International student at Trinity College Dublin - FAFSA and scholarships for 4-year study abroad?
My daughter will be attending Trinity College Dublin next fall (she took a gap year to work). We're US citizens and just starting to navigate financial aid for international study. Can FAFSA funds be used for the full 4 years at Trinity? Or do we need to look exclusively at private scholarships? Her SAI score is 18500, but I'm not sure how that translates to international study. Has anyone successfully funded a full degree program abroad? Most of the study abroad scholarships I've found are for semester programs, not full degrees. Any advice on where to look or how to approach this?
21 comments
Join the conversation
James Johnson
Congrats on Trinity! My son attended there for his entire undergrad (just graduated last year). FAFSA CAN be used at some foreign universities, but only if they participate in the federal student aid program. Last I checked, Trinity College Dublin DOES participate, so you should be able to complete the FAFSA. However, the aid package might look different than for US schools. You need to check Trinity's specific "FAFSA school code" on the Federal Student Aid website to make sure they're still participating. Then list them on your FAFSA just like any other school. But be prepared - the amount available through federal loans might not cover the full international tuition costs.
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
•Thank you! That's helpful to know Trinity participates. Do you mind sharing what your total aid package looked like compared to the cost of attendance? And did you find any scholarships specifically for US students at Trinity?
0 coins
Sophia Rodriguez
dude jsut know that U have to have the school's federal code to even list it on fafsa. i tried to do a semester at univ in spain and it was a MESS with the financial aid. ended up not being able to use any of my pell grants.
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
•That sounds frustrating! I'll definitely double check the federal code situation. Did you work with Trinity's financial aid office directly or just through your home university?
0 coins
Sophia Rodriguez
•i went thru my home univesity which was part of the problem. If ur daughter is going direct to Trinity for the whole degree its differnt than a study abroad program. just make sure u talk to THEIR financial aid people directly
0 coins
Mia Green
I can help with this! I'm a financial aid advisor who specializes in international education. Here's what you need to know: 1. Trinity College Dublin has a FAFSA school code (G06842), which means US federal loans are available - but NOT grants. Pell Grants and other federal grants typically cannot be used at foreign institutions. 2. You can access Direct Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) and PLUS loans. 3. Your SAI score matters for domestic schools but less so for international ones since they operate differently. 4. For scholarships, look at: - The Ireland-United States Commission (Fulbright Program) - The George J. Mitchell Scholarship - Education in Ireland Scholarships - Trinity College's own international scholarships - Generation Study Abroad Excellence and Travel Grants 5. Some US-based foundations offer international scholarships: try the Gilman Scholarship Program and Fund for Education Abroad. Compare the COA at Trinity with what you might pay domestically after aid. Sometimes the total can be comparable despite higher initial sticker prices.
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
•Wow, thank you for such detailed information! This really helps. I'll look into all these scholarship options. Do you know if Trinity offers any merit-based aid to international students that wouldn't appear on their main scholarship pages?
0 coins
Mia Green
•Yes, Trinity does offer some departmental scholarships that may not be prominently featured on their main pages. Check directly with the specific faculty/department your daughter will be studying with. For example, their School of Business and School of Engineering have specific excellence scholarships. Also, the Global Excellence Scholarship is worth looking into - awards range from €5,000-€10,000 for high-achieving international students.
0 coins
Emma Bianchi
I've been through this exact process with my daughter who's studying at University College Dublin (similar to Trinity). Getting through to someone at StudentAid.gov about international schools was IMPOSSIBLE until I found Claimyr.com. They got me connected to an actual FAFSA representative in under 5 minutes who confirmed exactly which forms we needed for the international school process. Saved me weeks of stress - here's their video if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
•Thanks for the recommendation! I've been trying to call FSA for two days now and keep getting disconnected. I'll check out that service - at this point I just need to talk to someone who can answer my specific questions about Trinity.
0 coins
Lucas Kowalski
•I used this service too when trying to sort out my daughter's FAFSA for her semester in Copenhagen. Totally worth it just to actually talk to a real person after spending hours on hold.
0 coins
Olivia Martinez
Look into state-specific scholarships too!!! My state (Wisconsin) has a surprising number of scholarships specifically for study abroad that most people don't know about. And check if your employer has any education benefits that can be used internationally - my company actually had a dependent scholarship that could be used anywhere in the world as long as the school was accredited. We pieced together about $8500/yr this way for my son's program in Germany.
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
•That's a great idea - I hadn't thought about checking state-specific options. We're in Colorado, so I'll look into that. And I'll definitely check with both our employers about potential benefits. Thanks for the suggestion!
0 coins
Charlie Yang
I hate to be that person, but have you considered the financial implications of an entire degree abroad vs. a US education? The exchange rates, travel costs, and inability to use many US financial aid programs can make it MUCH more expensive over 4 years. My daughter went to Trinity for her first year and we ended up transferring her back to a state school because the costs were astronomical even WITH scholarships. Just something to consider before you commit.
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
•That's honestly a big concern for us too. We're trying to figure out if we can make it work financially for all 4 years or if we should consider a 1-2 year program instead. Do you mind sharing what made the biggest financial difference in your case? Was it living expenses, tuition increases, or something else?
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•The biggest issues were: 1) Tuition increases that we weren't expecting (about 8% in year 2), 2) The euro-dollar exchange rate fluctuated unfavorably, costing us thousands more, 3) Flight costs for holidays/breaks added up FAST, and 4) We could only use loans, not grants, which meant taking on much more debt than a comparable US education would have required. The experience was amazing but the financial reality was harsh.
0 coins
Sophia Rodriguez
has anyone looked at those foreign universities that are completely FREE like in germany???? my cousins friend is getting her whole degree in berlin for almost nothing compared to US prices
0 coins
Lucas Kowalski
•Those are mostly taught in German though. Not many English-language free programs unless you're fluent in the local language. And they're not actually free for non-EU citizens in most cases - just much cheaper than US schools.
0 coins
Mia Green
One important thing no one has mentioned: if your daughter is using federal loans at an international institution, she must be enrolled at least half-time in a degree program that would be eligible for financial aid if it were offered in the United States. Also, make sure Trinity is on the Federal School Code List (which it is). Finally, remember that disbursement timing can be different internationally - sometimes this causes cash flow issues for families. I suggest setting up a meeting with both Trinity's international student finance office AND a FAFSA advisor to make sure all the paperwork is properly aligned.
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
•Thank you for mentioning the disbursement timing - that's something I hadn't considered. I'll definitely set up meetings with both offices. Do you happen to know if the CSS Profile is also required for Trinity or just the FAFSA?
0 coins
Mia Green
•Trinity doesn't require the CSS Profile for US students - just the FAFSA. However, if you're applying for any Trinity-specific scholarships, they may have their own financial forms. Their International Foundation Programme has a separate application process if that's relevant to your daughter.
0 coins