Costs & Tier Fees
At GW, a study abroad semester is comparably priced to an on-campus semester, including full-time tuition and a study abroad program fee, known as a tier fee, which replaces students' typical on-campus supplemental charges. Participants are billed GW charges for their study abroad program on their GW eBill, which is typically generated around the end of each semester, pending students' completion of requirement participation and commitment forms. GW charges will be different from the fees indicated in program literature or program web sites. GW students will not be charged those program fees. For more information, review the Home School Tuition Policy.
The Cost of Studying Abroad
The overall cost of studying abroad through GW includes a student’s GW semester eBill (billable expenses) and personal costs (non-billable expenses). Students should prepare and budget for each when planning to study abroad.
- GW Tuition
Study abroad participants are registered with a 15-credit placeholder for their semester abroad, which generates their semester GW eBill. Tuition relates to the guarantee of 12-18 GW credits for the semester, which is a full-time credit load. It also assures the continued use of all scholarships and financial aid as well as GW services that can be accessed virtually, such as the online library, internet/VPN, staff and faculty advising, career services resources, the GW CARE Network, and "TalkNow, Health Coaching, and all of the Self-Care Content and Peer Community" via TimelyCare offered through the Student Health Center. Continued GW registration and tuition payment allow for seamless matriculation and transition back to GW upon the completion of a student's program. Enrolling in or receiving less than 12 credits abroad will therefore hinder this, and could result in loss of financial aid or scholarships due to not meeting eligibility requirements of full-time student status. International students should be aware that this may adversely impact their U.S. visa status. Taking more than 18 credits abroad will also hinder this process and could result in additional fees.
Tuition does not include additional typical semester expenses such as GW Room & Board (meals), Student Association Fees, GWorld charges, or GW's domestic Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Students are not responsible for these charges while abroad, instead this is replaced with a Study Abroad Tier Fee for a student’s specific program.Tuition is a billable expense that will appear on a student’s GW eBill.
- Study Abroad Tier Fee
A study abroad tier fee replaces on-campus Room & Board (meals) charges, and/or other academic fees associated with on-campus courses and activities, such as Student Association Fees, U-Pass charges, individual course fees, and the Student Health Insurance Plan (if students personally opt to waive this coverage while abroad). Tier fees can include costs related to housing (including placement services, maintenance, and support), board (meals), pre-departure and on-arrival orientations, standard excursions (and related transportation and lodging), health insurance (GeoBlue and any provider or host country required/included insurance), on-site health, safety and crisis management, any on-site staff support, in-country transportation, course site visits for required courses, fieldwork or research, cultural activities, access to on-campus student organizations and clubs (for exchange and direct enroll programs), and access to unique coursework such as pre-semester language courses. Inclusions vary by program - to understand what’s included in a student’s specific program, students are encouraged to read their program brochures thoroughly and confirm with their program provider or host institution.
Tier fees are charged in addition to a student’s tuition and vary depending on a student’s chosen study abroad program. Fees are determined based on the program type. Please see available program types below with a brief description of the tier fee of each, though again, please be aware that inclusions will naturally vary even amongst programs in the same program type:- GW Exchange Program tier fee does not include housing. For these programs, students are responsible for finding, securing, and paying for their own housing through local housing services or their host institution. For any exchange program that currently includes housing, as described within the program brochure in GW Passport, housing costs will be charged to students separately of the tier fee. This tier fee primarily includes health insurance (GeoBlue and any additional required country-specific insurance), administrative fees from the host institution, pre-departure and on-arrival orientations, access to on-campus clubs and organizations, and discounts to local cultural and community-building activities (if applicable).
- Direct Enroll Program tier fee also does not include housing. For these programs, students are responsible for finding, securing, and paying for their own housing through local housing services or their host institution. This fee includes all the above-mentioned elements (variable by program) and may also cover additional programming and events that may be uniquely available in this program type.
- In addition to some of the more standard tier fee inclusions, GW Study Programs tier fee also includes the support of our on-site Resident Directors who offer academic and cultural assistance, coordinate cultural activities and programming, plan events and excursions and more. All activities, events, and excursions are included in this tier fee as well, including any potential required transportation and lodging for the activities, as well as some meals during group activities. All GW Study Programs also include housing, as well as meals within the standard homestay option available on all programs. Though homestays are the only option with GW Madrid and GW Chile, GW Paris also offers apartment housing options which do forego the included meals without altering the tier fee.
GW Signature Programs
- GW Signature Programs currently include the Global Bachelor's Program cohort semester. Subsequent semesters on the Global Bachelor's Program will fall into the tier fee associated with the program type chosen for that semester. This tier fee includes room (but not board), specialized support from on-site local university staff, orientation activities facilitated by the host university and GW, and specialized programming and a group excursion among other standard program amenities previously mentioned in the Exchange tier fee.
- Provider Programs are further broken down into tiers based on programs that include Room-only and those that include both Room and Board (meals) as their standard program housing option. It is important to note that some programs have a primary and secondary housing option included in the program, tier fees do not change based on the student's housing selection. Some alternative housing may be included in program costs while other alternative housing may incur additional fees as a premium option - students should be very mindful of these premium options when selecting housing with their providers.
Optional program amenities that are considered opt-in/out are not included within the tier fee. Students are responsible for costs associated with optional activities, upgraded amenities, premium services and features, including integrated extensive out-of-country travel components, as well as security or damage deposits for housing. In most cases, these expenses would be billed directly by the program provider but could alternatively appear as a separate charge on a student's GW eBill.
Tier fees are billable expenses that will appear on a student’s GW eBill for each semester that they study abroad.
Below are the current tier fee values.
Study Abroad Tier Fees
GW Exchange Tier Fee $1,925 Direct Enroll Tier Fee $2,925 GW Study Program Tier Fee $6,775 GW Signature Programs Tier Fee $7,300 Provider Programs (Room-only) Tier Fee $7,875 Provider Programs (Room & Board) Tier Fee $8,770 Supplemental Programming Fee* $2,500 (DIS & IES)/ $1,700 (APA) Withdrawal & Deferral Fee $575 (view our withdrawal policy for more details) Fees are subject to change prior to a new semester.
*This fee applies to programs that have a compulsory component of the program not covered in our tier fee, such as extensive international travel or premium amenities. This currently only applies to DIS Copenhagen & Stockholm, IES Abroad - Health Practice & Policy in London, and Academic Programs Abroad (APA) Paris as distinguished above.
- Non-billable Expenses
Personal, or non-billable expenses refer to costs that will not appear on a student's GW eBill and can include costs associated with, but not limited to, the following items:
- Program Deposit* (if applicable)
- Airfare
- Required medical consultation or vaccinations
- Visas or entry documentation/Residence Permits**
- Passport, or passport renewal
- Optional program activities
- Upgraded or premium program services/features
- Meals (if applicable)
- Housing (if applicable)
- Personal travel and leisure
- Transportation (if applicable)
- Books & Supplies (if applicable)
- Personal spending
Students and families should consider these costs when planning for study abroad. For budgeting assistance, review our Budgeting page.
*In order to confirm participation in a program and secure a place, many students will need to submit a confirmation or commitment deposit to their program provider. Students are responsible for paying this deposit directly to their provider at the instructed time. However, once students are committed and registered for study abroad with GW, and GW receives the student’s semester invoice from the provider, program deposits will be credited back to the student on a student’s GW eBill/Student Account. Students will only be reimbursed for the deposit of the program they attend. Students are encouraged to delay submitting deposits until they are fully committed to one program.
**Not only do these documents typically have a fee to apply, but students and families should also be aware that these documents typically also require students to demonstrate financial means, usually in the form of bank statements that demonstrate a quantity of a pre-determined minimum amount per month (typically $1,000-$1,500 USD/month). If using documentation from parents/guardians, it is standard to also need proof of dependency.
Paying for Study Abroad
The majority of the cost associated with studying abroad will be billable expenses on a student’s GW eBill. There are many ways to help finance study abroad to assist with these costs. OSA advisors are available to help students pursue these financing opportunities.
- Financial Aid
Financial aid, including most GW awards, federal grants, merit scholarships, and loans, can be utilized during study abroad. The major exception to this rule is aid received through Federal Work Study.
For students receiving the Stephen J. Trachtenberg Scholarship, to appeal to request that study abroad tier fees be included in your SJT award, students must fill out Section 5 of this Cost of Attendance form. SJT Scholars must also complete the Study Abroad Financial Aid Form and return both to the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
If you receive other types of funding, including external scholarships or awards that require any on-campus activity, we urge you to contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance for more information regarding how these funds may apply to your study abroad costs.
Veterans Affairs Benefits can only be applied to study abroad semesters if the act of studying abroad is required for a student's degree. Currently, the undergraduate programs requiring study abroad include GW's Global Bachelor's Program, Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Studies, SEAS Clark Engineering Scholars Program. For students receiving Veterans Affairs Benefits, please refer to the VA policies on Study Abroad for more information.
If you are an international student who receives aid from a foreign entity, contact the International Services Office to determine how your aid status may be affected.
- Study Abroad Scholarships
Students are encouraged to pursue scholarships and additional aid specifically designated for study abroad participants. Students can meet with their study abroad advisor to check their eligibility for GW and other scholarships available for study abroad.
Study abroad scholarships, both from GW and externally, will be applied to student’s eBill* as a credit upon our office’s receipt of the scholarship award.
*If funds are applied after you have already paid your bill in full, you can receive the funds as a refund or have them credited to the subsequent semester. Some external scholarships such as the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship through the U.S. State Department will be awarded to recipients in the form of a direct check and will not be applied to a student's account.
- Payment Plan
The Monthly Payment Plan offered through the Student Accounts Office can be used to pay for study abroad, just as it pays for a semester on-campus. You can enroll in the Monthly Payment Plan via the Student Accounts eBill. More information about the Monthly Payment Plan and how to enroll can be found on the Student Accounts Office website. We encourage you to meet with an advisor in the Office for Study Abroad for help calculating costs of your study abroad experience.