Sending your son/daughter overseas to study
can be a nerve-racking process and we fully understand and
appreciate that. Sending your son/daughter a few hours away to
college is one thing, but sending them thousands of miles away
is a different story.
If you have questions, concerns, fears,
or are just plain confused by the whole process, feel free to
call us toll-free at 888-845-4272 and we will be happy to
answer any of your questions. We have been asked every
question imaginable, so don't be afraid to ask!
Since many parents have the same types
of questions, we have provided answers to some of the most
commonly asked questions by parents below.
You can also find answers to additional Common Questions by clicking here.
How do I know that Academic Studies Abroad is a reputable
study abroad provider?
Academic Studies Abroad has hosted students from such prestigious universities as Harvard, Cornell, Duke, University of California at Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, and many, many more. In addition, we are on the "approved list of programs" for many colleges and universities throughout the country.
We are always happy to provide contact information for students currently on our programs, alumni, and study abroad advisors who know our programs so that you can ask them about their experience with ASA.
Are the credits earned on your programs
transferable back to the U.S.?
Yes. Credits are transferable,
however, your son/daughter must first get pre-departure approval and proper signatures from their
university's Study Abroad Office or Office of International Education/Programs.
They will help determine how many credits will actually transfer. Students should
always get pre-approved for more classes than are needed to
allow flexibility at registration, as course schedule conflicts sometimes happen. It is possible to earn 3-30
semester hours or 4-42 quarter units per session, depending on
the length of the program (summer/semester/trimester/academic year). If your son/daughter's college or university is not
cooperative, please contact Academic Studies Abroad immediately so that we can
assist you.
How many people go on the trips and where are they from?
Depending on which program you choose, the number of
students normally varies from 10-40 students.
We have students from
all over the United States, from hundreds of different college and universities.
Click here to see the colleges and universities
that past ASA students have come from.
Does ASA provide medical insurance?
Yes. We provide medical insurance for all of our
students through ACE American Insurance Company. Students'
medical expenses are covered for up to $500,000. This insurance
also provides Emergency Medical Evacuation Benefit with coverage
up to $250,000. Emergency Medical Evacuation means that if
the student's condition warrants immediate transportation from
the place where he/she is injured or sick to the nearest
medical facility where the appropriate medical treatment may
be obtained, then it is paid for by the insurance company up
to $250,000. This also includes coverage for evacuation to
the student's home country to obtain medical treatment if
the doctors feel it is necessary. One benefit that is of
interest to parents is the Emergency Reunion Benefit. In the event
of an Emergency Medical Evacuation, where the doctor feels
that it would be beneficial for the student to have a family
member with him/her during transport, you will be reimbursed
for travel and lodging expenses for that relative, up to
$12,500, with $300 per day for lodging and related expenses, for a
ten-day duration. Students will receive a description of coverage, medical
insurance card, and claim form, along with their pre-departure orientation guide
that will be mailed to them about a month before the program begins.
In addition, all ASA students also receive emergency medical evacuation services through Global Rescue (www.globalrescue.com) for the official dates of their program.
Global Rescue is available to students 24/7/365. All ASA students are automatically enrolled with Global Rescue as base members and receive the following benefits:
- Access to a database of over 3,000 hospitals, clinics and English-speaking physicians worldwide, including 70 "Center of Excellence" hospitals that are affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine or Harvard Medical School.
- Emergency medical treatment and evacuation from wherever you are located to the closest Center of Excellence hospital for evaluation, treatment and in-patient hospitalization.
After the student has been accepted, ASA will also send parents information about the option of upgrading their son/daughter's Global Rescue
coverage for a fee, to include emergency medical evacuation to the student's U.S. hospital of choice.
Will my son/daughter get homesick or suffer from culture shock?
Almost everyone will experience some form
of culture shock, whether they recognize the signs or not. Luckily,
most people are able to cope and have no problems integrating into
the day-to-day life of their new country. Reading the section on culture shock in the
orientation guide will help students prepare for and understand what they are going through and hopefully, make it easier.
If a student is having
trouble adjusting, however, there is always a professional
they can speak with who will listen and help them adjust in
any way they can.
Will my son/daughter be picked up at the airport when they arrive?
Yes, if your son/daughter arrives on the official arrival date of
the their program and at the specified times, at least one member of the
ASA staff will be waiting to greet your them when
they arrive at the airport. For more details on how to make sure your son/daughter arrives in time for our airport pick-up, please read our FAQs.
What types of housing are offered through ASA's programs and how many meals are included?
Sevilla, Salamanca, Madrid Summer, Barcelona I (UB), Barcelona III (UAB) - All students live with Spanish host families who provide 3 meals a day and laundry once a week.
Barcelona II (BCEA) program - BCEA students have 2 housing options. 1) Shared student apartment with no meals included. 2) Spanish host family
who will provide daily breakfast and dinner. (Requires a damage deposit of $200.)
Madrid (Semester/Academic Year) - Students live with Spanish host families who provide daily breakfast and dinner and laundry once a week.
France - Students live with French host families who provide daily breakfast, 6 dinners a week and one load of laundry per week.
Dublin, Ireland - Students live in on-campus apartments in the Griffith College Halls of Residence, built in 2005. Each 2-bedroom apartment houses 4 students and has its own bathroom and kitchen. No meals are included.
Rome and Florence, Italy - Students live in shared student apartments. No meals are included, since all apartments have a fully equipped kitchen. (Requires a damage deposit of $200.)
London, England - Students live on campus in the dormitories in the Regent's College Residence Halls. Double occupancy room is included. Includes a meal allowance of £60 (approx. US$110) per week, and students are given a debit-system meal card to use throughout the semester.
Oxford, England - Students live in on-campus apartments in the Oxford Brookes Halls of Residence. Each apartment has its own bathroom(s) and kitchen and houses 5-9 students; bedrooms are single-occupancy. No meals are included.
Viña del Mar, Chile - Students live with Chilean host families who provide 3 meals a day.
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Students have 2 housing options. 1) Live with an Argentine host family who will provide daily breakfast and dinner. 2) Live in a shared student apartment with no meals included. (The Student Apartment option requires a damage deposit of $250.)
Australia - Students live in shared student apartments or in extended-stay hotels. No meals are included, as each apartment has a kitchen.
What if my son/daughter doesn't like their host family in Spain, France, Chile, or Argentina?
ASA will change the family right
away. There is a resident director at every site to help
students at all times.
How are the host families chosen?
ASA's staff personally interviews
all of the families before placing students in their homes.
All students fill out a Housing Questionnaire after they have been accepted,
so that we can match them with a family and a roommate
with whom we think they will be compatible. ASA has placed students with many
of these families before without any problems, so we feel confident
the students will be satisfied.
How much spending money will my son/daughter need?
It depends. Based on student responses from past programs, we recommend the following:
Barcelona UAB & UB, Salamanca, Sevilla, Madrid Summer, and London students: Approximately $200 per week of your stay.
Barcelona BCEA students: BCEA students living in a shared student apartment should bring approximately $300-350 per week because no meals are included.
BCEA students who live with a host family should bring approximately
$275 per week because the homestay includes daily breakfast and dinner, but not lunch.
Madrid Semester/Academic Year students: Approximately $275 per week because the homestay provides breakfast and dinner, but not lunch.
France students: Approximately $250-300 per week because the homestay provides daily breakfast and 6 dinners per week. France students will have to pay for daily lunch and 1 dinner a week.
Ireland, Italy and Oxford students: Approximately $300-350 a week, because no meals are included.
Viña del Mar students: Approximately $150-200 a week.
Buenos Aires students: Approximately $150-200 a week for students who opt for a homestay. Approximately $300-350 a week for students who opt for an apartment, because no meals are included with the apartment option.
Australia students: Approximately $200 a week; meals are not included with the program.
Please note that these are general guidelines based on what past students have reported spending. Some students spend less, and others more.
The above figures do not account for traveling every weekend, eating out a lot, or shopping every day.
These figures may seem high to you, but keep in mind they take into account
spending money for leisure activities, eating out occasionally, local transportation (bus/metro pass, if applicable), the occasional taxi, meals (if they are not included with the program already),
and the exchange rate.
Students who plan to do a lot of shopping, eating out and traveling will naturally need to bring more money!
Students should be sure to think about what they plan to do while they're abroad when planning out their budget.
Also, consider the exchange rate when planning your budget. For the most current exchange rates, go to http://www.xe.com/ucc.
Will my son/daughter have access to a phone?
Yes, each student receives a cell phone that is included with the ASA program.
ASA provides the phone, while each student is responsible for the cost of phone calls.
The rates for calls and text messages will be described in the phone's instruction booklet that comes with your phone, or they are described when you sign up for your phone online prior to departure (instructions to come from ASA).
The best part about these phones is that there is no charge to the students for incoming calls made to their int'l number, when they're in their main country of study.
Students can also use most pre-paid calling cards from their cell phone to call home. In general, it is better to purchase a phone card once you arrive abroad,
and it's usually cheaper for you to call your son/daughter than for them to call home.
Will my son/daughter have Internet/email access?
Yes. All students receive free Internet
access as part of their program.
How much does the program cost?
This varies per program. You can find a complete list of program costs here.
What is included with the ASA program?
Just scroll up and look for the "Program Info" header at the top, and roll over it with your mouse. Then click "What's Included."
When is payment due to ASA?
For all our programs, the payment deadline is the same as the application deadline. For example, if the application deadline for your son/daughter's program is June 1, then the full payment deadline is also June 1.
To secure their space on the ASA program, France and Barcelona BCEA students are also required to submit a non-refundable Housing Deposit of $500 within 2 weeks of being accepted to the program. Rome and Florence
students are required to submit a non-refundable Housing Deposit of $1,000 within 2 weeks of being accepted to the program. Your space on the ASA program is not 100% secured until we receive your Housing Deposit.
Also, if the ASA London program is close to being full at the time you submit your application, you may be required to submit a non-refundable housing deposit of $750, in order to secure your place.
Once ASA has officially accepted a student to the program, we will mail the student and/or her parents an invoice for the full amount. Payment is due in full by the published deadline for your program, unless financial aid is being issued for the student via a Financial Aid Consortium Agreement.
If you plan to pay for the program using financial aid, ASA must have a signed Consortium Agreement in place with the student's home institution's financial aid office before the payment deadline.
Be sure to make these arrangements well in advance. Any portion of the program
fees not covered by financial aid are due to ASA by the published payment deadline.
How should I submit my payment to ASA?
Payments for all program fees and housing deposits must be made in the form of a personal or cashier's check, made out to Academic Studies Abroad. We cannot accept credit cards for program payments. (Exception: Students may submit their initial $150 application deposit with a credit card, after completing the online Application Form here.)
Is the application deposit refundable?
All students must submit the $150 application deposit along with the rest of their materials,
in order for their application to be considered. If you are not accepted to the program, your $150
will be refunded in full. If you are accepted to the program, then the $150 is deducted from the rest of your program fees.
(For example, if your program costs
$4,500, then your balance due would be $4,350 after being accepted.) If you are accepted to the program
and withdraw before the application deadline, then we will refund you $100 of the $150. If you withdraw
after the application deadline, your application deposit cannot be refunded.
Do any of ASA's programs require a damage deposit?
Yes. The Florence, Rome and Barcelona BCEA programs each require a damage deposit of $200, which students will pay by credit card upon arrival in their host city.
The Buenos Aires program also requires a damage deposit of $250 for students who opt
for a shared student apartment, paid to ASA by the published payment deadline.
What about scholarships and financial aid?
You can find everything you need to know about financial aid by clicking here.
ASA offers a scholarship, and you can find out how to apply for it here.
Please also visit our Frequently Asked Questions page! It has answers to even more your questions, such as when your son/daughter should
arrive in order to make the group airport pick-up.
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