A separate IEFS application will be completed for each program.

Award tiers are based on the official program length, which is determined by the term in which a program is offered and the number of weeks spent abroad. Orientation meetings or class sessions held at UTA do not count towards program length, nor does personal travel before or after the official program dates.

Students studying abroad on multiple programs must submit a separate IEFS application for each program. If you are participating in programs taking place in multiple terms, you will receive the IEFS during the award period for each term. Awards for academic year programs will be divided into two disbursements: half awarded in the fall and the other half in the spring.

Award Tiers

 Short-term Programs (Spring Break, Intersession, less than 4 weeks)   $1,000-$1,500
 Summer Programs (4-11 weeks)   $1,500-$2,500
 Full Semester (12-24 weeks)   $2,000-$3,500
 Academic Year (25 weeks or more)   $3,000-$4,500

IEFS-FAQs

Award tiers (noted above) are established by official program length, which is determined by the term in which the program is offered, as well as the number of weeks spent 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.
The IEFS is a competitive scholarship. As such, the number of applicants, which varies from term to term, 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 advisor 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. If you are participating in programs taking place in consecutive terms, you will receive the IEFS during the award period for each term. Awards for academic year programs will be split between the fall and spring terms.