<p>You don’t have to ask here–all the 2012-2013 costs are right there on the AU website. You can save a bit on housing by requesting a triple. And yes, living off-campus will probably be cheaper (assuming freshman are allowed to–not sure about that). I doubt a semester abroad will cost less–it might even be more. A year off will certainly allow you to save up some money. But none of this will make up the difference between $38K and $53K, if that’s your goal. The only real way “around this” is to select a less costly school or take a gap year and try again next year with an application for financial aid this time (assuming you qualify to receive any).</p>