Low-Cost Programs
Summer Abroad on a Budget
Looking for a Summer Abroad program that fits your budget?
When counting the cost of your Summer Abroad options, there are many factors to
consider. For example, for all programs the Accommodations and Activities Fee (AAF)
includes the cost of housing for the program dates, travel health and travel accident
insurance, and travel guidebooks. For some programs, the AAF also includes group
travel between program sites; in others, it might include all meals and public transit
passes for the duration of the program.
These variables—and others, such as the cost of group activities—help explain why
one program's AAF is less than $1500 and another's is over $4000. To learn more
about the accommodations, meals, and activities included in your program's AAF,
visit the program's "Fees" and "On Location" pages.
Featured Low-cost Programs
A list of UC Davis Summer Abroad programs with fees totaling less than $4800
(and beginning as low as $4000!) will be posted here by February. You can view fees
for each program by visiting the programs' webpage.
This amount includes:
- Program Fee / $1000
- Course Fee / $1520 ($190/unit x 8 units)*
- UC Davis Summer Campus Fee / $245.20
- Accommodations and Activities Fee / less than $2000
For a complete list of what IS and is NOT included, please visit the program's "Fees"
page.
Programs not listed here, may still be considered affordable. See "Other Considerations"
for more information.
Other considerations
What's included?
When counting the cost of your Summer Abroad options, there are many factors to consider. For example, for all programs, the Accommodations and Activities Fee (AAF) includes the cost of housing for the program dates, travel health and travel accident insurance, and travel guidebooks. For some programs, the AAF also includes group travel between program sites; in others, it might include all meals and public transit passes for the duration of the program.
These variables—and others, such as the cost of group activities—help explain why one program's AAF is less than $1500 and another's is over $4000. To learn more about the accommodations, meals, and activities included in your program's AAF, visit the program's "Fees" and "On Location" pages.
Airfare
In addition to the fees charged by Summer Abroad, you should also consider other costs such as airfare and spending money. Travel to Costa Rica or Europe, for example, is obviously less costly than travel to other destinations—especially those in the Southern Hemisphere (except for Latin America).
Exchange Rates
In addition, the power of the dollar varies from location to location. Currently, in the UK, one British pound costs 1.60 dollars; throughout the EU, one euro costs 1.50 dollars. However, the dollar has consistently been stronger in many non-traditional locations. In India, one US dollar will get you more than 46 rupees. In Latin America, one Argentine peso currently costs about 26 cents. At this rate, dinner at a very nice restaurant will cost a little more than $10 dollars; daily lunch and dinner costs could total less than $10—if you save the fancy restaurants for weekends only.
Financial Aid
Summer Abroad reports the total estimated cost of your participation to UC Davis Financial Aid – including the estimated cost of your passport, health clearance, textbooks, spending money, local transportation and airfare. UC Davis students using the Summer Aid Estimator (available on the Financial Aid website in March) may find that their estimated aid does not cover all of these estimated costs – and should keep in mind that the reported costs are an average. Many students have enjoyed their study abroad while spending significantly less on daily expenses and even airfare.
The Summer Abroad
Student Handbook (SASH) includes more information on Financial Aid for UC
Davis and non-Davis.