Costs & Aid

The costs of off-campus study programs vary greatly depending upon the nature of the program, the on-site cost of living, the sponsoring organization and the length of the program. All of these factors should be considered very carefully as you make a selection. Wabash financial aid (not ESH) applies to off-campus study up to the current value of your on-campus aid in proportion to the cost of attending on-campus versus that of your off-campus program.

HOW STUDENT FINANCES WORK FOR OCS

Costs not covered by your aid will be billed to you and paid by you directly to the program you choose. Therefore, you must make arrangements for payment directly with your program if the billed cost exceeds your Wabash financial aid.  Also, application fees and deposits that must be paid by a given date are your responsibility.  Deposits and scholarships from the program are typically subtracted from the billed cost by the sponsoring organization.

Students pay Wabash College only $75 for administrative costs, and they must keep their student health insurance policy in effect.

The student pays the off-campus program DIRECTLY for any costs not covered by his Wabash financial aid (scholarships and loans).  He carries with him (paper or plastic) funds to cover expenses that occur daily (meals, personal, etc.) or which must be paid in advance (airfare).

Example:   IES Freiburg   Bill from IES will be:       $13,720

Financial aid from Wabash will be applied to this balance (by Wabash check) on the first day of classes of the semester at Wabash according to the formula below.

Estimated additional expenses                                    5,005    

(airfare, books, meals, cell, local transportation)             $18,725

Documentation of the above is provided (by David Clapp) to the Office of Financial Aid which calculates the applicable Wabash aid for this specific student for this particular semester program.

Cost to study ON-campus for one semester                12,950

                                                      Room                         1,550

                                                      Board                         2,300

                                                      Activities                      225

                                                                                       17,025

The costs of the semester on and off campus are compared, the aid is calculated (by the Financial Aid office), then reported to the Business Office.  The Business Office (Cathy VanArsdall) communicates directly with the program provider, promising to send them a check on the first day of classes at Wabash, clarifying that any part of the costs not covered by the aid is the responsibility of the student.

So, if this student has $7,800 in aid for the semester, Cathy V. will send a check for $7,185 ($7,800-$75 (OCS fee) - $540 (insurance)to IES on August 23, 2007.  The student has been informed of the amount of aid by Cathy during the semester by means of the same letter that she sent to IES during the same semester.

13,720 – 7,185 =     $6,535

The student must make arrangements to pay the balance of 6,535 directly to IES usually before the commencement of the semester’s study.

The student must also make arrangements to have available funds to cover the additional estimated expenses + extra travel and souvenirs.

It is the responsibility of the student to understand this, explain it to his parents, and to make it work for himself.

Wabash College ON-Campus Costs Academic Year 2007-2008

Fixed Costs:

Tuition                                       $25,900

Room & Board                                7,200    

Personal Expenses                          2,854

TOTAL                                                       35,954

Please see the listing of programs and total estimated costs listed on this web site under "CHOOSING A PROGRAM," and use the OCS Cost Worksheet with appropriate information from the program's web site or from other communications directly with the program sponsor.  Cost totals listed on the "choosing a program" pages are usually the same used as the basis for the calculation of financial aid.

Program sponsors bill students who study off-campus for a certain fee.  The components of the total cost of the program that are included in the “billed cost” vary greatly.  The OCS Office provides an estimate to the student and the Financial Aid Office.  Responsibility for verification of all details of costs rests upon the student.  Program sponsors generally bill for tuition, services they provide, housing and some meals.  Other costs such as airfare, books, and leisure travel are paid directly by the student, and seldom are included in the “billed” costs.

All reasonable costs of attendance for off-campus study on each program are tallied by the OCS Office and provided to the Financial Aid Office.  The latter calculates the applicable aid for each individual student on his chosen program based upon a comparison of the costs ON-campus.  The student and Business Office are informed of the amount of aid that applies.  On the first day of classes at Wabash for a given semester, the Business Office sends a check to the program sponsor.  If the amount of applicable aid covers the entire BILLED COST, the check will pay the entire bill.  If aid surpasses the billed cost, the remainder is refunded to the student.

If aid is less than the program’s billed costs, then the student must make arrangements for payment of the remainder of the bill directly with and to the program sponsor, and the student is responsible for all other remaining costs.

Business Office Information & Forms

Cost Worksheet

Financial Aid for O-C Study

This web site has complete cost estimates listed for many programs under "Choosing a Program." However, the definitive word and best detailed information on all programs’ costs are only available from the sponsor.  The OCS Office can advise you further about these important factors. Among the concerns is determining the total estimated cost of a given program. Usually, a program will quote a "comprehensive" program fee. However, this fee does not always include all meals, or other critical items such as local transportation, books or personal expenses. We will assist you in ferreting out the total estimated costs so that you may make the most informed choice possible.

The cost estimates listed on this web site are provided as preliminary estimates only based upon the best information available at the time.  They are NOT to be considered official; please contact the sponsor directly for that up-to-date information.