Scholarship FAQs

You’ll apply for a need-based award through the FAST financial aid application, which we recommend that you submit about 6-8 months prior to when your program departs. You’ll need your family’s most recent tax documents for the application.

Yes – AFS-USA uses the expertise of a third-party financial verification firm, ISM FAST, to evaluate families’ financial eligibility. Due to the cost of living in your area, the number of people in your household, or other extenuating circumstances, you may qualify for a need-based award if your family makes more than $65,000 per year. However, the AFS Scholarship Review Committee won’t be able to determine if you qualify until you submit the FAST financial aid application.

We encourage all families facing financial challenges to consider applying for a need-based award. If you have questions about whether or not you’ll qualify, we’re very happy to talk it over with you. Contact the scholarships team at [email protected]

Yes! Many of our merit-based scholarships can be combined with need-based awards. If receiving some funding is important to you, you should apply for any scholarships you’re eligible for.

Merit scholarship results are typically announced one month after the scholarship deadline. Deadlines can be found on each scholarship webpage. Need-based awards are announced on a rolling basis once your FAST financial aid application is complete.

The number of available scholarships fluctuates each year depending on the funding AFS-USA receives from our donors. We strive to financially assist as many students each year as we can. Typically, approximately $4.5 million are awarded annually, and nearly 50% of our students receive some form of funding.