Learn How to Budget for an Education Abroad Program

Education Abroad program costs vary in many ways based on a country's cost of living and type of program. Depending on the type of program you choose, when, where and how you pay may be different. The budget guides and templates below will help you to prepare a budget for each type of program so that you can compare these costs to your current cost of attendance at K-State. For additional information about the fees and payment deadlines for different programs, refer to the Education Abroad Fees by Program Type below.

Budget Guides and Templates

Faculty-Led Programs

For faculty-led programs, a majority of the expenses associated with your program will be billed through KSIS. Each faculty-led program brochure will include a detailed budget sheet that breaks down the program fee, tuition and estimated personal expenses.

Exchange Programs

There are two types of exchange programs Tuition & Fees (T/F) and Tuition, Fees, Room & Board (T/F/R/B). Depending on the type of exchange, tuition, fees (room & board) will be billed to your KSIS account. Other costs will either be paid to the university abroad or out of pocket and can vary based on location and cost of living.

Direct enroll

For direct enroll programs, you will pay all tuition, fees and housing costs directly to the partner university. The only fees that will be billed through KSIS are the Education Abroad Admin Fee, Enrollment Fee and International Health Insurance.

Program Provider

For program providers, you will pay a program fee to the provider that can include tuition, housing, insurance, excursions, etc. What is included in the program fee varies by location and program provider. The only fees that will be billed through KSIS are the Education Abroad Admin Fee, and Enrollment Fee.

Education Abroad Fees by Program Type

Program Type	Fees Billed to KSIS	Fees Paid to Host	Out of Pocket Expenses
Faculty Led	Program Fee, Education Abroad Admin Fee, Health Insurance, Faculty-Led Tuition & Fees	N/A	Passport, Visa, Airfare, Meals, Personal Expenses
Exchange (T/F)	Education Abroad Admin Fee, Exchange Tuition, Health Insurance	Housing	Passport, Visa, Airfare, Meals, Personal Expenses
Exchange (T/F/R/B)	Education Abroad Admin Fee, Health Insurance, Exchange Tuition, Exchange Room & Board		Passport, Visa, Airfare, Personal Expenses
Direct Enroll	Education Abroad Admin Fee, Health Insurance	Tuition & Fees, Housing	Passport, Visa, Airfare, Meals, Personal Expenses
Program Provider	Education Abroad Admin Fee	Program Fee, Health Insurance	Passport, Visa, Airfare, Meals, Personal Expenses

Fees Billed to KSIS *Based on 2024-2025 Rates

These fees associated with Education Abroad are billed to your KSIS account based on term that you go abroad. For fall and spring semester programs, these fees will be due by the first day of classes at K-State, regardless of the start date of your program abroad. For summer programs, these fees will be posted by May 15th and will be due by June 15th.

Education Abroad Administrative Fee ($325, $375, $815): The administrative fees fund the Education Abroad unit and cover different services and facilitation provided by Education Abroad. For example, it may cover education abroad advising, processing of applications, program development, risk management and emergency response, orientation, workshops, materials, and other related services, as applicable to the type of program. The Education Abroad Admin fee is $325 for KSU in Italy, $375 for other faculty-led programs, and $815 for all other program types (exchange, direct enroll, program provider).

Health, Safety & Insurance Fee ($20/week): International health insurance is required for all students participating on affiliated KSU programs. This fee is applicable to all faculty-led, exchange and direct enroll programs and covers the cost of international health insurance as well as our application database. Students going through program providers will receive insurance through their program.

Exchange Tuition ($6,666): The exchange tuition fee is based on tuition and fees for 15 credit hours at the K-State in-state rate. The exchange fee is the same for all students regardless of resident status. This fee is used to cover the tuition and fees for an incoming exchange student who has paid their home institution to cover your tuition and fees abroad.

Exchange Room & Board ($6,680): Exchange room and board is based on costs of a traditional double room in the residence hall, Any 14 Meal plan and break housing costs in K-State on campus housing. This fee is used to cover the housing and meal costs for an incoming exchange student who has paid their home institution to cover your room and board abroad.

Faculty-Led Tuition & Fees (variable): Tuition and Fees for faculty-led programs are billed based on your regular program of study at K-State (Manhattan, Polytechnic, K-State Online, or Olathe). A typical faculty-led program is usually 3 credit hours.

Fees Paid to Host University or Program

These fees are paid directly to the host university or program provider and have varying deadlines depending on the university or program provider. However, it is sometimes possible to defer payment until K-State financial aid is disbursed for the term of your program.

Housing: Housing options vary in type and cost depending on the program you choose. Housing options may include residence halls, apartments or even homestays. Deadlines to submit final payments for your housing vary by host university or program.

Tuition & Fees: For direct enroll programs, you will be paying the host university tuition at the non-resident rate. Depending on the country, the tuition could be more, similar or less than a semester at K-State. Payment deadlines vary by host university or program.

Program Fee: Program Providers typically charge one program fee that includes tuition, housing, cultural activities, insurance, etc. When reviewing the program fee, please make sure you understand what is and what is not included in this fee.

Out of Pocket Expenses

It is important when budgeting for an education abroad experience to consider how much you will spend on your program out of pocket. Some of these expenses are paid up front (passport, visa, and airfare) whereas other expenses are paid once you arrive in country (such as meals and personal expenses).

Passport: Applying for a passport is one of the first things you will want to do if you are considering going abroad. If you already have a passport, you will want to make sure it will not expire within 6 months of your program end date.

Visa: Depending on the country where you are planning to study and how long you plan to be there, you may need to apply for a visa. If you do need a visa, some costs you may incur are related to the visa application fee, cost of travel to consulate (if you need to appear in person) and postage costs.

Airfare: Airfare can vary greatly depending on where you are going, how far in advance you are booking your ticket and which airport you are flying from. For example, flying out of Manhattan will have a different cost than flying from Kansas City or Wichita.

Meals: In most cases, meals are not included in the program fee and will be something that you need to pay for out of pocket. Meal costs can vary by cost of living in the country and how much you plan to cook for yourself vs. eat out at restaurants. Sometimes, when students opt to live with a host family, meals are included.

Personal Expenses: Personal expenses can vary a lot by student and by cost of living in a country. Personal expenses may include local transportation, entertainment, weekend travel, toiletries, etc.