UMass Boston

Begin your financial planning early for your study abroad term.

The cost of study abroad varies depending on location, program type, duration, and your own personal expense budget. Please, learn the difference between which program you are applying to and understand the financial implications. Only you can financially prepare for your study abroad term. Here are a few of the top ways to start preparing:

GI Bill Benefits & Study Abroad: 

You can use your GI Bill benefits to study abroad. On reciprocal exchange programs, students continue to pay regular UMass Boston tuition and are not charged tuition abroad. Housing costs are paid to the university abroad. Typically therefore, your GI Bill benefits can always be used on exchange programs (semester or year-long). On direct study programs, tuition is not charged through UMass Boston. There has been approval for GI Bill-eligible programs through the VA, check to see if the university you are looking to study at is eligible here: https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/study-at-foreign-schools/

Scholarships

There are many scholarships available for undergraduate students to study abroad. We feature many of the national, regional, and country-specific scholarships available to apply for here. Be sure to check deadlines early, most deadlines are earlier than your program deadline. Also check the program's website that you will be attending, often times they will offer scholarships for their program. Check in with our office for help and assistance applying for scholarships, including peer review of your personal statements by our global ambassadors. 

Financial Aid

You can use financial aid to study abroad. See the webpage on Financial Aid & Study Abroad for more information. Use the Financial Aid Planning Worksheet to help you determine what you can expect in financial aid for your chosen program.

Plan Your Budget

Studying abroad is an investment in your future. Like any other type of investment, it requires planning, careful management, creativity, perseverance and commitment. Planning early on in your studies will allow you to financially prepare for your study abroad term. Visit us as early as your freshman year to get planning!

Use a tool, like this budget worksheet, to compare all of the costs for each of the programs and locations you're considering. We have developed a cost comparison chart for exchange programs, which can be viewed here.

Planning Ahead

Calculate all of your current on-campus costs, starting with your UMass Boston cost of attendance. Think about your semester-long and/or annual budget: Add up your rent, meals, tuition and fees, travel and transportation expenses, entertainment, books, supplies, etc. Use this calculation as a baseline for comparison of costs abroad.

It will be helpful to plan for these primary (estimated) costs:

• Provider application fee (if going through a provider program)
• Program Deposit (post-acceptance fee to reserve your space in a program)
• Program Fee (may include tuition and some fees)
• Round Trip Airfare (may be group flight: an addition to program fee)
• Room and Board (if not included in program fees)
• Estimate for in-country expenses (i.e. local travel, meals, etc.)      
• Educational or Cultural Excursions
• Miscellaneous Personal Expenses

*** Study Abroad Advising & Application Fee $250***

*** All students participating on Reciprocal Exchange, Affiliate, and Alternate Study Abroad Provider Programs or directly enrolling  are required to pay a $250 fee. This fee, along with UMass Boston required forms and documents will assure the following: maintenance of fulltime UMass student status while on approved program abroad; WISER remains active; Financial aid can be applied to overseas program; pre-approval of courses toward the UMass degree program; transcript processing; credits will be interpreted and applied to the UMass transcript upon return. In addition, students are provided with ongoing advising throughout the process. Pre-departure orientations are offered the semester before studying abroad. All UMass Boston students are also covered by UMass International Travel & Emergency Insurance while participating on an approved, overseas program. This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.

For some programs, there will be additional expenses such as:

• Visa (varies for each country)
• Passport (new or renewed U.S.. or other country for US permanent residents)
• Immunizations (specific to certain parts of the world)

If program costs are still unclear, contact the program provider for a full explanation. Determine your needs and interests. Compare the features and costs of various programs to find the best match.

Location & Length of Program

It's important to keep in mind where you are going and for how long. Living and traveling abroad incurs costs. Prices are also subject to the exchange rate. For the most up-to-date rates, visit XE.com For specific program costs, please contact the program director. Make the program work toward your long-term goals and it will be worth the investment. Apply for financial aid well in advance. Determining your award ahead of time will help you budget accordingly.

Crowd Funding for Personal Funding Campaigns

Many of these crowd funding platforms may provide you with ways to encourage your friends and family to help you pay for your program. Be sure to check through the details of each of the resources as there are typically fees involved and a portion of the donations to your fund will be kept by the company.

Fund My Travel is part of GoAbroad LLC and is an online crowdfunding platform specifically developed to suit the needs of individuals desiring to study or volunteer abroad. GoAbroad.com is a resource for international education and alternative travel. Through FundMyTravel, GoAbroad helps individuals to plan for and fund meaningful travel experiences abroad.

Project Travel is a peer-funding platform that makes educational travel possible.

Go Fund Me is a personal online fundraising website for individuals, groups, and organizations.

Indiegogo is an international crowd funding site where anyone can raise money for film, music, art, charity, small business, gaming, theater, and more.

Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects.

You can also apply for financial aid and scholarships specifically for study abroad. Please see the Scholarships page for a list of study abroad funding and scholarship opportunities. Also check with the advisors and/or staff for your study abroad program for additional suggestions about financial aid.