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Finances for Study Abroad

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Funding Your Experience

St. John's Students: As a Vincentian university, we’re committed to making study abroad as financially accessible to as many students as possible. So you may find that an academic program abroad is more affordable than you think. For example, did you know that:

  • Program costs vary substantially, and some are heavily subsidized by St. John's 
     
  • Your current financial aid is yours — whether you're in NYC or abroad
     
  • St. John's awarded over $600,000 in additional aid to St. John's students participating in semester programs abroad
     
  • Internal and external grants and scholarships can defray costs by thousands of dollars
     
  • Students can often work at our Paris and Rome campuses during the semester (see below)

In addition to St. John’s provided study abroad grants, external scholarships, and work-abroad opportunities, students will find that most (if not all) of their financial aid — including state and federal grants, and most government and private loans and scholarships — will “travel” with them. In fact, with the help of an additional financial aid, some students have actually spent less on a semester abroad than they would on our NYC campuses.  For more info, please visit our pages on St. John's study abroad scholarships and external study abroad funding.

Visiting Students: We're delighted that you're considering a St. John's program! You're also eligible for aid, whether directly through us or through your home institution. You should contact the financial aid office on your home campus, as well as checking out our Visiting Student financial aid page for specific information on the type of aid available to you.

Financial Considerations

Know Before You Go: How Much Does Study Abroad Cost?

We understand that study abroad is a large financial commitment, and understanding the full extent of that commitment is an important part of the decision-making and planning process. With that in mind, we’ve taken the total cost of a typical study abroad program and broken it down into four main categories:

Tuition

Good news! Semester tuition is the same wherever you study, whether in NYC or abroad. Undergraduates who choose a semester program will pay the usual “block” tuition rate for 12-18 credits; for short-term winter and summer programs, students will typically pay by the credit—just as you would in New York. For detailed information, visit the St. John's tuition page.

Program Fee

The program fee generally includes:

  • Accommodation
  • Partial meal plan (the number of meals varies by program)
  • Any included excursions or activities
  • Comprehensive international health insurance
  • For the Western Europe Semester programs, inter-country flights are also included.

For detailed information on your program, visit the Programs section of our website.

Visa and Immigration Paperwork Fee

All non-EU citizens may be required to obtain a visa for semester-long programs. Please refer to our Apply for a Visa page for specific program 

Airfare

Students are responsible for airfare to and from the program’s destination. Whatever program you choose, be sure to check with us—on your program’s Accepted Students page or by contacting us directly—before booking your flight.

We'll communicate the details directly with accepted students by email. 

Incidentals

Because incidental costs vary widely from student to student based on needs and budget, predicting how much money you'll spend during your time abroad can be challenging. As a general rule, we encourage students to plan for roughly $1,000 per month of stay for longer programs, and more for short-term programs—after all, many students buy the same number of souvenirs no matter how long they spend abroad! For a student’s perspective, be sure to visit the money section of our student guide.

Total Cost

When you add these costs together, you’ve arrived at the total cost of study abroad. But we strongly encourage you to discuss your personal financial situation with our “main” contacts at the Office of Student Financial Services: Kayon McKenzie on the Queens campus or Nemaris Rodriguez on the Staten Island campus. They can discuss your specific case—including any additional aid you’ll receive from St. John’s—and walk you through external scholarship options that may be available to you. And, as always, if you have any questions about costs associated with study abroad, or any other aspect of our programs, please contact our office.

St. John’s offers the following work opportunities for our students attending our semester programs. Learn how you can make study abroad more affordable while enhancing your resume.

Spring 2024

Semester in Rome:

Semester in in Paris: