But this is not always the case. The questions you must therefore ask, in choosing a program and location, must concern not only what it costs, but how it can be afforded. Finally and obviously, costs vary by program duration. Program costs also vary according to the financial resources and policies of U.S. institutions. Other institutions ask you to pay a small or large home-campus administrative fee, but otherwise you pay whatever is charged by the domestic or foreign program sponsor.
Some campuses have one fee for their own programs, and another set of charges for other programs.
Sometimes, if you are trying to transfer credit into your institution from a program which has not been pre-approved, there is a charge per credit unit. As you read campus and program materials and try to estimate the full costs of study abroad, you should become absolutely certain what is, and is not, covered in the stated fees. While an aggregate figure may be stated, read the fine print carefully. Be especially alert to when the program formally begins and ends, in relation to your arrival and departure, and whether vacation and holiday periods are covered. In addition, you must take into account the costs of your social life, of buying clothing and souvenirs, of mail and other long-distance communications.