While we want to make studying abroad/away as affordable as possible for our students and to be accommodating as possible, a few rules are essential. It's important students are aware of these policies. When a trip application is submitted, be aware of the guiding policy, so that misunderstandings can be avoided.
Your financial aid package can often be applied toward study abroad costs, including HOPE, Pell, federal loans, etc. Visit the Financial Aid webpage for some tips or contact your Financial Aid Counselor. It is recommended that you check with Financial Aid and your Academic Advisor before applying to a study abroad program.
We recommend you use our budget template when deciding which program to participate in. Fundraising is another option to assist with costs. There are many resources on how to get started and success tips.
Study Abroad Office
Summerville Campus
AH E134
Effective November 1, 2021, $100 of the Study Abroad Office deposit fee of $200, and
any other payments made towards a Study Abroad program, are refundable if a student
withdraws from a program before the deposit deadline, which varies based on individual program. Applying to a study abroad/away program is a commitment so please ensure you’ve
spoken to your academic advisor, financial aid, and family prior to signing up.
Final payments need to be made a minimum of 90 days before travel, and as far ahead of travel as 120 days, depending upon the program. The payment deadlines are listed on the individual program pages for you to reference.
After the deadline to apply, students who withdraw from a program before their program's final payment due date will be refunded all payments made towards their program except the Study Abroad Office deposit fee of $200.
When a student applies for a program, they are required to complete a short quiz which includes information about the SAO refund policy. As part of the online application, participants electronically sign that they understand the refund policy and other policies as well.
After a program's final payment deadline, if a student withdraws or a program is cancelled for any reason, including health and safety reasons, students will be refunded any recoverable costs (if possible), minus the $200 deposit fee. Refunds are not guaranteed and are considered by the SAO on a case-by-case basis. The decision will depend on when the initial Withdrawal Form was submitted compared to the payment deadline for the program.
If a student is abroad or away on a program and must come home for any reason, all program payments are non-refundable.
Any student withdrawing from a program must notify the Study Abroad Office by completing the Withdrawal Form via Docusign. This includes any required withdrawal due to academic or disciplinary misconduct. Refunds will only be given in accordance to the terms listed above. If you would like to request a Payment Extension please complete the following form via Docusign for SAO consideration. We try to be flexible with the understanding that there is a timeline we must follow to pay vendors. Usually, extensions can be granted for a couple of weeks past the payment due date but will consider all requests on a case-by-case basis.
| PAYMENT EXTENSION REQUEST FORM VIA DOCUSIGN |
COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL FORM via Docusign
Pre-departure costs are incurred, with many of our vendors requiring deposits or payments up front. Each of our vendors have their own refund policies. If the costs of your program upon withdrawal/cancellation have already been paid to our vendors, or a vendor’s refund policy does not include return of a pre-paid fee, the Study Abroad Office will be limited in our ability in what we can recover.
