Semester/Academic Year Programs
When you study abroad for a semester or a year for academic credit, you will be charged tuition and the student health insurance fee by Washington University (WU) at a rate equivalent to tuition and the student health insurance fee on campus for the corresponding time period. These charges are the same regardless of the program you choose to attend and they will be billed via your student account. Charges are posted to your WU student account prior to the beginning of the WU semester.
If the program is not one that is managed by WU directly, WU makes arrangements to pay the affiliated sponsoring institution for your instructional costs. As a billing convenience for certain programs sponsored by institutions that list a comprehensive charge, non-tuition charges such as housing and meals are sometimes posted on your student account to appear on your WU bill. You will be issued a WU Program Agreement, in March for fall programs and October for spring programs, which will provide specific details regarding what you will and will not pay to WU.
You should expect to be able to pay for the costs of studying abroad in generally the same way you finance your studies on the WU campus. If you receive financial aid or you use a payment plan such as the PEP Plan or TuitionPay Plan you will be able to continue to use the plan to cover the costs of participation. If you are a WU student and a child of a WU employee who is eligible for a tuition reduction benefit, this benefit may be applied to the tuition cost of your study abroad program.
Occasionally a charge will appear on your WU bill that appears to be an error as a result of automatic billing processes in place at WU. Examples of such charges are WU meal plans, WU campus housing and activity fees. These charges are applied to student accounts prior to the submission of the study abroad participation lists to the Office of Residential Life (ResLife). If you officially terminated your ResLife housing contract, these charges will be removed from your bill within the first two billing cycles of the semester. Please do not pay the charges; no late fees will be assessed for non-payment of charges not specifically outlined in the WU program agreement. Note: Questions regarding erroneous WU activity fees, WU meal plans and housing charges should be directed to ResLife.
You must pay the amount due—minus anticipated financial assistance, monthly payment pan or installment arrangements—by the date specified on the bill or incur a late payment fee and/or monthly finance charge. Failure to pay charges that have been correctly posted to your WU student account will result in a financial hold on your student account and the application of late charges. Financial holds will prevent future registration and will preclude the issuance of transcripts until the account has been cleared. Similarly, a hold existing prior to departure will prevent registration for the study abroad program. Additionally, program sponsors or host institutions will refuse to issue a program transcript or grade report until all applicable fees and charges for which you are personally responsible have been paid.
Summer Programs
When you study abroad for the summer on a WU operated program, you will be charged a program fee that covers all educational costs of the program; you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit; and you will be registered as a WU summer student in the School of Arts & Sciences. Payment of the non-refundable WU deposit is required to confirm your placement into the program. The program fee will be billed via your student account and the deposit payment will be credited to the program fee. For all WU operated summer programs, except the Music in Florence program, the program fee also includes housing and most meals. The WU program fee does not cover the cost of travel, study materials, visas, and personal expenses.
If the summer program is not one that is operated by WU directly, you will pay all fees directly to the program sponsor and will not be enrolled at WU during the summer.