MarathonMan88

I basically agree with interesteddad and could've expressed it more clearly: if a college runs its own programs, research them--if they're GOOD, that's generally a good sign about the foreign study program in general. (If they carefully screen the pre-approved programs--and many selective schools do--that's good, too, but it's also not much of a reason to choose one college over another, since many schools will allow students to study on those same programs.)

Dickinson is a good example of interesteddad's point about the trade-offs: they run a lot of their own programs, which have a reputation for being quite good. BUT, they don't let you transfer Dickinson FA to most outside programs, so the choices are actually more limited than at a school that might run far fewer. 75% of their students, or something like that, study at one of D's own programs.

huskem55

interesteddad

Yep. It is often the case that a group of similar schools under consideration will all have good study abroad programs. The more likely scenario is that a college will be cut from this list because of a limited study abroad program.

For example, Dartmouth runs its own programs. They are fine programs, but very limited -- mostly Western Europe, etc. You can petition to do other programs, but there is no list of pre-approved programs...and the quarter system makes some of these programs difficult, especially for a spring semester.

So, if you are thinking about study abroad in Asia, India, Africa, etc., Dartmouth might not be the place. Other schools simply have miniscule numbers of students studying abroad. Harvard has always had very low rates; although they are trying to reverse that.

A lot depends on the cost of the college. A state university has to offer study abroad programs with price tags similar to the cost of a state U. Many of the best study abroad programs cost like a high-dollar private college: $20,000+ per semester.

It's hard to give one size fits all advice.

BIGTWIX

NYU has been ranked the best a few years in a row by some magazine(cant remember what exactly)

nauru

Oh yeah, and you should never have to pay for study abroad. In fact, any decent program will likely give you an extra scholarship to help defray some of the extra incidental costs you incur from being in a foreign country.

The only thing you should have to pay is your regular tuition to your home university, your flight, and your room & board + incidental/personal expenditures. If someone is trying to make you pay a fee for the "privilege" or to cover the costs of "administration" they are trying to rip you off.

interesteddad

nauru:

It's not that cut 'n dried. What you describe is certainly not the only approach. It may not even be the best approach.

Some schools have you pay the study abroad program directly and charge you an administrative fee. This can be much cheaper than a semester at your home college. So, I wouldn't dismiss this approach out of hand. It just depends on the cost of your study abroad program.

My daughter's school has you simply continue paying the normal tuition at the home school, with all your financial aid in place. They cut a check to the study abroad program (unless it's one of their own programs) and give you a check to cover your overseas airfare and money for food (if it's not included). This is a GREAT approach if you are on a full-ride financial aid deal. If you are a full-fare student, it depends on the cost of the study abroad program. Again, it all depends on your individual situation and the cost of the study abroad relative to the price of your home college.

My daughter's study abroad was more expensive than tuition, room, and board at her school (I know, I know....hard to believe). Her school picked up the tab (airfare was included) and sent her $500 or so to cover lunches. On average, however, the school comes out ahead on this deal for full-fare students, which it uses to subsidize financial aid students. Remember, financial aid isn't just a price discount in this case -- the school actually has to write a check to the study abroad program, so financial aid is cash money out of pocket for the school. They went to this approach to make it easier for financial aid students to study abroad.