Program costs vary. For most students, the cost of studying abroad during the academic year is usually no higher than it would be for a comparable semester at Princeton, with some exceptions. Your budget for study abroad includes not only program tuition, room, and board, but also airfare, local transportation, books, and reasonable personal expenses. Students who receive financial aid at Princeton continue to receive Princeton financial aid for the approved costs of study abroad programs during the academic year. 

Program fees for Princeton programs will be available in your program application on the Global Programs System (GPS). Please note that these fees may change and that the final billing and fee information will be included in your official approval letter upon receiving approval to study abroad. For programs run by other universities or study abroad providers, if you would like to know their costs before you have started an actual application to study abroad you may want to check the sponsoring university or program provider’s website for more information. 

No. However, students who withdraw after committing to their program will incur a withdrawal fee of $500. 

Typically, the programs that will continue to charge Princeton tuition are exchange programs and semester faculty-led programs taught entirely by Princeton faculty (e.g. Princeton Field Semester in Kenya, Princeton Tropical Biology Program in Panama). This information is provided to you via the GPS Program Brochure, as well as during your meeting with a study abroad adviser. Billing information is also officially communicated to you and your families via an approval letter sent after your participation in a specific program has been approved by a study abroad adviser. 

Students who withdraw from the Study Abroad Program after their Study Abroad Approval Form has been processed and before their program begins will be assessed a $500 late withdrawal fee by Princeton. Students may be assessed other fees as well depending upon the withdrawal and refund polices of their particular program.

Depending on your program, you may be billed by either Princeton, the overseas institution, or your program provider. In a few cases, the foreign institution’s tuition and some fees may, by special agreement with Princeton University, be invoiced directly through the Student Accounts Office at Princeton. This information will be provided to you when you receive your official approval letter from the Study Abroad Program.  For specific billing questions, please contact the study abroad adviser responsible for your program.

If you are billed through TigerPay, you should process your payment as you do for other Princeton fees.

If you are billed by an overseas institution or program provider, you are responsible for sending payment directly to them by their stated deadlines.

If you are on financial aid, your aid will first be released to the sponsoring program to cover their direct charges. Any remaining aid will be released to either you or a parent/guardian via direct deposit or check.

The Study Abroad Program sends lists of confirmed study abroad students to the Office of Financial Aid and Student Accounts. We also inform Undergraduate Housing, your Residential College, Mail Services, Office of Information Technology, and the Office of the Registrar so they are aware of your plans.

Yes, your Princeton financial aid travels with you if you study abroad during the academic year. Students on financial aid who receive approval from the Study Abroad Program for a semester or academic year abroad are eligible for financial aid based on the cost of the program and amount of their family contribution. 

Financial aid covers the cost of attendance, which includes reasonable expenses related to your study abroad program (e.g. tuition, housing, meals, required student fees, books, daily living expenses, one round-trip coach airfare ticket, passport and visa fees, and required immunizations). Financial aid does not cover the cost of entertainment, optional travel, sightseeing, luxury accommodation, extended stays abroad, or multiple trips home.

Once you have created an application for your program and your program is approved, you will have access to the financial aid budget questionnaire in the Global Programs System (GPS). You must log in to fill out your financial aid budget form, which should include a basic program budget based on the information provided on your approval letter, as well as, costs that reflect your specific expenses for the semester/ academic year.  The Study Abroad Program will confirm your costs and forward the approved budget to the Office of Financial Aid for final approval.
Basic budget and Princeton billing information will be listed in Global Programs System (GPS) and will be confirmed with you by way of an official approval letter from the Study Abroad Program.

Deadlines to submit financial aid forms through GPS are early June for fall semester / full academic year study abroad and early December for spring semester study abroad. Please refer to the official approval letter and to GPS for exact deadlines.

If your combined expenses for a semester / academic year away are more than the cost of staying at Princeton, University grant funds will be assigned to meet the additional costs. The typical student term-time job expectation will be replaced with a subsidized student loan.

If your total budget for the semester / academic year is less than Princeton’s, the self-help portion of your award will first be reduced, then your grant aid.

Your family contribution will remain unchanged.

Before the beginning of your semester abroad, the Financial Aid Office will send you a detailed letter outlining the costs and how the financial aid will be used to cover your expenses. Financial aid is not usually released until Princeton’s registration date in the fall or the first day of classes in the spring. 

Typically, we assume that you will use part of your family contribution for early expenses like security deposits or smaller fees. If this is not possible, you should discuss your situation with a study abroad adviser as early as possible in the application process. Additionally, we suggest that you inquire with your host program on the possibility of applying for a deferment of payment.

If you/your family are unable to obtain a deferment of payment from the host program, the Office of Financial Aid can send a letter to your program stating when your financial aid will be released and ask for an extension of the payment due date. You will first need to discuss your needs with your study abroad adviser and your adviser will request said financial aid letter for you. While meeting with your study abroad adviser, provide the name and the billing address of the program as well as any required forms. 

You should contact your study abroad adviser within the Study Abroad Program. A letter can be issued to you confirming your enrollment at the institution and explaining the expectation of Princeton’s aid, which you can submit with your visa application. You should provide the address of the appropriate Consulate where you will apply and any additional information requested by the Consulate to be included with the letter.

If you are receiving need-based aid from Princeton University, any outside scholarships will be included in your Princeton financial aid package. Your financial aid award will not increase with the addition of an outside scholarship. For more information regarding Princeton’s Financial Aid policies regarding outside scholarships, please visit the Office of Financial Aid’s website.