Application fee
A non-refundable $95 fee must accompany your application. No application will be processed without it.

Enrollment confirmation deposit
A non-refundable $750 tuition deposit is applied toward fees and is payable upon acceptance. Places cannot be held without this deposit, which is non-refundable under any circumstances once a student has been confirmed.

Payment online
AIFS fees can be paid online by credit card. Access the AIFS website, - www.aifsabroad.com for details.

Balance of fees
Fall semester fees are due June 1 for Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Hyderabad, London Internship, Perth, São Paulo, Stellenbosch, Suzhou, Viña del Mar Wellington and Wollongong July 1 for all other programs. Spring semester fees are due November 1 for London Internship and Berlin and November 15 for all other programs.

Damage deposit
All students are required to pay a damage deposit of $250 each semester with program fees. The deposit is used, if necessary, to cover costs of damages or other charges incurred in student or family residences or to replace library books not returned. Any unused portion of the deposit will be returned approximately 3 months after the student’s departure from campus (deductions are not always known before departure). In some countries, utility bills arrive once every three months, which prolongs the time required to determine the refund.

Fees include

• Housing and meals while at the university as described in individual program descriptions
• Comprehensive insurance/assistance package
• Tuition fees, registration fees and examination charges
• Orientation programs as described for specific programs
• Certain field trips, excursions and cultural activities
• Membership in libraries and university student clubs as described for specific programs
• Official transcript

Fees do not include

• Non-refundable application fee ($95) or damage deposit ($250 per semester)
  
• Housing and meals during breaks and spring vacation*
  
• Optional AIFS Flight Package (round-trip flights and airport transfers plus 2-night visit to London for programs in Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Cannes, Florence, Granada, Grenoble, Madrid, Limerick, Maynooth, Paris, Prague, Rome, Salamanca and Salzburg.)
  
• Textbooks and laboratory fees
  
• Passport and visa fees (except for St. Petersburg)
  
• Excess baggage charges
  
• Personal spending money
  
• Orientation programs during the second semester for full-year students
  
• Vacation travel or local transportation (unless noted in program description)
  
• Beverages with meals

*Dormitories are usually closed during breaks and vacations. Although some campuses allow students to stay at the university, meals are not provided. Most students take advantage of the breaks to travel for additional enrichment and education.

Enrollment for a full year
Students enrolling for a full year (two semesters) at the same campus receive a fee reduction of at least $1,000 towards their second semester fee as indicated in the program chapter. See page 463 for full year fees.

Students who wish to enroll for a full year at 2 different campuses will receive a reduction of $1,000 on the second semester fee. Contact AIFS at 800.727.2437 to find out the exact fee reduction available for your chosen second campus.

Dual campus students
Students who wish to switch from one campus program to another in the second semester are advised to check the visa regulations with the consulate of the second program’s country before leaving the U.S. Many consulates may not give Americans a student visa unless they apply for the visa at a consulate in the U.S. and are not allowed (by their government) to issue a student visa more than three months before the start of the semester. As a result, some consulates require American students to return to the U.S. between semesters to obtain a student visa for the second semester (therefore, dual campus student may need to spend the December break in the U.S.).

Extension of stay
If you decide that you would like to stay beyond the time indicated on your original application, you must notify the AIFS Connecticut Office and the Resident Director in writing by November 1. As described above, you will receive an automatic fee reduction of at least $1,000 towards the second semester fee. Contact AIFS at 800.727.2437 to find out the exact fee reduction available.

Early withdrawal for full year students
If you wish to withdraw at the end of the first semester, you must notify the Resident Director and AIFS in writing no later than four weeks before the current term ends. A revised invoice will reflect actual time spent on campus less non-refundable payments. AIFS students may not withdraw from a full-year program and arrange independent study at the same institution.

Procedures for changing status
Change in your status on the same campus may be implemented without extra charge up to one month before the program begins. Students requesting a change of status should write to their AIFS Admissions Officer. Once abroad, all plans must be discussed with the Resident Director well in advance of an impending change. There is no refund to students who leave one campus early or arrive at the other late because of differences in academic calendars. Students wishing to change campuses should be aware of differences in curricula and are responsible for notifying their home institution of any change. Transportation between campuses is the student’s responsibility.

The right to refunds is limited. All withdrawals must be in writing either by mail to AIFS Study Abroad, Academic Year and Semester Programs, American Institute For Foreign Study, 1 High Ridge Park, Stamford, CT 06905 or by fax to 203.399.5597.

Refunds prior to the start of the program
Using the postmark or fax date of a student’s withdrawal letter as the official withdrawal date (or next business day if this is a weekend), the following applies:

A refund policy similar to the above applies to a full-year student who has paid spring fees but wishes to withdraw at the end of the first semester/quarter. The start date for the spring semester is used.

In addition:

• If AIFS cancels a program, participants will be notified within 7 days and a full refund or, at the participant’s request, credit toward another program will be made within 14 days of cancellation. AIFS will not cancel a program less than 10 days before scheduled departure unless circumstances exist which make it impossible for it to continue.
  
  
• In the unlikely event that the U.S. State Department issues a travel warning which advises U.S. citizens not to travel to the program site, AIFS will:
  
  
  • suspend the program if it has not already started. In this case students will receive a full refund of all fees paid minus the non-refundable deposit and application fee of $845 and $1,000.
    
    
  • suspend the program and fly students home if the program is already in operation. Students returning home early because of a State Department warning will receive a pro-rata rebate for tuition, board and lodging for the portion of the program not delivered, less the nonrefundable deposit and application fee of $845 and costs incurred flying home early.
    
    
• If a program undergoes major changes and participants elect in writing to withdraw from the program, a full refund of all payments except the non-refundable deposit and application fee of $845 will be processed within 14 days of the cancellation. Major changes mean significant changes in program dates or destination cities. Minor alterations including reversed itineraries will not result in refunds.


• Students who have selected the flight option and withdraw after tickets are issued will be subject to flight charges and cancellation fees.

Refunds once a program has started

• Students choosing to leave the program early for personal or other reasons are not entitled to any refund. Completion of academic credit will be determined on a case by case basis. Students dismissed for disciplinary reasons receive no refunds of any kind and forfeit all academic credit.
  
  
• There are no refunds for meals, accommodation, cultural activities/ excursions, tuition or transportation missed by students for any other reasons other than those listed above once the program has started.

Financial aid
Financial aid cannot be applied towards deposits, flight fees, or optional excursion fees.

Learn about AIFS Scholarships and Grants

Most forms of federal, state and private financial aid or loans may be applied to AIFS study abroad programs with approval of your home institution. Details are available from your campus financial aid officer or study abroad advisor. If you plan to use your financial aid award to pay AIFS fees, you should apply early to meet aid application deadlines. Rules of eligibility are determined by federal, state and local authorities. The student must pay, by the final payment deadline, the program fee less approved financial aid or loans that will be disbursed after the payment deadline. The student is responsible for ensuring that any outstanding balance is paid by the aid disbursement date. The student is responsible for full payment of fees regardless of any change to expected financial aid and or loan amounts.

Federal awards
—NSEP (available for programs in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Eastern Europe and Latin America where language is part of the study program - many AIFS programs qualify). Gilman; Pell (federal) grants; SEOG (federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants); Federal loans—PLUS; Federal Perkins loans; Federal subsidized Stafford loans; Federal unsubsidized Stafford loans.

Other sources may include
State aid (varies from state to state); Merit awards/scholarships from your institution; Merit awards/scholarships from community-based organizations; ROTC scholarships; Rehabilitation educational assistance; AIFS and Diversity Scholarships.

Guaranteed program fees
The program fees for all programs quoted are guaranteed for the fall semester of 2018 and spring semester of 2019 and will not increase due to currency fluctuations; however, optional AIFS Flight Package fees are subject to adjustment resulting from government or airline surcharges (e.g. fuel) imposed subsequent to catalog publication (August 2017). Please see www.aifsabroad.com for updated information on current fees including optional AIFS Flight Package. The AIFS website includes a comprehensive “full price” listing of all costs including tuition and fees and AIFS Flight Package.

Changes and cancellations
AIFS reserves the right to make cancellations, changes or substitutions in emergencies, changed conditions or in the interest of each student group.