Education abroad programs attract over 400 BGSU students a year to countries ranging from Australia to Africa.

In addition to paying for their general education, the students who choose to participate in the program are required to pay extra fees to cover the expenses of studying abroad.

Although prices may increase, students are just pre-paying for activities they would have to pay for anyway once they are overseas.

The fees for studying abroad include application fees to cover the administrative costs of a program, room and board fees associated with a particular program, group travel expenses which include costs to museums, events and local group transportation costs and in-country program expenses directly linked to academic goods and services such as classroom rental costs, books, supplies and guest lecturers, said Nicole Anderson, interim director of the education abroad program.

The price varies from program to program and depends on whether the student chooses to go for a semester or during the summer. The cost is reviewed every year and is approved in the fall by the Board of Trustees, said Kathy DeBouver, secretary of the continuing and extended education department.

Anderson explained why the education abroad fees increase or decrease from year to year. “Reductions in fees may reflect efforts by program directors to reduce program costs to minimize financial barriers to study abroad. Increases in fees may reflect increased expenses passed along by partnering institutions overseas.”

Sue Sidor, of the German-Russian department, noted that the Salzburg programs haven’t increased significantly.

“Any changes that have occurred are due to the decreasing value of the American dollar when converted to Euros,” Sidor said.

“These program fees are a necessary part of providing students with the outstanding opportunity to take courses towards their degree at BGSU while living in a foreign country,” Anderson said. “The university strives to keep associated costs as low as possible while providing students with an exceptional educational experience.”