Billing and finances
For complete information on financial questions relating to study abroad, please see The Cost of Studying Abroad.
To avoid confusion regarding billing issues here are some items of general information:
- The application fee, program deposit, passport and visa costs are to be paid by the student and are non-refundable. The deposit will subsequently be deducted from the student's Lafayette College semester bill.
- Lafayette charges its own tuition for any host program, regardless of the cost of that program (except in cases where the host program tuition is higher than that of LC, in which case the student makes up the difference). This policy is in place to help support Lafayette’s Office of International and Off-Campus Education, which together with the Office of the Registrar offers support services including advising, application assistance, pre-departure orientation, continued access to Lafayette Faculty, and other services while students are abroad. This policy also allows students to apply any financial aid they receive from the college and other sources to study abroad programs.
- Students will be billed by Lafayette College for tuition and program fees, NOT by the host program.
- All financial aid and loans allotted to the student can be applied to the cost of study abroad. Students who wish to study abroad are also welcome to set up an appointment with Jaime Baltz in the Office of Financial Aid (at 610-330-5056 or baltzj@lafayette.edu) to discuss any questions. Many host programs offer scholarships to their applicants as well; please see the specific program site for details.
- The deposit for the host program is to be sent directly to the program and not to Lafayette College. This deposit will subsequently be subtracted from the Lafayette semester bill. Please note that a student who has applied to study abroad, but who is later denied that opportunity due to disciplinary action or a GPA below the required 2.80 will lose this deposit.
- Charges for room, board and travel will vary based on the program and the contract with the sponsoring institution (see examples below). These charges will be added to Lafayette’s tuition.
- For more specific information on the program costs, please contact Maureen Banas at banasm@lafayette.edu or at 610-330-5918.
Explanation of expenses:
Tuition, room, board and travel:
Faculty-led Programs (such as IUB Bremen, KNUST Ghana, and St. Lawrence Madrid)
Tuition, room and board (on the basis of 20 meals/week) are the same as if the student were to attend Lafayette College. Airfare, excursions, and ground transportation are included in the price.
Affiliated Programs Type A (such as Syracuse University, IES, Temple University, Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, Sweet Briar in Paris, College Year in Athens, Macalester College in Berlin/Vienna, Heidelberg College in Heidelberg, and School for International Training)
Lafayette tuition & host program room and partial board (7 breakfasts, 5-6 dinners) are charged, but students are responsible for their own airfare.
Affiliated Programs Type B (such as Butler IFSA, Boston University, Alliance for Global Education, Bard Global)
Lafayette tuition & host program room are charged, but meal arrangements are made on site and students are responsible for their own travel.
Affiliated Programs Type C (such as St. Louis Madrid, American University Washington Semester, Waseda University Tokyo, Lingnan University Hong Kong)
Lafayette tuition is charged, but students pay the host program directly for living accommodations and meal plans. Students are responsible for their own airfare.
Course fees
Please be advised that St. Louis Madrid and Syracuse University programs charge additional course fees for course materials, orientation programs, and/or course-related travel. These costs can vary between $35 and $600.
Other incidentals
Most students want to travel while abroad, so it is advisable to budget money for this, as well as for books and additional meals not covered by the program. See The Cost of Studying Abroad.
Visas
The need for a student visa varies according to the student’s nationality, and according to the host country. To be sure whether you need a visa or not, contact the host program administrator who should be able to provide you with the necessary information. Do not wait until the last minute to apply for your visa, as the process may take some time.
Medical Insurance
Students who study abroad MUST be covered by medical insurance. Make sure that your medical insurance is valid where you will be living and traveling. If you are in an HMO, be sure you know the procedures to be used should you need medical care. If enrolled in Lafayette College Student Health Program, medical expenses incurred outside the United States may be reimbursable under your Security Mutual Plan. Please follow these instructions:
Pay the provider of services in full.
( a ) Obtain completely itemized bills for services, including the diagnostic and admission date for which treatment was necessary.
( b ) Bills written in foreign languages should include the English translations, date bill was paid, and country where services were rendered.
( c ) Write on the bills the monetary rate of exchange for the date charges were incurred, your social security number and indicate that you are a Lafayette student.
( d ) Send these items to Consolidated Health Plans (1-800-633-7867).
( e ) Covered medical expenses will be reimbursed at the outside PPO (75%) level.
If you need to confirm eligibility, view benefits, and check claims status, you can log on to www.universityhealthplans.com worldwide. E-mail is also available through the web site. In order to check claims status, you need to know your password; if you do not know your password, contact Consolidated Health Plans (1-800-633-7867 or www.universityhealthplans.com).
Conduct and Behavior
Lafayette students represent the College and are subject to all rules and regulations of their host institution while participating in an abroad program, and are also subject to the laws of the host country. All participants at all times must comply with Lafayette’s rules, standards and instructions for student behavior defined in the College’s Code of Conduct.
Lafayette reserves the right to enforce culturally appropriate standards of conduct in another country and specifically reserves the right to terminate the participation of any student for failure to maintain these standards or for any actions of conduct which Lafayette considers to be incompatible with the interest, harmony, comfort or welfare of other participants. In particular, either possession/consumption of controlled substances (by U. S. definition, or that of any other country visited) or alcohol impairment/abuse may result in immediate termination from the program. Participants are expected to act responsibly at all times.
Safety and Security
In these times of international tension, the safety and security of our students is our top priority in any abroad program where we are sending our students. We are confident that our affiliated host institutions share our concern to the fullest extent possible. Most, if not all, have Crisis Management procedures in place for safety and security in times of international crises. We, at Lafayette and all of our host programs, regularly monitor the State Department Web Site for travel advisories. Students are urged to follow the Web Site closely. Under most procedures, students in foreign countries are urged to follow local security instructions, not to frequent tourist hangouts, avoid crowds, make copy of passport, and be sure to establish an expeditious means of communication with parents, possibly by e-mail, and at all times notify local overseas offices with travel itineraries.
Eligibility to study abroad
In order for a student to study abroad, Lafayette College requires that he or she
* has a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.80 at both the time of application and the time of departure
* is not on Disciplinary Probation Level I or Level II at either the time of application or the time of departure
Should a student meet these requirements at the time of appliation but not meet them at the time of departure, permission to study abroad will be withdrawn and the student will be responsible for any financial losses (such as deposits and fees) paid to date. Note that many programs have more stringent minimum requirements (e.g. a 3.00 GPA)
