Oscar Chun

On the Guarini Institute website, each program has its own page with descriptions, and most importantly, the budget sheet. Budget sheets are an estimation of what it would cost to attend the program, including billable costs, which are paid to the college (usually tuition, living expenses, and other fees), and non-billable costs, which are up to your own discretion (food, transportation, personal expenses, etc.). The non-billable costs are only an estimate—maybe you’ll get cheaper flights or spend more on souvenirs. But these budget sheets give a good idea of how much it costs to attend a program. Some programs are hosted in dorms with meal plans, others are in apartments where students are expected to cook, so each program has its own budget sheet that’ll explain everything.

Now that you know how much a program costs, how will you fund it? If you receive need-based financial aid from Dartmouth, you can expect the cost of a study away program to be around what you normally pay for a term at Hanover. Due to the cost of travel and accommodations, some programs can be more expensive than an on-campus term. For example, the summer of ‘25 Beijing LSA+ cost $34,854, while a term in Hanover was $31,660. The Financial Aid office provides additional scholarships to fill that gap. Financial aid also covers non-billable expenses in the budget sheet, such as transportation. 

Francine mentioned that the Guarini Institute’s budget sheets are generous and financial aid applies to the entire budget, so if you don’t spend the entire non-billable budget, that money stays in your pockets. I was able to find cheaper flights, so I was able to put funds budgeted for transportation towards other adventures.

In addition to funding from Dartmouth, there are a number of resources available from other institutions. One of the panelists touched on the Gilman Scholarship, a merit-based award of up to $5,000 from the U.S. Department of State. The Gilman Scholarship’s deadline is in March, just a week or two after acceptances to study abroad programs are released in late February. So it’s important to keep different timelines for funding in mind. 

Last year, eight Dartmouth students received the Gilman Scholarship, two of whom were my classmates on the Beijing LSA+. They also both received the Critical Need Language Award, for additional funding up to $3,000, as we were studying Mandarin Chinese on the LSA+.

Once you reach your program destination, it's easier to focus on saving money than earning it—especially while your schedule is packed with classes and activities. One thing students on my program were especially mindful of was foreign transaction fees. Many credit and debit cards have a ~3% transaction fee for purchases abroad. 

While 3% doesn’t seem like much, in the long run it can add up quickly. Between buying meals, paying for transportation, and spending on gifts, I was making many purchases regularly. Thankfully, before I left for my program, I looked into cards with no foreign transaction fees. While my classmates who had cards with foreign transaction fees had to rely on others or just spend the additional ~3%.

An echoing remark among the panelists was being mindful of spending. One of the panelists mentioned keeping a weekly expenses log and paying for everything in cash. That way they can track what they were spending on throughout the week and be able to physically see how much they have as they spend. In my experience in Beijing, most transactions are done through WeChat Pay or Alipay, two online transaction apps where you can pay anywhere through scanning a QR code. I admit, I wasn’t the best at tracking my spending because I wasn’t used to how seamless paying through QR codes is. But I had a few jumpscares when I checked my spending the first few weeks, which encouraged me to set spending goals. However you budget is up to you, but having an idea of how much you want to spend can go a long way. 

Budgeting for a study away program can feel overwhelming. As someone who isn’t used to traveling on my own, it definitely was for me. But with these tips and saving a bit beforehand, I was able to spend money on what mattered to me the most and maximize my experience abroad—visiting Japan before the Beijing LSA+ started, sightseeing in Inner Mongolia, and trying all the delicious food everywhere. I hope this advice was helpful!