College · Family Resources · Study abroad

A semester abroad,
priced in dollars
before you apply.

Type the program fee, a weekly budget in the local money and the exchange rate. The calculator adds the flight and papers, takes off aid and sets it against a term at home.

Price my termWhat you get

The study abroad planning calculator

The worked example is a 16-week spring in Valencia. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
The full cost abroad in dollars, the cost after aid, the difference from a term at home, the monthly saving that covers it and the cushion for a currency swing. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
College students weighing a term abroad, their families, and high school students comparing what colleges offer.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Copy the fee from the program’s budget sheet.
  2. Estimate a week of food, transit and phone locally.
  3. Look up today’s exchange rate.
  4. Add the flight, passport, visa and insurance.
  5. Ask the study abroad office which aid travels with you.

Price my term

How the term is priced

Every cost in one currency, then one comparison.

The worked example: a spring semester in ValenciaLiving$2,07416 wk × €120 × $1.08All in$18,094fee, living, flight, papersAfter aid$15,594$2,500 of aidAgainst home$2,594 more$13,000 at homeThe worked example: a spring semester in ValenciaLiving$2,07416 wk × €120 × $1.08All in$18,094fee, living, flight, papersAfter aid$15,594$2,500 of aidAgainst home$2,594 more$13,000 at home
Convert the local living budget, add every bill, subtract aid, then compare with a term at home.

Local money to dollars

The weekly budget is typed in the local currency, so it is multiplied by the weeks and by the dollars one unit buys. A rate of 1.08 means one euro costs $1.08. A rate that rises makes the same budget cost more.

Against a term at home

A term abroad replaces a term you would pay for anyway, so the useful number is the difference: the full cost after aid, less the tuition, fees, housing and food of a term at your own college.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Passport fees (travel.state.gov).
  2. Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. Study abroad and federal student aid (studentaid.gov).
  3. Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, U.S. Department of State (gilmanscholarship.org).
  4. Institute of International Education. Open Doors report on U.S. study abroad (opendoorsdata.org).

The worked example’s fee, rate and budget are examples, not any program’s prices. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.