by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman

After 9/11, study abroad was down; but now it’s flourishing again with almost 250,000 students going overseas last year.
 
For colleges, this is a problem because a school’s fixed costs do not go down when students leave for a semester.

Recently, the New York Times reported that Jennifer Bombassaro-Brady came back to Wheaton College after graduation,  urging the student government to ask the state attorney general to investigate billing practices for students who study abroad.

Wheaton charges home tuition and fees for students while they are overseas.  While Jennifer’s program cost about $4500, additionally her family had to pay Wheaton full tuition plus room and board— $21,000.

Columbia charges full tuition but not room and board. Middlebury, among others, permits families to pay the study-abroad programs directly, avoiding the home tuition.  Jennifer was told that if she followed that course, she might not receive credit for the semester.

Stay tuned…