"[The university] has to realize when the cost of education is identical to both institutions. If we give you institutional aid, then we are cutting real money checks,Dean of Students and Study Abroad Coordinator Keith Paylo said in his office.The more we discount education, the more money that is coming out of the university's coffers because of the radical increase
in college tuitions in Europe.Without any aid, students in the Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) would spend around $25,000; non-COPA students would spend about $18,000 to $22,000 on tuition, room and board, plane tickets and living expenses, which include food and travel. Room and board overseas is much higher than that of Point Park's.The tuition gap between Point Park and Regent's College in London, as well as the American University of Rome has shortened recently, therefore lowering the cap on a student's institutional aid that carries over from Point Park to the oversea's college. Tuition of Wells College in Paris is slightly higher than that of Point Park, leaving no room for educational discounts without Point Park sacrificing its own money.Montoy, a junior photojournalism major, thought studying abroad would be beneficial because of her love of travel and the experience she would gain learning about other cultures when she documents them in her future job. Montoy bought guidebooks and planned out her international treks for the spring 2011.
But when she heard at a meeting in spring 2010 that there was no chance her scholarships would transfer over the cap of $1,500, forcing her to take out student loans, she was disappointed.We saw it in the packet, and we were like, ‘wait, what? she said in the Pita Pit Downtown.I asked if we could fight this, but he said,Well, you can try, but it's not going to make a difference.Montoy decided in the end that studying abroad was too much money because she would have to pay what she receives in scholarship money at Point Park out of pocket.I just don't understand why we can't keep our aid. Because if you need it here, you are obviously going to need it over there, Montoy said.I guess the university is losing money by sending students abroad.
Montoy was not the only one who was forced to change her mind about studying abroad due to expenses. Junior dance major Alison Grant was planning and researching at the same time as Montoy when it was acceptable to write a letter to the financial aid department asking to keep her aid.I thought all my scholarships were going to transfer from outside and from Point Park, but, I probably would have had to pay at least $20,000, Grant said in the Lawrence Hall lobby regarding the amount of money she would have to spend abroad. Grant aspired to study dance in Paris.Students are eligible to carry over their federal and state grants, federal loan and alternative loans when studying abroad, but it is specifically the institutional aid provided by Point Park, such as its scholarships and grants, which are capped. Any institutional aid forfeited for the semester abroad will be restored to the student's financial aid package upon his or her return to the university. For Montoy and Grant this meant that studying abroad would not be feasible in their situations since they would have to pay more money than they bargained for of out of pocket.
The maximum amount of a student's institutional aid in programs in arts and Computer sciences, communications and business that can carry over for studying abroad is $1,500. For students in COPA, Point Park allows $4,000 to be carried over for Regent's College and $3,500 for American University in Rome. For COPA and non-COPA students, Wells is excluded from any institutional aid. Students also pay room and board at the specific college they are attending.
