Program Costs

The cost of an education abroad program depends on many factors. Consider:

Location: Program fees and cost of living can vary greatly from location to location. Developed countries (e.g. Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand) and larger cities (e.g. London, Tokyo, Sydney) tend to have the highest program fees and cost of living, so you can save money by narrowing your search to smaller cities (e.g. Dalkeith, Scotland instead of London, England) or countries with a lower cost of living (e.g. Fiji instead of Australia). Also take note of differences in international airfare to different locations - airfare to Costa Rica will generally cost less than to Spain.
Duration: Longer programs may have a higher price tag than shorter programs. However, the longer the program, the less it costs per day (and per credit!), because you spread fixed costs (e.g. airfare) over a longer period of time. Additionally, in general, more financial aid and scholarship funding is available for semester and year programs than short-term programs.
Living options: Some housing options tend to be more affordable than others. For example, on programs offering housing in residence halls, a single room may cost more than a double room. On programs offering a homestay option, meals and laundry may be included at no extra cost.
Co-curricular activities: Getting involved with activities in your host community is more affordable than traveling in your free time. It has the added benefit of improving your knowledge of the host culture and strengthening your relationships with locals. Look for programs offering opportunities such as volunteer opportunities, language exchanges, buddy programs, or on-campus student organizations.

How to Find Program Costs

Find specific cost information for each program by locating your program of interest in our program search. Program fees are listed on this page for all programs except programs administered by a study abroad provider or another UW campus. For program fee information on study abroad provider and UW System programs, locate your program of interest in our program search, and then follow the link to program webpage on the study abroad provider or other UW campus's website. Please note that the following fees will also be billed to the student's UW-Whitewater account by the Office of Global Experiences:

$225 Application/Administration Fee
$50 Contingency Fee (Mandated by UW System)
CISI Insurance policy for the UW System (unless this is billed to the student by another UW campus): $35/month

Billable Costs

Your program costs fall into two categories: those billed by UW-Whitewater to your student account through WINS ("billable costs") and those paid by you directly to entities other than UW-Whitewater ("non-billable costs").

The overall billable costs will vary according to your education abroad program. The list below shows the charges that could be included in this fee. For program-specific details, please refer to your program budget.

Application/Administration Fee:* $225 (always included)
Contingency Fee:** $50 (always included)
CISI Insurance policy for UW System: $35/month (always included, unless this is billed to the student by another UW campus)
Tuition/Instructional Costs (sometimes included OR may be billed to you directly by your host university or program provider)
Program-Specific Fees (sometimes included OR may be billed directly to you by your program provider or host university)
Housing (sometimes included OR may be billed to you directly by your host university or program or accommodation provider)
Meals (sometimes included OR may be billed to you directly by your program or accommodation provider OR may be paid individually "as you go")

Fees that are NOT included in "UW-Whitewater billable costs" are considered "non-billable" costs and will be addressed in the next section.

*What is the Application/Administration Fee?

This fee covers the costs of education abroad advising, processing of applications, pre-departure guidance, orientation and workshops, program and advising materials, continued support while students are abroad, re-entry programming, and study abroad academic credit and grade articulation processing.

**What is the Contingency Fee? Proceeds from this fee go into a Contingency Fund, as mandated by UW System policy, which is used to cover costs associated with emergencies and other unforeseen problems.

Non-Billable Costs

Non-billable costs are fees that are not billed through UW-Whitewater. Instead, you will need to make payment directly to the organization that billed you. Your program may involve some or all of the following non-billable costs, depending on the billing arrangements of your program:

Costs billed directly to you by your program provider or host university (e.g. application fee, tuition/program fee)
Accommodation
Meals
Books and supplies
Round-trip flight
Local transportation
Passport, visa application, and supporting documents, e.g., photos
Immunizations
Additional required health insurance (e.g. as required by the Australian, French, and German governments)
Additional personal expenses

Please note that you may need to pay for many of these charges well in advance of your program start date, while others may be due upon arrival. In many of these instances, the payment deadline may fall before financial aid and scholarships are dispersed. In other words, if you are relying on financial aid or scholarships to pay for these items, you will need to use other sources of funds until your financial aid or scholarships are disbursed to you. Keep this in mind as you budget and save for your study abroad experience. Consider options such as saving up for these expenses, borrowing money from parents or other family members, or taking out a loan.