Students planning to study abroad this spring will be eligible for more financial assistance than before.

Because of an “International Program Fee” that passed in the spring, all undergraduate students have been charged 15 cents per credit hour for fall courses.

This fee has already been applied to bursar bills and costs a 15-credit-hour student $2.25 a semester, said Jack Hobson, OU Education Abroad director.

More than $30,000 will be added to the President’s International Travel Fellowship fund this fall.

In the March 31 vote, 46.7 percent of voters approved the addition of the extra fee, according to Daily archives.

“I was very encouraged that so many of our students voted for a study abroad fee,” OU President David Boren said in an e-mail.

A $2 fee was originally proposed by UOSA, according to archives.

The fund, which was created in 1997, provides scholarships for students studying abroad and encourages them to apply for international opportunities.

In addition to increasing the student fees, Boren said the number of scholarship funds available to students increased, as well.

“The University has a strong obligation to prepare our students to live and work in increasingly global environments,” Boren said.

“Study abroad is an important part of the preparation by students today. Learning other languages and having interactions with those from other cultures not only enriches the quality of life, they are tools which are more and more needed to find a job and earn a living.”

The fee did receive some opposition; 46.2 percent of voters did not want to pay the fee. However, many agree the international program fee is for a good cause.

“There are a lot of fees already, so I don’t really know what I am paying all the time,” finance sophomore Abbie Lacy said. “But paying for other students to go abroad sounds great. It’s not something I can do, but I would love someone to go in my place.”

Scholarships are awarded by the Education Abroad office and based on financial need, university participation, application strength and academic records, Hobson said.

Scholarship amounts vary based on where students are traveling, but the office aims to cover at least 70 percent of airfare, he said.

Applications for spring 2011 study abroad scholarships are due Oct. 15, according to the Education Abroad website.