COB Education Abroad Financial Award Program

The College of Business (COB) is committed to global awareness and cross-cultural
                        educational experiences. The cost of such experiences is often a significant obstacle
                        for many students. Thus, COB provides $750 per eligible student who participates in
                        select MSU approved Education Abroad Programs. Both the program and student must satisfy eligibility criteria stated below.

Program Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, a program must require international travel with over 80% of overnight stays during the program being outside the U.S.A. Eligible programs include:
- Short-term faculty-directed (STFD) Education Abroad programs with a COB faculty member serving as program director
- MSU courses offered by COB on the Dalian, China campus. Students in the LNNU-MSU College of International Business programs are not eligible for the award.
- Credit-bearing exchange programs or programs offered by external providers that are pre-approved by COB International Business Programs (IBP) and the Office of Education Abroad.
- Other programs pre-approved by the COB Dean or designee.
Program coursework must:
- Be completed for credit
- Apply to the student’s COB program of study
- Be sufficiently rigorous for MSU to accept via transfer. Transfer credit must be approved prior to departure, but some minor adjustments might be allowed after course registration is completed.

Students must satisfy the following

Academic program within COB:
- Undergraduate students must be a declared MSU COB major. The COB major can be a second major. A minor in COB is not sufficient. Or:
- Graduate students must be admitted to a MSU COB graduate degree program, which may include an accelerated master’s degree program.
Completed Credit Hour* and GPA Requirements:
- Undergraduate business majors must have 60 earned credit hours in advance of the travel portion of the program, and must have at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA and 2.75 GPA in their business major.
- Accelerated master’s students with a COB undergraduate major must have at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA and 2.75 GPA in their business major in advance of the travel portion of the program. Or, they must have completed at least three credit hours in COB graduate coursework and have at least a 3.0 GPA in their completed graduate business coursework in advance of the travel portion of the program.
- Graduate business students must have completed at least three credit hours in their program of study and have at least a 3.0 GPA in their completed graduate business coursework in advance of the travel portion of the program.
- Students must confirm acceptance within 7 days of being notified of the award.

Restrictions

Students may receive only one COB Education Abroad Financial Award
Students employed as Teaching Assistants on the Dalian, China, campus are not eligible to receive the COB Education Abroad Financial Award in association with their T.A.-related appointment or travel.
Eligible students who qualify for multiple MSU Education Abroad College scholarships or awards for the same program will receive the higher amount of the awards, but not both.
Students who do not participate in all program activities (pre, during, and post travel) will forfeit and must refund the COB Education Abroad Financial Award. In that event, the amount of the COB Education Abroad Financial Award will be placed on the student’s account as an outstanding balance that must be repaid to the University.
Students who violate behavioral or other program expectations and requirements will forfeit and must refund the COB Education Abroad Financial Award. In that event, the amount of the COB Education Abroad Financial Award will be placed on the student’s account as an outstanding balance that must be repaid to the University.
Students who do not receive academic credit (e.g., audit, drop, or fail) for their course(s) associated with their Education Abroad program will forfeit and must refund the COB Education Abroad Financial Award. In that event, the amount of the COB Education Abroad Financial Award will be placed on the student’s account as an outstanding balance that must be repaid to the University.
Students with an XF grade are not eligible for the COB Education Abroad Financial Award unless the “X” has been removed prior to the travel portion of the program.

Payment of required fees

Students are responsible for paying the entire program fee by the posted deadline, and must only reduce the payment by the amount of the COB Education Abroad Financial Award if the award has posted to the student’s MyMissouriState account prior to the fee payment deadline. The award may post after the deadline as a credit to the student’s account.

* Credit hours and GPA requirements are based on earned hours completed prior to the travel portion of the program, and will be evaluated at a specified point in time based on the published program departure day. Specifically:

If travel begins December through May, students will be evaluated on their earned credit hours completed and GPA at the end of the previous summer semester. If ineligible at that time, they may request a re-evaluation after fall grades are posted (and/or after spring grades are posted for May programs that depart after the spring final examination period ends*).

If travel begins June through July, students will be evaluated on their earned credit hours completed and GPA at the end of the previous fall semester.If ineligible at that time, they may request a re-evaluation after spring grades are posted (and/or after summer grades are posted for July programs that depart after the summer final examination period ends*).

If travel begins August through November, students will be evaluated on their earned credit hours completed and GPA at the end of the previous fall semester. If ineligible at that time, a student may request a re-evaluation after spring and/or summer grades are posted.

Grades and credit hours for intersession, block classes, short courses, etc., even if completed prior to the end of a semester, will only be considered as of the end of that semester.

*The grade for the associated education abroad course will not be considered since it will be incomplete at the time of re-evaluation.

Policy effective January 1, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

See Program Eligibility Criteria above.
Consideration is automatic for COB majors.
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria before the semester of credit (e.g., Summer before a Fall program), but you believe that you will meet the qualifications after the conclusion of that semester just before departure, you may request another review.
Typically within a few weeks after the program application deadline.
You can subtract the award or pay in full and receive it as a refund.
No, students may receive only one COB Education Abroad Financial Award.
Recipients of the Boad of Governors, Provost, Deans, and Engaged Citizen Award scholarships receive one $1,000 education abroad voucher. If eligible, COB students may apply both the $1,000 education abroad voucher and the $750 COB award to their education abroad program.