Undergraduate Study Abroad

Costs

Information on payments and additional costs associated with study abroad.

Payment to Brown

Tuition

Brown students who study abroad for a semester or full year for academic credit will be charged Brown tuition. Visiting students should consult their study abroad office to determine their payment policy.

The tuition payment to Brown does not cover the necessary costs of travel and living abroad nor other costs not directly associated with matriculation and related academic programming. 

Student Resource Fee

The Student Resources Fee is assessed to all undergraduate students. The fee is used to fund offices, centers and programs that provide direct support and services to students. Learn more about the Division of Campus Life resources and remote resources.

Health Insurance

A University Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) premium is automatically charged to all full-time enrolled students. The premium is included as the Health Insurance Fee on the student account statement. Active students who are not automatically enrolled in the SHIP may contact studenthealthinsuranceplan@brown.edu by August 15 if they wish to be enrolled. Each year, participation in the University Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) is required of all Brown University students who do not have coverage through a comparable health insurance plan.

Health Insurance Fee Waiver: Students may waive participation in the plan if they have comparable health insurance coverage. Students are encouraged to review the information regarding deadlines and eligibility to waive SHIP.

Please consult Brown's Student Health Insurance site for further information.

Brown/CASA Housing & Flights

For some Brown/CASA programs, there are room and board costs that may be billed by Brown. Please contact your study abroad advisor to confirm. Visit the Brown program descriptions or CASA website for detailed program cost estimates. 

Payment to Your Study Abroad Program

You are responsible for paying any non-tuition fees charged by your study abroad program. These charges typically include:

  • Program deposit—if you are studying on an approved or petition program, you are responsible for paying the program deposit. Often these deposits are non-refundable.
  • Room and Board (or partial board, depending on program). Some programs also have a housing deposit. 
  • Insurance—some programs have mandatory insurance coverage. This required coverage is in addition to the health insurance requirement from Brown.

Brown students participating in alternative approved or petition programs should consult their program website directly to determine costs not covered by Brown tuition.

Personal Additional Costs

In addition to fees charged by Brown and by your study abroad program, you will have expenses that you will accrue personally, which may include:

  • Round-trip airfare to program destination
  • Meals not included in your program fee
  • Passport, visa, residency permit fees, and associated costs
  • Books/course supplies
  • Local transportation (bus or metro passes)
  • Communications (e.g. cell phone, phone card)
  • Vaccinations and immunizations (if required for location)
  • Personal expenses (groceries/toiletries, entertainment, etc.)
  • Personal travel not related to the program
  • Storage costs for your belongings at Brown

Non-Brown Semester Program Deposit

For Brown students participating in an approved program or petition program during the semester, the student is responsible for paying the requested deposit directly to the program provider/host university. When paying the program, the students should ask the program to apply the deposit toward non-tuition costs (usually room and board charges).

Information regarding billing and the application of University refund policies to study abroad.
Knowing the non-tuition fees and estimated on-site costs for your program will help you determine whether your semester abroad will cost less or more than a semester on campus.
Financial aid can be applied toward the cost of a semester or year-long study abroad program if all financial aid application requirements are met.