Study Abroad Spending

Keeping track of spending while at school is hard enough so it should come as no surprise that students preparing for study abroad have a particular need of viable information about spending abroad. The CIP tells students preparing for abroad to expect to spend between $1,500 and $3,000 depending on program length. Despite this, many students report spending far more than this. We sent out a survey to 261 juniors who participated in the 2010-2011 study abroad programs asking numerous questions about their spending habits while abroad. From our 91 respondents, we were able to draw interesting and important information from the responses. Student spending abroad does appear to higher than Kalamazoo College’s proposed range of spending with a significant relation between whether a student was studying in a first world or third world country and how much he/she spent on their most expensive vacation. Overall, this survey allowed us to draw information that gives students more accurate expectations as to how much study abroad costs, where the majority of money spent goes towards, and how to be prepared financially depending on their host country.