FINANCES
FINANCIAL AID : ALLOWANCES : FELLOWSHIPS / SCHOLARSHIPS : BUDGETING EXPENDITURE
FINANCIAL AID
 Because all London Program courses are Notre Dame courses, students continue to receive their regular Notre Dame financial aid packages while in the Program.
Students should contact the Notre Dame Office of Financial Aid directly with any questions regarding individual student accounts.
Students may also want to explore various sources of external funding for their time in London by consulting our Fellowships / Scholarships section below.
ALLOWANCES
The London Program pays an allowance towards living expenses into each student's checking account by direct deposit each month. At one of the preparation meetings prior to departure, students will receive the appropriate forms to facilitate this direct deposit. Students must return these forms to the London Program Office on campus by the stated deadline in order for the deposit to be set up. Because ATM access to US accounts from Europe is currently restricted to checking accounts, we will make the deposit only to a checking account.
FELLOWSHIPS / SCHOLARSHIPS
Various scholarships are available to augment Notre Dame Financial Aid during a student's time abroad. These scholarships depend upon such things as financial status, area of study, and state of residence. Some of the most prominent sources are:
Funding is also available for students who wish to return to London or who want to stay in London to carry out specific research projects. We recommend that students interested in pursuing these options start to think about their research topics and potential advisers before departing for London. Students should begin by exploring funding opportunities in their home departments, but they should also investigate other on-campus funding sources for undergraduate research provided by:
Further information about undergraduate research possibilities may be found on Notre Dame’s website devoted to Research Experiences and Scholarly Opportunities for Undergraduates at Notre Dame. This website provides information on internships, research and travel grants, and other opportunities offered by Notre Dame’s academic departments that are available to undergraduates.
Looking to the future, students on the London Program may wish to apply for prestigious post-baccalaureate scholarships such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Fulbright, Truman and Gates fellowships. Information about these scholarships is disseminated on campus by the Office of Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Fellowships, which organizes regular informational meetings for those interested in applying. We strongly advise students interested in these scholarships to check the Fellowship Office's website regularly during their time in London so that they are fully apprised of the application process.
BUDGETING YOUR EXPENSES
London is an expensive city, so we urge students to budget accordingly. With careful planning and reasonable restraint, it is possible to have a rewarding semester on a limited budget. The Program assists students in a number of ways, providing airfare, tuition, and living accommodation as well as a weekly allowance. We also subsidize class-related theatre and concert tickets. Indeed, the only necessary expenditure for which students are fully responsible is textbooks, and even here the Program operates a loan scheme for books assigned by professors on a regular basis.
During the weeklong breaks, the flats remain open to students, providing free accommodation, and we continue to pay the student allowance during these breaks as well. Using the flats as a base, the frugal student can make any number of day-trips outside London or short trips within the UK at a very reasonable cost.
Many students choose to travel to continental Europe during their breaks, however, and this can mean considerable extra expense. Depending upon how much and how far students travel, expenses can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.
An unpredictable factor in determining travelling expenses is the fluctuating exchange rate of the US dollar to the British pound, and the British pound to the euro. Nevertheless, with careful planning and spending restraint, travel arrangements can be made to accommodate almost any budget.
Students with particular financial concerns should contact staff in the London Program Office on campus for advice on sources of outside funding and methods for minimizing other expenses.
See the Personal Finances section of our FAQ, and the Entertainment, Travel, and FAQ pages for CURRENT STUDENTS for more detail.
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