Finances

Bowdoin does not charge students tuition, room, or board while they are off-campus; the only charge is a $1,500 administrative fee per program attended. This fee partially subsidizes the College’s support for students studying off-campus before, during, and after their time away. This includes, but is not limited to, work done by the offices of Off-Campus Study, Residential Life, Registrar, Student Aid, Bursar, Health Services, Counseling Services, Information Technology, Dean of Student Affairs, Dean of Academic Affairs, and individual faculty members. It contributes to student health and well-being, emergency response, maintenance of high-quality program choices, and continuation of student access to online resources (Bowdoin email, online library subscription services).

• If the total cost of a semester at the program is more than the cost of Bowdoin, the family must pay the difference.
• Families who have 529 accounts and/or a monthly payment plan and/or tuition insurance can read more about this at the Bursar's office OCS FAQ. Off-campus programs based in the U.S. may offer a payment plan similar to those at Bowdoin, although their agencies may be different. Parents interested in using this payment method should inquire directly with the program's business office. If a student has directly enrolled in a university abroad, payment plans are not typically available. In these cases, full payment is expected when the student is invoiced by the university, usually upon arrival. Parents may re-enroll in Bowdoin's payment plan prior to the student returning by contacting the agency. 

If a student intends on enrolling in an English-speaking university, the SAO will cover the costs associated with direct-enrolling and basic accommodation. If the student wishes to enroll in the university through a program provider such as IFSA-Butler, the SAO will base the student’s aid package on the direct-enroll costs, not the program costs, and the family will be responsible for paying the difference in cost. The same is true if the student selects non-basic housing (e.g. a single instead of a double).