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Frequently Asked Questions: Financing Study Away

Because the cost of study away will differ from the cost of a semester spent at Macalester and will involve different billing procedures, please consult the “Frequently Asked Questions” below to help you prepare for the financial aspects of your study away experience.

Q: What items should be included when planning a study away budget?

A study away “essentials” budget will include the following items: Tuition, Housing, Meals, Round-trip airfare (St. Paul to/from destination), Books, Visa application costs, Essential living expenses such as local transportation costs, and Student Travel Health Insurance (only if not provided by the sponsoring program).

A study away budget with “extras” might also include: museum/cultural attraction entry fees, funds for recreational or holiday travel, social events, communication expenses (phone cards, postage, etc.), supplemental clothing, and gifts/souvenirs. Your son or daughter should be encouraged to begin putting aside money for these extra expenses as soon as possible, given the fact that it is almost always illegal for them to be earning spending money during their semester of study abroad.

Q: How will the Macalester International Center help us estimate the costs listed above?

Approximately three weeks after each student is approved for study away by the Macalester Study Away Review Committee, a Cost Estimate Sheet will be sent to both the student and his/her parents. The International Center creates a customized Cost Estimate Sheet for each student according to the program he/she will study on. The Cost Estimate Sheet takes into accout the costs or estimated allowances for all of the items in the "essentials" list, but does not include items listed as “extras.” The Cost Estimate sheet is then sent to the Financial Aid Office, where your aid for the semester abroad will be determined based on information you already submitted to the college about your income and expenses (via the FAFSA application).

Click here to download a sample Cost Estimate Sheet.

Q: Why are “extras” not included in the Cost Estimate Sheet?

Cost Estimate Sheets are designed to include items essential to the educational experience, as the College supports approximately 200 students each year in their aspirations to study away for a semester or academic year. In so doing, the College aids the student in covering those items which would be included in the aid package for on-campus semesters: tuition, housing, meals, books, transportation, and essential incidental expenses.

Q: How are amounts on the Cost Estimate Sheet calculated?

Tuition**
Students who study away are charged the same Macalester tuition as students on-campus, except for the rare cases in which the program chosen by the student has a higher tuition charge than Macalester. In this situation, the student will be charged the higher program tuition. *Note: Many study abroad programs advertise a “program price” which appears to be greater than Macalester tuition, but likely includes more than just tuition. In many cases, “program price” often also includes housing, partial or full meals, and sometimes airfare.

Housing and Meals
The estimated combined cost of housing and meals is calculated in different ways depending upon your individual study abroad program, i.e. through a program provider or enrolling directly in an overseas university. See Options A and B as noted below. Please be aware that amounts listed for room and board reflect either the charge assessed by the program provider or a reasonable allowance to cover these expenses when they are paid independently by the student. In general, costs are estimated with the following assumptions: students will choose the least costly housing option; if provided a homestay, most meals will be provided by the host family; if meals are the responsiblity of the student, he/she will choose a student meal plan or will do much of his/her own cooking. Macalester does not provide aid to enable regular dining in restaurants or pubs; nor does it provide supplemental aid to enable living in a single room or a luxury condo.

Option A: If the program sponsor provides housing and food, your cost estimate reflects the rate charged by the program provider plus reasonably estimated expenses for any meals not included in the meal plan.

Option B: If the program does not provide food, such as in a direct-enroll university program in the UK or Australia, the meal expense estimate is based on local in-country cost information supplied by our partner institutions abroad or derived from budget guidebooks such as Lonely Planet.

Airfare
Airfare is estimated using average discounted rates available to students and, out of administrative necessity, is based on flights from Minneapolis/St. Paul to the study away destination and back. It is expected that students will begin searching early on for low-cost student airfare or chose the program sponsor's group flight (which is often less expensive). We recommend the use of studentuniverse.com, STA Travel and similar student discount agencies rather than typical internet travel sites such as Expedia or Orbitz.

Books, Local Transportation and other Educational Incidentals
Cost Estimate Sheets also include an allowance for what are labeled “related expenses” which is intended to be a reasonable allowance toward the cost of books, visa fees, local transportation and expenses such as basic toiletries and laundry. The allowance for “related expenses” for a semester abroad is equal to the allowance granted to students studying on campus for books and “personal” expenses. Since almost all study away programs have a much lower cost for books as compared to Macalester, the savings can be used to cover expenses like visa and local transportation fees, which are not needed for semester spent on campus.

**Please note that students who choose not to use student travel agencies, to add extra stop-overs to their flight plan, to live in a single room while abroad, or to eat primarily in pubs or restaurants will incur additional expenses beyond the scope of Macalester Cost Estimate Sheets and financial aid packages. Students and their families are responsible for covering such non-essential expenses.

Click here to download a sample Cost Estimate Sheet.

Q: How will the cost of a semester abroad compare to the cost of a semester on campus?

The Financial Aid Office will make an award that takes into account all of the essential costs named above, balancing that estimate against your reported family income and resources. The college tries very hard to ensure that your family does not have to pay more than your usual contribution to the cost of a semester spent on campus, assuming that your son or daughter did not choose a very high-cost program or destination. For students studying abroad in Fall semester, a cost sheet will be sent in April; students studying abroad in the Spring will receive a cost sheet in November.

Q: Does Macalester pay directly for non-tuition program expenses (e.g. plane tickets and program deposits)?

Program deposit fees and the airfare costs are paid directly by the student, not by the College. Instead, deposit and plane ticket costs are included in the Cost Estimate Sheet and are considered when determining financial aid for the study abroad semester. Non-tuition fees are not typically covered in full by financial aid except in extremely high-need situations.

Note about housing: if a student's financial aid package does not not cover on-campus housing at Macalester, it is unlikely to cover housing overseas. The student may need to send in a monetary deposit to secure housing as well as begin paying rent on that housing very shortly after arrival.

Q: Do I need to buy supplemental health insurance to cover my son or daughter while abroad?

Many programs or host universities include health and catastropic coverage either as part of the tuition & fees, or as a supplemental option for participants. This information can be found in the back pages of the program's application brochure, on the website, or in the acceptance materials that have been sent to your son or daughter by the program. , Contact the sponsor agency (e.g. SIT, CIEE) directly if you are unsure about what kind of health coverage is offered for your specific program.

If the program or university does not seem to offer a health insurance plan, or if you are uncomfortable with the provisions of said plan, or if the student is participating in a Macalester faculty-led program, we strongly recommend the Macalester Student Health Insurance Plan. This plan was specifically designed to be useful to students whether they are studying on campus or half way around the globe. For information on how to purchase this insurance, or for details of the coverage, please visit Macalester's Health Services website.

Q: How will I be billed for my study away semester?
You will receive an invoice from Macalester for your semester away at about the same time (July for fall study away and December for spring study away) and in the same format as you would a bill for on-campus study. Macalester receives the invoice sent by program provider or foreign university for your semester abroad. The college pays the bill on your behalf and program fees are posted to your Macalester account. Please refer to your individualized Cost Estimate Sheet, which indicates which expenses will be paid by Macalester and charged to your account and which will need to be paid directly by you.

Note: Housing and meal expenses will not be billed to Macalester when a student enrolls directly in a foreign university. The student will need to pay these costs directly to the university (if choosing a cafeteria plan) or landlord (if meals are provided). Please remember that if your aid package does not normally cover a student's dorm costs, it will not cover housing costs when that student studies away.

Q: I received a bill from my sponsoring program. Should I pay for it?

Please check the bill very carefully to determine what costs have been charged. If the bill is for airfare, check with your son or daughter to confirm that s/he is participating in the group flight (as we recommend they do). If so, you should pay the airfare bill directly to the program. If your student will purchase his/her own flight ticket, contact the program directly to resolve the billing error. If the bill is for housing or meals, you may wish to review your Cost Estimate sheet or check with your son or daughter to see if Macalester is expecting to be billed for those items. If the college is paying directly for the expenses, please send the bill by fax to (651) 696-6129. and we will process payment in a timely faction. If your Cost Estimate Sheet indicates that you will pay for housing and or meals, pay the bill directly to the program.

Q: Does financial aid cover field trips?
Many study abroad programs offer an “early start” seminar or optional field trips for an additional cost. While these can be valuable experiences, the cost for these extra excursions will not be paid by Macalester. Any related fees must be paid directly to the program by the student and/or parents. Macalester financial aid cannot be used to cover such expenses unless the excursions are a required curriculum component. If this is the case, your son or daughter will have been notified when the college granted approval to study abroad.

Q: Are there any scholarships that my student can apply for?

Many program providers have scholarships that Macalester students can apply for. We highly encourage all students to apply! Examples of scholarships can be found here.

Q: Who can I contact for more help?

Questions about the Cost Estimate Sheet or about the cost of study abroad:
Paula Paul-Wagner
Assistant Director, International Center
paulwagner@macalester.edu
(651) 696-6300

Questions about financial aid awards for study abroad:
Financial Aid Office
finaid@macalester.edu
(651) 696-6214

Questions about your bill from Macalester for the semester away from campus or about how to access student account refunds:
Student Accounts Office
studentaccts@macalester.edu
(651) 696-6161

Questions about how the Tuition Management System (payment of Macalester costs in installments) can work with study abroad:
Tuition Management Systems
(800) 722-4867