Breakdown of expenses

Tuition:  All Lafayette students who study abroad must pay Lafayette College’s Comprehensive Fee (tuition), plus the program’s fee for room and board (see below).  Students will be billed for these charges by Lafayette College, and Lafayette will then pay the study abroad program – students may not pay the program directly, except for the application fee and the required deposit.  A few of our approved programs have tuitions higher than Lafayette, and students are responsible for making up the difference in cost in those cases.

Any financial aid that a student receives for studying at Lafayette will automatically be applied to the study abroad program; financial aid is capped at Lafayette’s cost. For questions regarding financial aid please contact Jamie Baltz at 610-330-5056 or baltzj@lafayette.edu. Note that many of our affiliated programs also offer their own scholarships and aid packages; please consult each program’s web site or brochure for more information.

Under normal conditions, international students may apply their financial aid to a study abroad experience for one semester. Exceptions will only be made in cases in which a student’s Lafayette curriculum requires additional study abroad.

On Lafayette faculty-led programs (currently the engineering programs at Jacobs University in Bremen and St. Louis University in Madrid), students pay Lafayette College tuition and room and full board charges (20 meals/week) just as if they were on campus.  Airfare, excursions, and ground transportation are included in the program cost.

On affiliated programs, students pay Lafayette tuition, host program room and board charges, and their own airfare. Board plans vary from program to program, ranging from full board (20 meals per week) through partial board (7-14 meals per week) to “self-catered,” which means students must either cook or purchase all of their own meals.

All students will be billed for their regular Lafayette College tuition, and Lafayette will then pay the program’s tuition out of those funds.

Room and Board fees vary greatly among programs, depending on the location of the program, the strength of the dollar with regard to the local currency, the type of lodging, the number of meals provided, etc. The most accurate information regarding room and board options and costs are available on each program’s individual web site; estimated costs are also available from Mrs. Maureen Banas in the Office of the Dean of the College (610-330-5918, or banasm@lafayette.edu). Many programs ask Lafayette to bill students on their behalf for room and board rather than having students pay the program directly; in these cases the program’s room and board fee will show up on your bill from Lafayette.

Airfare: Students who participate on Lafayette College faculty-led programs will have their airfare paid for by the college; students participating on affiliated programs will generally have to pay for their own airfare.

Medical Insurance: Some programs include medical insurance in their fee; for those that do not, Lafayette College purchases medical insurance for our students on those programs. Please see the “Medical Insurance” information page on this site.

Deposit: Students should pay the required deposit directly to the program; this charge will subsequently be deducted from your Lafayette College semester bill. Note that deposits are nonrefundable – should a student withdraw from a program for any reason, the deposit will be lost.

Miscellaneous expenses may include passport and visa application fees, textbooks, immunizations, special course fees (see below), personal expenses and optional travel. These expenses are the responsibility of the student.

Course fees: Please be advised that some programs, including Saint Louis Madrid and Syracuse University, charge additional fees for course materials, orientation programs, and/or course-related travel. These fees are not included in the tuition, even if the course is required, and students are responsible for paying them.

Syracuse programs in particular feature courses – some of which are required – that can have fees as high as $1,200 (this is for a marine biology class that involves a week-long scuba trip). These fees are in addition to the program’s tuition, and must be paid by the student. Please be sure to read carefully the “Course Fee Sheet” for any Syracuse program to which you may apply; if you have any doubts, please contact SU directly to determine what fees you will incur.