Semester and year-long off-campus study will generally cost more than the Gustavus comprehensive fee (tuition plus room and board), but how much more depends on the program type and its location. The College contributes a portion of a student's tuition toward the cost of the program (currently 60%). Students pay their Gustavus tuition during the term they are off-campus, plus a program fee, which is determined in the following way:
Generally, all Gustavus financial aid applies to semester and year-long programs with the exception of student work-study and certain scholarships that require on-campus participation. Additional Gustavus aid (i.e. scholarships and institutional grants/aid) is not available; additional aid in the form of loan funding may be available. Students interested in additional loan options should first review Section IX of the Financial Aid Policy Handbook. Please contact the Gustavus Financial Assistance Office for more information or with any questions about financial aid.
All Gustavus study abroad students will receive a Cost Estimate for Study Abroad which will provide them with an ESTIMATE for their tuition, program fee, airfare and personal spending money for their term abroad. Financial aid awards are not included as the CICE does not have access to this information.
A non-refundable $60 Gustavus application fee is due at the time of application. A non-refundable program commitment deposit is also required to confirm a student's spot in a program. This deposit is applied to the program costs.
Both a student's tuition amount and the program fee (as determined above) will be listed on the student's regular Gustavus bill. Gustavus bills will be sent by the Student Accounts Office and are due to Gustavus at the regular payment deadlines. The CICE will receive all program provider bills and will pay all normal program costs direct to the program provider. Note that for some programs (IFSA is one example), Gustavus must bill the student and pay the program provider before all final bills are in or known. We may need to bill a student for a certain type of housing before it is known what kind of housing they will receive. These situations require a supplemental housing bill or other supplemental bills which will be sent direct to the student and must be paid by the student direct to the program provider.
The portion of tuition that stays on campus (i.e. that is not applied directly to the program provider costs) supports the Gustavus study abroad student in a variety of ways. The student maintains their Gustavus student status and seniority in terms of housing, is registered as a Gustavus study abroad student with automatic credit review and transfer upon the end of the term, receives the services of the Center for International and Cultural Education (including student advising, pre-departure and re-entry programming, embassy registration, trouble-shooting and emergency crisis management, program provider bill payments and management, etc.), the Gustavus Registrar's Office, Student Accounts Office, Financial Assistance Office, Housing Office, etc.
Participating in an Exchange Program can be an economical way for students to study off-campus. Gustavus offers six exchange programs which operate on a different financial model than outlined above.
For January interim off-campus study, students are billed a program fee for all direct program costs. There is no additional Gustavus tuition charge; students pay their regular tuition for the year. Program fees generally range from $2500 to $7500 depending on the location and duration of the program.
Usually program fees cover the following:
Program cost estimates are available for student review in March of the year prior to the January Interim. In addition to program costs, students will need to budget for personal expenditures, which may include the cost of a passport, immunizations, spending money, extra meals, etc.
A non-refundable $60 application fee and $300 deposit fee are required to hold a student's spot on a program. The $300 deposit fee will be applied to the program costs. Students are billed $1,000 in July and the balance of January Interim fees are due in October. Billings are sent from the Center for International and Cultural Education in July, and from the Student Accounts office in October.
One of the reasons for these deposits and first payment is that we are increasingly under pressure from the airline industry to pay the costs of the airline ticket for a group flight at an earlier time in the process. In order to negotiate for the best (lowest) prices for these programs, we often must commit a downpayment on each airline ticket as early at May 1.
Consequently, if a student decides not to participate in the January program to which he or she was accepted, the deposit ($300) and application fee ($60) will not be refunded. After the July 31 payment, the student is responsible for all unrecoverable expenses. Students or their families may wish to purchase travel cancellation insurance. Our office works very hard to recover expenses that have already been paid on behalf of the student, but we cannot guarantee our providers will reimburse us. We do not endorse any particular travel insurance coverage, but quote comparisons can be found at insuremytrip.com.
All fees listed are the most accurate estimates possible. However, since these fees are based on the best information available at the time our course lists are published, these costs are subject to change due to a variety of factors including currency exchange rates, fuel surcharges and added airline taxes. If the costs deviate more or less than 3%, no change will be made to the published costs. However, if the fee changes more or less than 3% of the published fees, the student will be informed of this change in the fall and the new price will reflect the decreased or increased amount over or under the 3% figure. Students will not have an option to cancel their participation in the course due to the adjustment in cost.
Generally, Gustavus financial aid does NOT apply to January Interim programs. Students interested in additional loan options should first review Section IX of the Financial Aid Policy Handbook. If a student has already borrowed the maximum Federal Direct Stafford Loan ($3,500 for a sophomore and $5,500 for a junior or senior) then no additional loan funding from Stafford is available. For further information or questions, students should contact the Gustavus Financial Assistance Office.
