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Finances and Scholarships

Financing Off-Campus Study

Denison students may spend one semester on an approved off-campus study program with all awarded institutional, need-based, or merit aid, except work-study. Denison charges semester students for tuition, housing & meals, and OCS Administrative Fee ($1260 for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, subject to change). Students will pay the program's application fee and confirmation deposit. Denison pays the program providers' standard expenses, which include program tuition, meals, and housing. For students with demonstrated financial need, Denison will provide a flight allowance to assist with the cost of travel to their host city ($500 for US programs, $1,000 for international programs). Students studying on short-term programs (Summer, J-term, or Denison Seminars) have different billing policies. Please click the applicable term below to read the full policy.

While off-campus, you may have other expenses that are not included in your program fees, and you should begin saving money and creating a budget as soon as possible. Some of these expenses include local transportation, entertainment, buying souvenirs or clothing, luggage, and the cost of travel to your respective host cities. For tips on creating a budget and saving money, please view our guide to Money While Traveling Abroad.

If you are a student who is interested in OCS or if you have been accepted to an OCS program, please click below to read the full policy for your program. In addition, the Scholarships & Grants section contains a list of outside scholarships specifically geared to study abroad students. We recommend you speak with Meghan Mason about any scholarship applications.

For answers to commonly asked questions, please see our FAQs page.
 
The OCS Administrative Fee (currently $335 for summer 2025) will be billed on student accounts for off-campus study. 

Because Denison does not offer a summer or winter term, there is no financial aid available from Denison for these programs. Many providers offer need-based scholarships and there are a small number of outside organizational scholarships students can apply for (see below). We recommend that students look carefully at the costs listed on provider websites. When doing so, consider not just the program fee, but also other estimated fees (e.g., housing, food budget, local transportation, transportation to your host site). Note that typically the more credits a program offers, the higher the cost, so if you want to keep costs lower look at programs where you can earn 3-4 credits in the summer. You can read more about applying to J-Term and Summer programs here.

Costs, Financial Aid, Billing and Fees General Guidelines

  • All students participating in an approved off-campus program remain registered at Denison. They are charged Denison tuition, housing, and meal plan for the semester abroad. This applies to students living on campus as well as commuter students. 
  • Tuition will be equal to Denison’s full-time tuition charges which covers up to 18 credits.  Each credit over 18 will generate an additional fee at the current excess hour/hourly tuition rate.  The housing and meals costs will be equivalent to the current Denison Housing & Meals fee. Students are also charged a non-refundable off-campus program administrative fee.
  • Students may apply all awarded financial aid [merit and need-based aid] for one semester to the cost of the off-campus study program, except work-study. 
  • In the instance that a student pursues a second semester of off-campus study, merit and institutional need based aid will be applied if they meet the following exceptions:
    • 1) language majors and minors participating in language intensive programs; 
    • 2) non-language majors where two semesters are mandatory parts of the program.

Students who meet these qualifications may, if they have demonstrated need, also receive an additional flight allowance.

Merit and institutional need based aid will not be applied to a second semester of off-campus study for students who do not meet the aforementioned exceptions. In these instances, students are charged Denison’s full tuition, plus the housing and meal plan for each semester of off-campus study, including the Off Campus Program Administrative Fee. There is no flight allowance provided for the second semester. 

  • Students are billed according to the regular billing cycle.
  • Denison pays the program providers’ standard expenses, minus program deposits, application fees, commitment fees, or a combination thereof [see below]. This includes tuition and other costs that are mandatory parts of the program (e.g. housing and meals, mandatory excursion fees, health insurance). 
  • In instances where the off-campus program does not provide meals and/or housing, students will receive an allowance to cover those expenses according to estimates from the provider. 
  • Denison does not pay for any program provider or host institution non-refundable deposits, application fees, commitment fees, or combination thereof.  
  • Denison does not pay for excursions that are not required by the program or course of study while the student participates in the program. This includes extra-curricular activities such as optional tours and field trips. Students will pay these fees on their own, from their personal funds.
  • For students with any level of demonstrated need, Denison will provide a one-time travel allowance of $1000 for foreign destinations, and $500 for domestic (US) destinations. Included in the allowance is a $100 provision for baggage. Denison will not provide additional funds for oversized/excess baggage, seat reservation fees, extra legroom or additional add-ons charged by the airline.
    • Students with demonstrated need will receive direct communication from the Center for Global Programs when the allowance is distributed. 
    • Funds are disbursed after students are approved by the Center for Global Programs and after they are accepted into the program. Students must have ACH/wire transfer setup with the University to receive the funds.
  • Denison pays for supplemental emergency insurance coverage [EIIA]. 
  • Most off-campus study providers build health insurance into the program and Denison pays when it is invoiced for it. If the program does not provide insurance, and it is required, students will have to purchase health insurance on their own. Students using Denison's student health insurance plan will need to submit any claims for reimbursement as all international providers are out-of-network. Students not on Denison’s health insurance plan are expected to ensure that their personal plans will provide adequate coverage while abroad for ongoing and chronic conditions and non-emergency health events. 
  • The Denison tuition benefit and GLCA tuition remission may be applied to off-campus programs as applicable.
  • Outside and program awards: Awards offered directly from the program provider do not provide any additional financial assistance and will not reduce the amount a student will be required to pay, nor will it result in a surplus of funds. Students are advised not to apply for them. In some cases these additional awards can decrease aid awarded by Denison.
  • Students should inform the Office of Financial Aid and the Center for Global Programs if they plan to apply for outside scholarships, e.g. Gilman Scholarships. The student’s financial aid package may be adjusted according to the amount received. Some outside scholarships present exceptions to the general policy, e.g. Boren Fellowship. These will be managed separately and on a case-by-case basis.
  • Students who withdraw from the university to attend any off-campus program are not eligible to receive transfer credit. 
 

Student Responsibilities

  • Students are responsible for paying Denison tuition, housing and meals, Denison health insurance fee, the non-refundable Off-Campus Program Administrative Fee and any other charges on their student account in full by Denison’s due date. Failure to pay the student account will result in suspension of study abroad eligibility and the assessment of applicable penalties as outlined in the Student Financial Responsibility Policy. 
  • Students are required to establish ACH/wire transfer payment for meal allowances and any other funds provided by Denison. 
  • Denison's health insurance is an annual plan that covers both semesters. Students may waive the health insurance if they are covered by another plan, but that waiver will cover both semesters. If students are not covered by another plan, they must purchase the Denison insurance plan.
  • Students are responsible for paying Program Provider upfront charges, e.g, deposits, tuition deposits, housing deposits, education abroad fees, application fees, commitment fees, or combinations thereof. 
  • Unless otherwise noted in Global Tools, Denison will only pay for the least expensive housing option, often referred to as a “standard option” by the program/host institution. Students selecting housing that includes a supplemental fee for enhanced accommodation, including catering, are subject to additional charges and will be billed separately by the provider or host institution for those charges.
  • Specific housing (usually a homestay) is required on some programs.
  • Students are required to arrive by the designated move-in/orientation date and stay until all examinations and any other program requirements are completed. Denison does not pay for travel other than to and from the study abroad site. Denison does not pay for flights during vacation or break periods.
  • Students are responsible for any penalties or cancellation fees associated with changes to airline travel arrangements. 
  • The student is responsible for extra student fees/items included on the program and billed to Denison. These include, among other things, tutorials, books, art course fees, lab fees, course supplies, music lesson fees, athletic fees, and other expenses that are not the standard costs of the program [tuition, meals, housing, health insurance].
  • The student is responsible for any expenses that are not part of program costs billed by the provider to Denison. These expenses may include: 
    • personal travel and sojourns
    • personal expenses
    • food costs above those budgeted by the program
    • personal meals/snacks during personal sojourns/discretionary travel
    • lodging during travel to and from the host city
    • passport, visa fees, residency permits 
    • local transportation 
    • equipment, gear, supplies required for courses taken off-campus
    • immunizations
    • security fees
    • cell phones, extra cell-phone data, additional WiFi data
 

This list is not exhaustive. It is important for students to remember that incidental and personal expenses are, in almost all cases, significantly higher for off-campus programs because of personal travel and other activities undertaken on a voluntary basis.

 
  • Students with demonstrated financial need may make a one-time request up to $500 for funds to cover visas and visa-related travel, passport renewals/applications, immunizations, and some incidentals related directly to the study abroad program, subject to review by the Center for Global Programs. More information about that may be found here.
  • Denison requires that students participate fully and responsibly in all academic aspects of the proposed off-campus study program, including required language and area studies courses, and/or a homestay stipulation. Failure to complete the academic aspects of the program will result in a grade of “TF” for the off-campus study placeholder course listed on the Denison academic record for the term abroad. There are no refunds if students fail courses and/or fail to fulfill all academic aspects of the program. 
  • Students are enrolled for a holding place registration of 12 credits for each term of off-campus study in order to report full-time study to the Federal Clearinghouse to facilitate the portability of financial aid and/or to use 529 college funds.  Students are, therefore, required to enroll for at least 12 transferable U.S. semester credits for each semester of off-campus study, but may choose to enroll for up to 18 U.S. semester credits per semester. Additional charges may be assessed for each registered hour in excess of 18 hours [see above]. Students should consider these costs at the time they apply to the program and consult the Denison Catalog and the Office of the Registrar for advice and further details. A student may request twice during their Denison career to take up to 20 hours and request to waive the excess credit hours fee. Any such request should be submitted with this form to the Registrar's Office prior to the beginning of the semester in question. Any hours over 18 will be billed to the student account. Excess hour fees that are not waived will remain on the student’s account. 
  • The University is under no obligation to transfer coursework or apply transferred coursework toward specific degree requirements unless that coursework has been approved in advance. Students wishing to apply a course toward a GE, major, minor, or concentration requirements must receive approval directly from the relevant department/program.  Other coursework for transfer credit will be evaluated through the combined efforts of the Registrar, the Center for Global Programs, and, as necessary, specific departments/programs.
  • It is not possible for Denison to predict world events or assure that a study abroad experience is entirely risk-free. Rarely, but occasionally in the past, emergencies (dangerous conflicts, natural disasters, COVID-19 pandemic etc.) have resulted in alteration or cancellation of an off-campus study program for which a student has been approved. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of all program policies regarding suspension/cancellation and implications for their academic program
 

Withdrawal Policies

  • Students are responsible for knowing, in advance, a program’s withdrawal policy. If a student officially withdraws from a program after confirming participation, the student is responsible for any unpaid program deposits, as well as any late withdrawal charges assessed by the program provider. These charges will be placed on the student’s Denison account. If a student intends to dispute these charges, they must work with the program provider. 
  • In the event of an official withdrawal from the program after the first day of Denison’s classes, a student may receive a partial refund of tuition and housing & meals. The withdrawal process begins once the student notifies the Center for Global Programs. The student will not be considered withdrawn until the intent to withdraw is communicated to and confirmed by the Center for Global Programs. 
  • If a student withdraws from a program before the program ends the student is required to reimburse all allowances provided by Denison. Travel allowances must be reimbursed at 100%.  Meal and/or housing allowances shall be reimbursed on a prorated basis according to Denison's withdrawal schedule.  
  • Upon withdrawal, any adjustments to the student’s account are automatically made in accordance with Denison University refund policies. Questions regarding the amount of refund or forfeiture of charges should be directed to the office of Student Accounts. Additional information can be found at the university website.

Deferment Policy

  • If a student defers participation to a different term of study the Off-Campus Study Administrative fee must be paid again. 
 

STUDENT IMPACTS OF A WITHDRAWAL

PROGRAM PROVIDER COSTS AND FEES

DENISON COSTS

ALLOWANCES

Based on the provider’s withdrawal policy. 

Tuition: Prorated per Denison’s withdrawal schedule. 

 

Housing & Meals: Prorated per Denison’s withdrawal schedule. 

 

Off Campus Study Administrative Fee: Billable. Not refundable, non-reversible, non-transferrable to a different term of study

Airfare: Student is responsible for  reimbursing Denison 100% of the airfare cost. 

 

Housing & Meals: Student is responsible for reimbursing Denison based on the Denison withdrawal schedule. 
 
 

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