Financial Planning
Financial Considerations for Choosing a Program
Cost is an important factor to consider when choosing an international experience. Not only should you understand the costs of your program but you should also anticipate the other costs that will be associated with your travel. Please visit the sections below regarding tuition, housing, and meal costs of DU Partner Programs (DUPP) and unaffiliated programs. It is important that you understand all of the items and services that will and will not be included in your program.
Studying abroad doesn't have to be more expensive than staying at DU. If you plan ahead, few locations are out of reach, even with a limited budget. You need to be realistic about how cost-of-living varies around the world, but that can work in your favor. Sometimes, it's even possible to save money by studying abroad!
In the spirit of the commitment of the Cherrington Global Scholars (CGS) initiative, it is our hope that financial constraints never be the sole reason that a student is not able to study abroad. If you are aware that finances will be a challenge for you, let your OIE advisor know these concerns early on in the advising process and we will do our best to find a program that fits your budget.
Finances
DU Partner Programs (DUPP)
The University of Denver believes that finances should not limit students’ study abroad options. We aim to make DU costs as equal as possible across all of our DU Partner Programs (DUPPs) by charging standard DU rates for tuition, housing, and meals. This model standardizes program costs for students and ensures finances aren’t a disqualifying factor for particular programs. Of course, some DUPPs are more expensive than DU, while others are less expensive. These cost differences are used to cover program costs for the entire DUPP portfolio, as well as study abroad administrative costs (foreign transcript processing, risk management, etc.).
Because we charge DU rates, we can treat credit earned abroad as DU resident credit. This further reduces the financial impact of studying abroad, as it allows students to use DU institutional aid while attending partner institutions abroad. DU also subsidizes DUPPs through Cherrington Global Scholars benefits. These benefits allow eligible students to offset some of the additional costs that come with studying abroad, like airfare and immigration fees.
Unaffiliated Programs
On unaffiliated programs, students pay program costs directly to the program provider. This means that unaffiliated program costs can vary dramatically. Some are more expensive than DU, while others are less expensive. Students should consider net costs. DU students receive a variety of financial aid packages, and the details of an individual’s package will affect the overall cost of study abroad on an unaffiliated program. Students cannot use DU institutional aid (incl. Cherrington Global Scholars benefits) on these programs.