Program Billing and Expenses

The comprehensive fee for a one-term program covers tuition, housing and food, and program-related expenses. Travel to the seminar site, visa, books, and personal expenses are the student’s own financial responsibility, as they are when studying on campus. In the unlikely event that a program is cancelled, these costs remain the student’s responsibility.

Billing and financial aid are handled as on campus.

Participants in Carleton summer seminars are eligible to receive aid and are required to take a term’s leave of absence during the academic year, typically winter term.

Carleton Program Withdrawal Policy

Students who withdraw from a Carleton term-length program after signing the Off-Campus Study Agreement Form and before the beginning of the program will be required to pay a $500 withdrawal fee plus any costs incurred on their behalf (including, but not limited to, monies advanced on their behalf for non-refundable deposits, tickets, airfare or other travel documents, legal documents and fees, housing deposits, etc.). Students withdrawing for documented medical reasons will pay a $500 withdrawal fee only. All withdrawals before the start of the program should be made in writing to the Director of Off-Campus Studies at Carleton. Withdrawals after the off-campus program has begun should be made in writing to the Faculty Director on site.

Students who withdraw from a program in session with the permission of the Director of Off-Campus Studies and/or for documented medical reasons may be eligible for a partial tuition refund according to the standard College policy outlined in the Academic Catalog. Eligibility will be computed from the first day of the program abroad, not according to the on-campus calendar.

• A refund of 25 percent of tuition will be made if the student withdraws during the first 25 percent of the term; financial aid will be reduced proportionately.
• Tuition will be reduced in the case of illness: one-half will be returned if the student withdraws because of illness before the end of the fifth week of the program term, after which no fee will be refunded.
• No refunds will be made to students suspended or dismissed from a program.

If the student withdraws from a program to participate in another off-campus study program, the student must apply and receive separate approval for the second program.

If the student withdraws from a seminar and wishes to return to campus, the student may ask the Dean of Students to place his or her name on the space-available list.  

Carleton Global Engagement Program fees are posted on the program websites. Carleton students pay the published fees and financial aid can be adjusted accordingly. The restriction to one non-Carleton program (detailed below) does NOT apply and there is no $500 administrative fee.

Carleton students pay the published program fee for most non-Carleton programs, which may be more or less than a Carleton term. Airfare, books, and personal expenses are not generally included, but when comparing program costs, be sure that you are comparing apples to apples. For example, are meals included in the program fee? How about excursions? What are the housing options and expenses? Your program provider should provide a comprehensive cost estimate on their website or upon request.

For all non-Carleton programs, financial aid, grants, and scholarships can be applied to ONE non-Carleton off-campus study program only. You are responsible for paying the application fee, if there is one, and the deposit required by that program directly to the sponsoring institution, often to confirm your place in the program.

Students participating in non-Carleton off-campus study programs pay a $500 administrative fee. The fee will be charged to the student’s Carleton account after the Application for a non-Carleton OCS program has been approved.

If you want your financial aid to apply to non-Carleton programs or if you are paying the College through a monthly payment plan, you must make the following arrangements with the Business Office, Leighton 109:

1. Ask the sponsoring institution to send the bill or invoice (not a program brochure) with your name and program name to the Carleton Business Office, or, forward it to the Business Office if you receive it from the institution.
2. Provide the Business Office with complete information as to the address of the sponsoring institution and the schedule of payments due.
3. Make those arrangements before leaving campus. Remember that it is your responsibility to see that bills are paid and to supply all necessary information.
4. After July 1, Carleton will pay the billed amount to the program sponsor and then bill you the difference between that amount and your financial aid (excluding work). The due date for remittance is August 15.

Check with the institution about billing procedures and deadlines. It is your responsibility to convey that information to your parents and to the Business Office before you leave campus. Program fees are established by the sponsoring institution and are usually based on the academic calendar year of that institution. Fifteen-week semester programs are more common than 10-week term programs. That means that participation in a fall semester program may be more expensive than fall term at Carleton, because you are paying for up to 28 credits and 15 weeks of room and board (compared to Carleton’s 18 credits and 10 weeks of room and board). Conversely, a spring semester program (which replaces winter and spring terms at Carleton) may be less expensive. A program deposit fee and expenses not included in the program fee, such as travel, are your responsibility. In any case, your financial aid will be adjusted based on the actual cost of attendance.

Financial aid, including government grants and loans, is not available for non-Carleton summer programs.