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Cost & Financial Aid

Why Invest in a Study Abroad Experience?

Study abroad is an investment in your future – providing real-life, hands-on experiences that no classroom can match --

  • Leaving your comfort zone helps to develop independence, flexibility, and the capacity to operate effectively, learn quickly, and handle stress in unfamiliar and difficult situations.
  • Experiencing a new place can also open your eyes to different ways of thinking about the world, which supports cross-cultural awareness and competencies that can be brought to bear in addressing complex problems.
  • Immersion helps you to learn or enhance proficiency and confidence in speaking and understanding another language.
  • These experiences help to solidify personal ambitions and mold you into an informed global citizen with a competitive edge for employment in an increasingly borderless economy.

How Much Does it Cost to Study Abroad?

There is no simple answer to this question. The cost of your program depends on the location, length, and program type. Typically, short-term programs will cost between $3,000 and $8,000, semester-long programs will cost $8,000 to $21,000, and year-long programs will cost $13,000 to $40,000 -- including all costs.

When you view a CSUSB-led, Exchange program, or direct enroll program's electronic "brochure" on the goabroad website (click "search programs" and then select a program), you will see a cost tab that outlines expected expenses. The cost estimates for CSUIP programs are provided by the Chancellor's Office. 

Because the cost of living can be much lower in other countries than it is in Southern California, studying abroad is sometimes less expensive than attending CSUSB. At the same time, there are unique expenses (like airfare) that can quickly add up. For students who live with family while attending CSUSB, education abroad may also bring new or increased costs associated with accommodations, meals, and transportation. 

Financial Aid

Your financial aid package, with the exception of work study and some veterans benefits, generally travels with you when you study abroad on a CSUSB-approved semester-long or year-long program. Summer program funding is more situational. If you plan to use a Pell Grant, Cal Grant, Teach Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), State University Grant (SUG), Graduation Initiative Grant (GIG), tuition assistance, fee waiver, Federal Direct Loan, California Dream Loan, or any other University-, state-, or federally-funded source to cover costs associated with your education abroad program, the Education Abroad Office recommends that you make an appointment with Stevonna Lathan, the education abroad specialist in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, as an early step in program participation planning. You can also receive assistance through Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships walk-in advising, available Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. in University Hall (UH) 150. Note that if you choose to study abroad with a program that is not CSUSB-approved, you will not qualify for financial aid through CSUSB during the term(s) you are away from campus. All study abroad programs listed on the goabroad.csusb.edu website are CSUSB-approved unless otherwise explicitly noted. 

PELL GRANTS | In addition to unused Federal Pell Grant funding from the academic year, Pell Grant recipients may be entitled to a Pell 2 summer grant to help fund summer study abroad program participation. This award is typically 50% of your academic year Pell Grant where you are enrolled as a fulltime summer student (12+ units cumulative between Session A and Session B), and 25% of your academic year Pell Grant where you are enrolled part-time (6-11 units). If you enroll in less than 6 units, you are not entitled to summer financial aid.

LOANS | While you may qualify for summer term loans, many students choose to take out unused loans from their academic year financial aid package in order to cover expenses associated with summer study abroad. You can accept these loans in the student portal (note that if you have not previously accepted a loan, this requires the completion of loan entrance counseling and an e-promissory note). This must be done at least two weeks before the end of the Spring semester for your loan(s) to be disbursed. This is especially useful for covering program fees and airfare -- costs typically incurred during the Spring term -- as summer aid is not disbursed until the summer term officially begins.

TUITION GRANTS | The State University Grant (SUG) can be used to pay summer tuition and fees. To qualify, you must be enrolled in a cumulative 6 or more units across Session 1, Session 2, and the 10 week Summer Session. Your chances of receiving a SUG grant increase where you sign up for your summer courses immediately after enrollment opens. More information on summer financial aid.

STUDY-ABROAD SPECIFIC FUNDING | There are many scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial support that are only available to students who are studying abroad. Most require an application, and many are awarded based on merit and/or financial need. If you are planning to apply for these opportunities, you should begin preparing your applications early and be ready to meet various deadlines (which may be many months before your study abroad application is due). 

Veterans Benefits

In many cases, veterans benefits can be used to pay for some or all expenses incurred through participation in a CSUSB-led program. However, if you receive a stipend for a specific expense (for example, housing) you will be expected to pay for that portion of the Program Fee out of your benefits already received. The course that you complete through the study abroad program must also be required for your academic program of study, whether directly for your major or as one of your free electives (if you have already completed all of your free electives, you may not be eligible to use your veteran's benefits to cover the study abroad expenses).

Veterans benefits, with the possible exception of the CalVet Fee Waiver, cannot be used to participate in CSUIP programs in most cases.

The use of veterans benefits to fund participation in  Direct Enroll and Exchange programs is dependent on a variety of factors, including the fee payment structure, the institution's history of hosting previous veterans benefits recipients, and the host institution's certification status. In some cases veterans benefits can only be used if you take a leave of absence from CSUSB and enroll directly with a certified overseas institution with a parent school letter documenting a plan for coursework transfer. Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to identify certified international institutions by city.

Because the use of veterans benefits to study abroad is very context specific, if you are planning to use Veteran's Benefits as a part of your study abroad financial plan, you should speak with the campus' certifying official early in your program participation planning.