Study Away & Wintersession

When you study away, your aid travels with you.

Costs and Financial Aid for Study Away Programs and Wintersession

Study Away Programs

Types of Study Away Programs

• Wellesley Programs: International study away programs sponsored or offered by Wellesley.
• Approved Programs: International study away programs sponsored or administered by other American or international colleges and universities and either pre-approved or petition approved for academic credit by the International Study Committee.
• Foreign Exchange Programs: International study away programs in partnership with Wellesley by reciprocal exchange.
• Domestic Exchange Programs: Including the 12-College Exchange Program and Spelman College. Study away programs within the United States and approved for academic credit by the International Study Committee.
• Visiting Student Programs: Including non-exchange study away programs within the United States. May be approved for academic credit.
  

  Costs

Like Wellesley, each study away program has a budget (i.e., "Cost of Attendance"). A study away budget includes expenses associated with the program's semester or academic year; and these expenses are common to all participants. A study away budget is neither a bill nor a financial aid offer. Rather, it is a resource for students to help prepare for their time away, and for SFS to calculate financial aid eligibility and bill students appropriately.

Please note that budgets typically do not include health insurance, passport fees, and visa fees, and never include tourist activity, souvenirs, and extracurricular travel.

• Wellesley Programs: The Office of International Study creates and has available the Study Abroad Budget Spreadsheet on their Affording Study Abroad website which lists each Wellesley Program. In most cases, budgets include the cost of Wellesley College tuition, room, and board, and estimated costs for airfare for one-round trip between the East Coast and the program location; books; and personal/other expenses (including local transportation).
  
• Approved Programs: The Office of International Study creates and has available the Study Abroad Budget Spreadsheet on their Affording Study Abroad website which lists the pre-approved and petition approved programs. Each budget includes the cost of Wellesley College tuition and estimated costs for room; board; airfare for one-round trip between the East Coast and the program location; books; and personal/other expenses (including local transportation).
  
• Foreign Exchange Programs : The Office of International Study creates and has available the Study Abroad Budget Spreadsheet on their Affording Study Abroad website which lists each Foreign Exchange Program. Each budget includes the cost of Wellesley College tuition and estimated costs for room; board; airfare for one-round trip between the East Coast and the program location; books; and personal/other expenses (including local transportation).
  
• Domestic Exchange Programs: Exchange colleges and universities create the cost of attendance budgets. This information should be available for review as a list of costs on the institution's website or upon request. Please note that students attending Spelman College should budget for the cost of Wellesley College tuition, not Spelman's. Wellesley financial aid recipients attending most domestic exchange programs are required to have their exchange program complete and submit our Cost Verification Form.
  
• Visiting Student Programs: Non-exchange, U.S. colleges and universities create budgets. This information should be available for review as a list of costs on the institution's website or upon request.

See also: Study Abroad: Making Sense of Your Budget & Bills (Power Point download)

Financial Aid and Other Resources

Students studying away may apply for need-based financial aid. The application process, requirements, and priority due date are the same as for students studying on campus. No additional forms are required for study away with one exception: those studying away at a Domestic Exchange Program or a Visiting Student Program must complete the Cost Verification Form.

For Wellesley Programs, Approved Programs, Foreign Exchange Programs, 12-College Exchange Programs, Spelman College, and Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Wellesley continues to meet 100% of the student's financial need, which equals her budget minus her calculated Family Contribution. However, if a 12-College Exchange Program budget exceeds the cost to attend Wellesley for the same period, then the student is responsible for the difference between budgets plus her calculated Family Contribution. Wellesley College Grant cannot be increased to cover any additional expense at a 12-College Exchange institution.

In contrast, if a Wellesley Program, Approved Program, or Foreign Exchange Program budget exceeds the cost to attend Wellesley for the same period, and the student is eligible for need-based Wellesley College Grant, then her grant increases by the difference between budgets. In this situation, the student's responsibility remains at the calculated Family Contribution.

Wellesley continues to calculate the Family Contribution using standard need-based formulae. The level of “self-help” aid packaged in a student’s offer (i.e., student loan and work study) remains at the same dollar level; however, student loan replaces work study since Wellesley cannot hire a student away from campus. In most cases, the student’s existing loan increases. If a student has no loan, one will be added to her package.

International students who study away at an accredited university in their home country or U.S. residents with dual citizenship who study away at an accredited university in a country in which they hold a passport, are not eligible for financial aid and pay all fees directly to the university abroad. Other students studying away at Mills College or a Visiting Student Program may be eligible for federal and/or state aid (ex, Federal Direct Loan and Federal Pell Grant). Some private aid (i.e., outside scholarships) may transfer, as well.

Billing & Payments

Wellesley student account charges vary based on program type with one exception: All students are charged the College's Health Insurance Plan. Students may waive enrollment in the plan to have the charge reversed on their accounts.

Wellesley Programs: If a student studies away at a Wellesley Program, then her EBill will reflect charges for Wellesley tuition, room, and board, and (in some cases) airfare. All other budgeted costs are encountered on demand and are paid by the student (ex, subway fare paid to a transportation attendant).

Approved Programs + Foreign Exchange Programs: If a student studies away at an Approved Program or a Foreign Exchange Program, then her EBill will reflect the charge for Wellesley tuition. Because Wellesley charges "home tuition," the student is not responsible for paying the program's tuition. The Office of International Study (OIS) pays tuition as billed by the program; and if the program charges a comprehensive program fee, then OIS will request a break-down of this fee and pay only the tuition portion (the remaining balance is the student's responsibility). If you receive a program bill that includes tuition, notify OIS. All other budgeted costs, such as room, board, or local transportation, are billed by the program and/or encountered on demand; and these costs are paid by the student.

Domestic Exchange Programs: If a student studies away at a Domestic Exchange Program, including the 12 College Exchange Program, then the exchange institution, not Wellesley, bills the student for all direct charges (i.e., tuition, room, board, and potentially other fees). As an exception, Wellesley will bill a student for Wellesley College tuition and the student will not be held liable for Spelman's tuition. Generally, indirect costs (i.e., books, personal, transportation) are encountered on demand.

Payments & Deadlines

Payment of Wellesley EBills is due by our regularly published deadlines. Please also refer to Billing & Payment for standard payment options. If you study away at an Approved Program and your family uses Nelnet to make monthly payments to Wellesley, your contract the semester you are not at Wellesley should be made for your Wellesley tuition balance. The Nelnet payment plan cannot be used as a means to pay other institutions or providers for travel, housing, meals or other expenses. If you have questions about how to make payments to others while institutions or programs, contact Student Financial Services for assistance.

Tip on anticipating your EBill balance: Once your cost of attendance budget and financial aid has been adjusted for your semester abroad, if your student account charges are greater than your financial aid credits, then you will owe Wellesley money. However, if your financial aid credits are greater than your charges, then Wellesley will owe you money. If Wellesley owes you money, this means you have a credit balance on your student account (i.e., your balance reflects a negative amount), and you may request a refund of your credit balance to help pay your other study away expenses. (In most cases, a refund plus a student's calculated Family Contribution should equal the non-tuition costs included in her budget.)

Requesting a Refund

If you anticipate a refund but your program bills you before you receive it, contact your program to request a payment deferment. Some programs require you to complete a deferment form and have it certified by our office. Others request that our office submits a letter confirming your financial aid. Advise us accordingly and we will be happy to assist you. Please submit all requests two weeks prior to the due date and provide the due date information. If deferment is not an available option to you, contact Student Financial Services for assistance. In some instances the Students' Aid Society may be a resource for students who experience payment timing issues for things like passport and visa fees and air travel costs.

1. Verify that your Workday Account shows an active credit balance (See Total Account Balance). While pending financial aid and payments are factored into the calculation of your Total Balance, they generally cannot be refunded. Please be advised that federal and institutional aid cannot pay to your account until approximately 10 days before the start of classes at Wellesley and therefore will appear as pending credits in the meantime. In some situations, pending credits may be refunded. For programs with start dates before Wellesley aid disburses, contact Student Financial Services for additional information.
   
2. Complete the Refund Request Form and return it directly to our office, or include the form's information in the body of an email and send it to sfs@wellesley.edu.
   
3. Check the status of your refund by monitoring your Workday account. It takes approximately 7-10 business days to process a refund request, and the funds are directly deposited into your bank account on file with the College.

Wintersession Programs (2024)

Types of Wintersession Programs

Short-term study away programs: These Wintersession programs are coordinated by Wellesley College faculty and staff and are held off-campus. Program location may be domestic (within the United States) or international (outside of the United States). Programs may be reviewed on the Office of International Study website. Instructors determine the cost of each program and should be consulted with questions regarding program cost.

On campus programs: These Wintersession programs are coordinated by Wellesley College faculty and staff and are held at Wellesley. There are no additional tuition costs for these programs. Students who reside on campus during Winter Break or Wintersession can find information about housing here.

MIT cross-registered programs: These Wintersession programs are offered by and held at MIT. These students are not permitted to live on campus in Wintersession 2022.

Costs and Financial Aid

Students who are approved to remain on campus during the winter break period will be billed $150 for room costs only, which will then be fully waived. Students who are approved to remain on campus during the wintersession period will be charged $1,000 (room and board); these costs will be partially waived, with $250 waivers applied to both room and board charges, for a total student cost of $500. Students who are considered independent, taking a course, unable to travel and who receive financial aid during the academic year should contact SFS regarding financial assistance. Other students who have been approved to be on campus and who are experiencing financial hardship should contact SFS directly.

Wellesley students receiving need-based financial aid during the academic year are eligible to receive grant and/or loan funding to help pay charges associated with short-term study-away programs. The amount of aid offered equals a percentage of their course charges, and the percentage is directly proportional to a student's financial need for the academic year.

Wintersession: Term Bill Charges

Wintersession charges appear on the December EBill and are due in January.