The amount of tuition that will be billed by The College of Wooster for an approved application will be equal to the tuition portion of Wooster’s comprehensive fee, or the program’s actual tuition charge, whichever is higher. Other fees billed by The College of Wooster will be based on the study abroad program’s non-tuition fees (e.g., room, board, health insurance).
All financial aid will be applied to approved GEO applications. Note: Certain program elements (housing options, extracurricular activities, courses in specific departments) incur additional charges that will either be billed through the Wooster invoice or directly by the program.
Please note that the billing and financial aid policies do not apply for provider summer programs (non-TREK). Summer programs are all out of pocket expenses and you will be billed directly by the program. Scholarships may be available through your program provider, and we strongly encourage you to apply for those!
Financial Aid
The College of Wooster will apply all financial aid to an approved application for one approved study abroad program (semester or year-long) subject to the following conditions:
The student must be enrolled at Wooster the semester following study abroad.
Important: If a student applies institutional financial aid to a study abroad program and does not return to The College of Wooster after the program, the student will be billed for the full amount of aid distributed.
For semester and year-long programs, an administrative fee equal to 1% of the Wooster comprehensive fee will be added to your study abroad semester invoice. The fee is used to defray the cost of arranging your participation in the program, granting course credit for the program, maintaining your registration records, coordinating the billing and payment of fees, and carrying out other administrative tasks related to the program. Please note, however, that you will not be paying your usual on-campus fees for your semester abroad.
Summer (non-TREK) programs will also incur an adminstrative fee equal to 1% of the discounted summer tuition rate.
Why you shouldn’t withdraw from Wooster to study abroad
Students sometimes suggest that it would be cheaper to withdraw from Wooster for their semester abroad. This is not a good option!
Withdrawing from the college would mean that you lose the benefits of being a Wooster student abroad. Please carefully consider the following before withdrawing.
If you choose to withdraw:
- You will have to reapply to Wooster for the following semester. There is no guarantee that you will be readmitted.
- You will have to pay Wooster’s $400 application fee.
- You will lose your current financial aid package and have to reapply. There is no guarantee that your aid will remain the same
- You may be unable to transfer your credit earned abroad back to Wooster.
- You will not have assistance in registering for courses the following semester.
- You will not be able to enroll in courses at the same time as the rest of your class.
- You will not have a spot in the housing lottery for the following semester.
- The GEO staff will not be able to endorse your participation with your provider and unable to assist you while abroad.
As you can see, withdrawing from Wooster to study abroad has several significant ramifications. Please keep this in mind when making your final decision.
GEO Administrative Fee
For summer programs you will also pay a 1% administration fee (calculated based on Wooster summer tuition). Please note, however, that summer programs are not billed through the Wooster Business Office. You will pay all costs for your summer program directly to the program provider.
If you decide not to study abroad it is very important that you contact GEO immediately! Cancelling your participation after August 1 (for spring programs) or after May 1 (for fall and summer programs) will result in the loss of the 1% administration fee.
What if I need to leave my study abroad program?
If you need to leave your semester or year-long study abroad program for any reason, you will not be allowed to return to The College of Wooster for the duration of the approved program.
For any length program: If you cancel your participation for any reason, you may be responsible for all expenses incurred by the program on your behalf and required to reimburse these funds according to the cancellation policies. Please be sure to read the cancellation policies for your specific program before you apply.