Finances for Study Abroad

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.

Semester in Rome:

• Resident Assistant

Semester in in Paris:

• Resident Assistant 
• Students spending the semester in Paris with a valid student entry visa are able to work up to 20 hours a week. St. John's students have worked previously as English-speaking babysitters and have found other jobs independently.

The Italian Cultural Center (ICC) seeks to encourage knowledge of and enthusiasm for Italy by funding talented students who have been accepted to study abroad at St. John’s Rome Campus during the summer, fall or spring sessions. Through the generosity of the ICC scholarship, SJU students have been awarded over $889,000  to date, to assist them with their study abroad experience.

Applicants must be currently matriculated undergraduate students who have completed their first year at St. John’s, have a minimum 3.25 GPA, and have commitment to sharing their learning abroad and their passion for Italy through a project or event upon their return to New York.

This award is applicable to the following St. John’s University programs, with the following awards:

• Rome Summer Session I or II: $1,500
• St. John's Semester in Rome: $2,000
• Western Europe Semester (WES): $1,500 (required class: Italian 1010 unless WES: Pharmacy)

To apply, please complete the online ICC Abroad: Passion for Italy scholarship application along with your study abroad application. 

Application deadlines are: Summer term – March 1; Fall semester – March 1; Spring semester - October 1

The Licari Scholarship, funded through a generous donation by CCPS Professor of Management & Marketing Andrea Licari, seeks to provide 3 to 5 grants of between $500 and $1000 to undergraduate and graduate students demonstrating high financial need to help defray the cost of their participation in a St. John's short-term summer or winter academic program abroad. 

Requirements:

Applicants must:

• have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• demonstrate financial need.  Priority will be given to students who are considered Pell-eligible. 

Deadline for Application

• For Winter programs: October 15
• For Summer programs: March 15

Simply click here to apply online!!

Through a generous donation by Francesco and Mary Giambelli, the fund will provide scholarship support for students pursuing international internships in Italy or students studying Italian. The scholarship award will be applied to help defray expenses for tuition, fees, room and board.

Requirements:

• Applicants must be Italian majors or minors
• Participating in St. John's Summer Session/s in Rome program -or- St. John's Semester in Rome program - Spring Term Only

Application Deadlines: Summer programs: March 15; Spring programs: October 15

Award amounts: 

Summer term: $5,000 

Spring term: $10,000

After completing the application process, qualified students will be recommended by the Languages and Literatures Faculty Committee, led by the Department Chair.

To learn more and to apply, please contact Dr. Annalisa Sacca or Dr. Florence Russo

Daikow Scholarship Fund 

Through a generous donation, the Daikow Fund will provide scholarship support for students pursuing study abroad opportunities. The scholarship award will be applied to help defray program expenses.

The Daikow Fund awards 3 Languages and Literatures majors and minors (1 awardee per discipline: French, Italian, and Spanish) who wish to study abroad.

Award amount: $4,000

Requirements include:

• Applicants must be Languages and Literatures majors and minors
• Must be approved for St. John’s University, Office of International Education Study Abroad or Exchange program
• After completing the application process, qualified students will be recommended by full time Languages and Literatures Faculty 

Application Deadlines:  Summer and Fall programs – March 15; Spring programs – October 15

To learn more about this amazing funding opportunity:

French Majors and Minors should contact Steve Puig, Associate Professor, Languages and Literatures

Italian Majors and Minors should contact Annalisa Sacca’, Professor, Languages and Literatures -or- Florence Russo, Associate Professor, Languages and Literatures 

Spanish Majors and Minors should contact Carmen Fernández Klohe, Associate Professor, Language and Literatures

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships are available to all Pell-eligible undergraduates who study abroad. Read the stories of six 2022 awardees in the International Spotlight: St. John's Gilman Scholars and about their return Home Again.

The Gilman Scholarship application is open for in-person programs that start between May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026. 

The deadline to submit your Gilman application is Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 11:59 Pacific Time (PT). Gilman does not accept late applications.

For more information, please visit the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship website. And check out the experiences of past recipients on the Gilman Global Experience Blog!

To learn more about the application process as well as other study abroad funding opportunities, please join the Office of International Education at an upcoming events:

Study Abroad Scholarships w/special focus on Gilman Application + Global Internships Info Sessions: 

• Tuesday, February 18th - Time: 2-3:00p. Location: OIE Conf. Room, MAR 210
• Monday, February 24th - Time: 2-3:00p.  Location: OIE Conf. Room, MAR 210 

When to Apply

• The Gilman Scholarship Program accepts applications twice per year.
• Ideally, students should begin their application one full semester before their study abroad program or internship is scheduled to begin.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

Approximately 800 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded during an academic year for U.S. citizen undergraduates to study abroad. Award amounts will vary depending on the length of study and student need, with the average award being $4,000. Undergraduate students who are receiving federal Pell Grant funding are eligible to apply.

Though the Gilman is a competitive scholarship nationwide, St. John's students have been awarded over $253k to date to assist them with their study abroad experience. 

For more information and to apply, please visit the Gilman Scholarship website

The Gilman-McCain Scholarship 

The Gilman-McCain Scholarship is a congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and named after the late senator John S. McCain from Arizona. The U.S. Department of State’s Gilman-McCain Scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs.

To be eligible for a Gilman-McCain Scholarship, an applicant must be:

• A citizen of the United States; An undergraduate student in good standing at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States 
   
• Dependent child of an active duty military member(s) during the time of application in one of the following branches: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard
   
• Recipient of any type of Title IV federal financial aid
   
• Applying for credit-bearing study abroad programs 

For more information and to apply, please visit the Gilman-McCain Scholarship Website

First-Generation Global Scholars is an initiative from Includifi to support first-generation students or recent graduates planning to study away. By writing insightful articles, capturing inspiring videos or pictures about your new surroundings, and sharing your personal growth, your experience will inform and inspire other first-gen students to go abroad and challenge them to rethink how study away experiences can be for everyone.  

Includifi will offer a $1000 stipend for summer programs. 

To learn more and to apply, please click here.

The Tortuga Backpacks Study Abroad Scholarship is awarded biannually to passionate students who want to explore the world. The scholarship may be used for tuition, room and board, books, or travel. Winners of the scholarship will receive $1,000 and a Tortuga backpack. Funds will be sent directly to the winner's study abroad program or university. In cases where this is not possible, alternative arrangements will be made. Additional information can be found on their website.

As and educational nonprofit, HI USA strives to help young Americans get out and experience the world. They provide two signature scholarship programs, Explore the World and Explore America, to travelers who need a financial boost along the way. Each year, these scholarships help over 100 young people transform their travel dreams into meaningful cultural experiences. 

To learn more and to apply, visit HI USA.

Going's mission is to help people travel and experience the world. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students who plan on studying abroad. Applicants must submit a three to four-minute video essay. Twice a year, two outstanding students will win $1500 scholarships toward their upcoming study abroad program. 

To learn more and to apply, get Going.

The Global Ambassadors Program is an initiative created for current students who are planning to study, intern, volunteer, or teach abroad. The Global Ambassadors will serve as global correspondents, sharing their experiences to motivate other members of the BeGlobalii and Diversity Abroad community to go abroad. 

Award amount: $1000

To learn more and to apply, click here.

The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) was established in 2010 to address the need for an independent study abroad scholarship provider. FEA is expanding access to education abroad by raising awareness of its benefits to the individual and its value to the collective, with scholarships of up to $5,000.

Applicants from groups underrepresented in study abroad and those individuals who are destined for non-traditional locations are given preference, in an effort to make the demographics of U.S. undergraduates studying abroad reflect the rich diversity of the U.S. population. More information can be found on their website. 

The Quad Fellowship is an initiative of governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. This first-of-its-kind scholarship program is designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists. 

To learn more and to apply, click here.

David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add an important international and language component to their educations. The program focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security.

All US citizens currently enrolled in an undergraduate institution and planning to study abroad in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand are eligible to apply.

The applications for the David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are available at www.borenawards.org

The Bridging Scholarship program will award 75 scholarships to American students participating in study abroad programs in Japan. Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study and attending any recognized exchange or independent program in Japan are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Recipients will receive stipends of $2,500 or $4,000, depending on the length of their study program in Japan.

Click here for more details.

Created to assist U.S. students with demonstrated financial need and limited prior experience in East and Southeast Asia, Freeman-ASIA will fund approximately 400 students over the next two academic years, with awards ranging from $3,000 per student for summer study and $5,000 per semester, to a maximum of $7,000 for a full year abroad. 

Click here for more details.

With the support of the United States government and through bi-national partnerships with foreign governments, the Fulbright Scholarship Program sponsors U.S. and foreign participants for exchanges in all areas of endeavor, including the sciences, business, academia, public service, government, and the arts and continues to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually.

For more information about the program and how to apply, please visit the Fulbright Scholar Program website. 

The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. It supports outstanding Ph.D. students from American universities who wish to conduct research in France for a period ranging from 4 to 9 months. Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition, through a collaborative process involving expert evaluators in both countries. The program is divided into two sections: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Health) and HSS (Humanities and Social Sciences).

To be eligible, candidates must be currently working on their Ph.D., be enrolled in an American University, and obtain a letter of recommendation from their advisor in the U.S., as well as a letter of invitation from a professor affiliated with a French university or research institution.

Benefits include a monthly stipend, health insurance for the entire duration of the fellowship, and a round-trip ticket to France.

More information can be found on their website.