Fundraising For Your Therapy Abroad Program
More than half of all of our participants fundraise some or all of their tuition or fees. Here’s how:
Fundraising is a great way to to make your dream trip a reality and it is easier than you think. Set a goal and spread the word. Tell all of your friends, family members, classmates, and anyone else who will listen what an amazing opportunity you have to take part in a Therapy Abroad program. Let them know that their dollars will go to help support your work with marginalized. Additionally, we will match up to 5% of all your donations and set that aside for special projects like building clinics or providing supplies to communities in need.
Online Fundraising
One of the most helpful tools available to prospective students like yourself is our built-in crowdfunding feature called Contribution Pages. It works a lot like GoFundMe webpage—but with one major advantage: 100% of the contributions go directly toward your program balance with no platform fees. (You can set up a contribution page on our platform in less than 15 minutes.) Basically, once you’re enrolled in one of our programs, you’ll get a unique link to share with friends, family, and others who want to support you. Any contributions made on your behalf are automatically deducted from your balance—so if your next payment is $1,000 and someone contributes $400, you’ll only be billed the remaining $600. Super easy! And if you ever need to withdraw from your program, we can refund your contributors directly—so you don’t need to worry about handling that yourself. This is an easy and meaningful way for the people in your life to contribute to your journey with us, your higher education, and the hands-on experience you’ll gain overseas.
Deposit & Remaining Payment
To officially sign up for one of our programs, all you need to do is pay your initial non-refundable deposit in full. This secures your spot and allows us to begin planning for your travel and program experience. If your plans change, we’re flexible—we can move you to a different date or location later on, as long as there’s space, and your deposit will follow you to the new program.
Once you’re enrolled, any remaining payments will be automatically billed according to the schedule you’ll see at checkout. If you need a payment plan or extended deadlines, just reach out to us—we’re more than happy to help. We work with university students all the time and completely understand that big payments can be challenging. Just know: we’re here to work with you and make this experience manageable and accessible.
Using federal loans
If you’re a college student receiving federal financial aid, you can often use your loans to help pay for your Therapy Abroad program—as long as you’re earning college credit through your university for your participation. This is most common for students studying Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD) who join our programs in Belize, Bulgaria, or Thailand and enroll in the course (note: course fees apply). Currently, course credit is only available for CSD majors. To learn more about earning credit, visit: therapyabroad.org/college-
Federal loans (like Direct, Stafford, or Perkins Loans) can typically be used for a variety of education-related expenses, including approved study abroad programs. If you aren’t using loans or they can’t be applied to your program, we still recommend talking with your school’s financial aid or study abroad office. Some students have received grants or scholarships that covered their full program costs—including flights!
Fundraising Guide & Support
After your confirm your space on a Therapy Abroad program, you will have 24/7 access to our resources and staff to help you meet your fundraising goals. You will gain access to our online fundraising guide, including an endorsement letter, our fundraising guide with dozens of ideas, suggestions, and tips. We will also put you in touch with other students at your university who are alumni of our programs and who are traveling with us at the same time of year and possibly on the same program as you. This way you will have an additional support network to tap into and help you meet your goals.
