Study abroad remains affordable

Courtney Handy, a junior majoring in history and English, hoped to study abroad in Ireland. She had chosen a program she thought she could afford, at Trinity College in Dublin. When she went the Center for Global Education for a second consult about her trip, she discovered that it would be out of reach.The University of Tulsa charges students TU rates for room and board, regardless of the cost at the host university. Courtney, who lives off campus, said,It’s really not okay with me. The CGE needs to tell people up front. It’s ridiculous. Not only do I have to live at home, I can’t even study abroad.

Laura Semenow, director of CGE, explained the university’s policy.If the program costs less than TU tuition, students will only pay TU tuition and not room and board,she said.If the program abroad costs more than TU tuition we will charge room and board. If students live at home, don’t pay TU room and board, and don’t want the extra expense, they should choose programs that cost less than TU tuition.The goal is to equalize costs for everyone, but students like Handy often feel penalized, since they do not pay room and board unless they study abroad.

According to Open Doors Report on International Exchange,the number of college students studying abroad fell from 262,416 during the 2006–2007 academic year to 260,327 during the 2008–2009 year. The economic downturn is largely to blame, but Semenow emphasized that study abroad is still affordable for most students.For those programs that exceed TU tuition, everyone pays the same tuition, room and board,she said.While some programs cost less than that, others cost more, but TU doesn’t penalize students for that and we won’t charge the difference, up to around $3,000.

Faculty-led programs are another option for students concerned about the costs of study abroad. These courses often include short trips abroad during breaks. Semenow said that participation in these types of programs has been rising.Dr. Steve Steib underscored the benefits of studying abroad.Studying abroad lessens the provincialism that other cultures are like our own, or inferior, he said. Steib said he had noticed the change in perspective of economics students returning from foreign countries. Their experiences often change their views on foreign economics and currencies.Senior Sean Fuentes studied abroad in Costa Rica. He said that his experience enriched his education, and that I left Costa Rica with amazing friendships that I never want to lose, a language I can actually use now, and the knowledge of what it is like to live in a place that is different from the United States.