UP accepts credits from outside programs for free
By Julius Calasicas
Across the nation, university study abroad policies are coming under fire for questionable funding policies. For instance, study abroad practices at Wheaton College are under scrutiny following a lawsuit filed against the Massachusetts university by a disgruntled parent.
According to The Boston Globe, the plaintiff argues that Wheaton overcharged his daughter while she was studying abroad in South Africa, collecting full tuition even though the actually program cost more than $4,000 less than Wheaton tuition.
Unlike Wheaton College, the University of Portland does not charge extra fees for non-UP study abroad programs, according to Director of the UP Studies Abroad Program, The Rev. Art Wheeler, C.S.C.
Students have been studying abroad with UP for more than 40 years, according to the University's Studies Abroad Program Web site. UP students can spend a summer, semester or year at various locations overseas including Japan, England and Spain.
But some students choose to use non-UP programs to study in other countries.
About 200 to 275 students study abroad each year with about five or six students who do not use UP programs.
According to Wheeler, UP will accept credits from outside institutions as long as those institutions are accredited and as long as the student's college dean approves the program. Some programs are for-profit and are therefore not accredited.
If a student studies abroad through a non-UP program, such as one offered by IES, he or she does not pay any tuition to UP for that semester. Consequently, students do not receive any aid from the University, Wheeler said.
Otherwise, if the program is sponsored by the university, UP financial aid will go toward tuition, room and board as if the student were attending classes at UP. The overall cost depends on the program.
According to sophomore Anne Carey, who will be studying in Quito, Ecuador, next spring, federal loans and grants can be used toward a non-UP program.
Though students studying in a non-UP program are not paying the university any money, they do not have to reapply to the university for the next semester. As a result, the university does not charge any extra fees to process paperwork from the other institution.
Carey recommends that students pursue alternative study abroad programs.
"More people should look into IES," she said. "The school makes it really easy."
UP's policy for returning students differs somewhat from many contemporary institutions, where students are required to pay a fee to apply their credits towards graduation. According to The Boston Globe, institutions such as Wheaton charge upward of $500 to process credits from unaffiliated study abroad programs.
Wheeler believes that such a charge might deter students from pursuing unaffiliated programs.
"We don't put up any obstacles for students," he said.
Costs to study abroad one made a year in advance and are estimated to match UP's tuition for the following year. Students will pay $37,800 to study abroad at Salzburg for a full year next year, which will cover tuition, room and board.
Senior social work major, Michelle Emry studied in Perth Australia in the Spring of 2007 with UP and was a RA in the dormitories.
"The (study abroad) process was very easy," Emry said. "They set up our visa and had students who have studied abroad teach us about their past experience (overseas)."
Although the program ended in June, Emry stayed until August to work in a remote aboriginal community in Australia called Oombulgurri. The community held about 100 to 200 people in the community.
"I would do it all over again if I could," said Emry.
Sarah Bigelow contributed to this report.
