The Study Abroad Foundation (SAF) Program Fee

Transcription

1 The Study Abroad Foundation (SAF) Program Fee This statement provides SAF participants and their parents/guardians with information regarding the costs of participating on an SAF-sponsored study abroad program. Introduction: SAF is a non-profit foundation and makes special arrangements with universities to receive our visiting, non-degree, study abroad students. The SAF Program Fee includes the cost of participating on an SAF program at a SAF member (host) university including SAF student services. Korean member universities joined the SAF International University Network to allow SAF study abroad programs to be made available to its students. The SAF International University Network comprises of a group of top-ranked universities in Asia, N. America, Australasia and Europe. Through membership in SAF, students attending 23 Korean universities are able to join especially designed SAF programs at SAF host universities and very importantly transfer credit toward their undergraduate degree program at their home university. As part of the agreement between SAF and student s home university, SAF provides a range of services to students which, together with services provided directly by SAF host universities, constitute the SAF Program Fee. Formal/structured study abroad programs at foreign universities are relatively common in North America, but have only recently been introduced to Asia. In this context SAF and its member universities in Asia are pioneering a new model of undergraduate international student mobility and thereby extending new opportunities to students in Asia. SAF encourages all member universities to reduce the cost of study abroad: sending universities by reducing or eliminating any fees charged whilst students are abroad and hosting universities by reducing the fees they charge SAF and/or by granting scholarships. However, SAF students are participants in a formal study abroad program and they are not regular degree-seeking students at their host university. Study abroad (visiting student) programs incur considerable additional programming and administration expenses which are not always or fully offset by tuition reductions and/or scholarships SAF receives from our host universities. 1

2 The comprehensive SAF Program Fee includes the following: Student Services: Personalized study abroad advising from an SAF counselor Submission of application materials and follow-up to secure an admission decision Personalized advice and necessary support and documentation to make application for a student visa Guaranteed, pre-arranged accommodation (in a standard double room while classes are in session), typically on campus in university residence halls or universitymanaged apartments. Arrival transportation and host university move-in coordination Academic records maintenance and transfer credit coordination Grade and credit query assistance Local trouble-shooting assistance (i.e. with course registration, housing issues, etc.) 24/7 emergency assistance through SAF Headquarters (SAF HQ) in Indianapolis, the SAF Country Offices (Seoul, Shanghai, Taichung, Tokyo) and emergency assist travel insurance Participation in the SAF alumni network, upon return to home Host University Payments: Admission Application Fee Visiting Student Tuition (based upon enrollment in humanities and social sciences disciplines or intensive English language program occasionally fees to study in architecture, business or engineering, etc. are higher; students are also responsible for any additional course related fees such as laboratory or studio fees) Mandatory University Fees (such as transportation fee, technology fee, international orientation and/or international services fees, etc.; university-sponsored medical insurance costs are only included in the SAF Program Fee if such coverage is mandatory and cannot be waived) Housing Application Fee & Housing Deposit (housing deposits, where required, are included in the SAF Program Fee and will be refunded at the end of the program when the student vacates their residence in good condition. Depending upon the SAF host university, the housing deposit may be refunded directly to student, while other host universities will refund directly to SAF. If the refund is sent to SAF, SAF will refund the housing deposit monies to the student). 2

3 Housing Costs (beginning with the host university housing contract start date and provided only while classes are in session), in a standard double room (university meal plans costs are not included although students may be required to purchase a meal plan by their host university) Transcript Issuance Fee (if necessary) The comprehensive SAF Program Fee does not include the following: The costs of meals (unless otherwise stated) Laboratory or other course-related fees College or Department surcharges (some in-demand departments such as Business, Engineering and Architecture, etc. charge students a supplementary fee for enrolling in their College and/or Department. These fees are not included in the SAF Program Fee.) Single or premium room allocation (While SAF tries to meet each student s housing preference, we have little control on the type of housing students are allocated. Students who are placed in single or premium housing situation will be required to pay the difference between the standard double room housing cost and their single/premium placement.) Round trip airfare 24/7 emergency assistance from SAF HQ, the SAF Country Offices (Shanghai, Seoul, Taichung, Tokyo) and required emergency assist travel insurance (e.g. ACE, AEJ, etc.). SAF participants are required to purchase emergency assistance travel insurance, but the cost of this insurance is not included in the SAF Program Fee. Payment of this very reasonable insurance fee is coordinated by your local SAF Country Office. Early arrival accommodation (SAF will provide students with a recommended arrival date but unfortunately the recommended arrival date will not always directly coincide with the host university s housing contract start date. The SAF Program Fee includes the cost of accommodation beginning with the housing contract start date and while SAF will reserve housing for students prior to the housing contract start date, if possible, this is considered early arrival housing and the student is responsible for any additional housing costs.) Accommodation during vacation periods Immunizations and Inoculations: Many SAF host universities require international students to demonstrate that they have received immunizations/inoculations for certain illness. Students who have not met their host university s minimum requirements may need to be immunized upon arrival at their own expense. 3

4 SAF Program Fee does not cover student s personal living expenses and accrued fees/fines including but not limited to: library fines, lost keys, health center usage fees, printing costs, etc. SAF Program Fee Refund Policy: Students should not pay the SAF Program Fee unless they are committed to participating in the program. Should a student withdraw from the program after paying the SAF Program Fee but before leaving their home country, SAF reserves the right to refund only those funds which have not already been expended on student s behalf. Students who withdraw from the Program after arriving at the host university are only eligible for a refund if they have contracted a serious illness or an emergency exists that requires them to return to their country of origin and SAF must approve any such refund. The refund will be limited to the amount not already expended on student s behalf as of the date on which they withdraw from the Program. Students participating on a two semester SAF Program are required to achieve a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0/4.0 scale (or the equivalent) on their first semester of enrollment or be subject to withdrawal from the SAF Program. Students withdrawn from the SAF Program due to poor academic performance will only receive a refund for monies that SAF is able to recover from their host university for their planned second semester of enrollment. SAF Program Fee Credits: Occasionally SAF will need to make adjustments/refunds to the SAF Program Fee payment based upon a change of circumstances once students arrive on their host university campus (i.e. students may change their housing placement, make meal plan adjustments, etc.). SAF will make every effort to make necessary adjustments/refunds as soon as possible but students must be aware that we cannot make refunds until we receive official invoices from their SAF host university which are not always provided in a timely manner. Also please note, that SAF will not issue or reduce refunds due to students who have outstanding, open, or unpaid invoices with SAF. SAF Program Fee refunds will be made in the following manner: US Programs: SAF will issue a check to students in USD Programs Outside the US: SAF will request that students provide their local bank account information and SAF will send a wire transfer directly to this account in the local currency. Refunds made once students return to their home country: SAF will request that students provide their local bank account information and SAF will send a wire transfer directly to this account in their home country currency. 4

5 Comprehensive SAF Program Fee Structure: The comprehensive SAF Program Fee reflects all scholarships and discounts provided by host universities and other organizations, including SAF (see the introduction above). Most SAF host universities, but not all, provide SAF with special reduced fees. Currently the average annual fee reduction (excluding the universities of Columbia and Oxford) is USD 2,750. If scholarships received are included, the average annual fee reduction is USD 3,000. The SAF Program Fee is a combination of a special fee charged by SAF host universities (where applicable) and the nominal cost of SAF student services provided in Korea and in the host country where the student will study. The current cost of providing SAF s services is approximately USD 3,000. SAF works with all host universities to reduce the cost of study abroad by providing SAF with reduced fee levels and by keeping the cost of providing our services as low as possible. Students who apply to or have been accepted at an SAF host university where SAF currently receives no special or reduced fee will be notified. Important Considerations: SAF participants should be aware that some SAF member universities will only admit visiting students via SAF and many will only guarantee housing to SAF sponsored students. In addition, as the official program sponsor SAF assumes a significant liability risk and provides a legal buffer for students and their home member university. Some SAF host universities in the have student administrative and student finance systems that are not adjusted to accommodate international visiting students and consequently some students participating in SAF programs automatically receive documentation including fee invoices, which are not relevant to them. Students are carefully advised about the possibility of this happening before they leave their home country and that they should forward any invoices received directly to SAF. Students are advised not to make any payments directly to their host university. SAF Mission: SAF is a public interest non-profit foundation dedicated to increasing international student mobility through study abroad opportunities for well qualified undergraduate students attending SAF member universities. SAF is committed to ensuring this experience is of the highest possible quality, supported by comprehensive student support and administrative services. SAF is also committed to making its programs as affordable as possible and recovers or charges only the costs of providing its services the essence of being a US non-profit organization. 5

6 We hope that this statement answers any questions you may have about SAF and our program fees. If you have any questions in this regard, please consult the staff at your SAF Country Office or contact CAC: August