- Round-trip international travel with your AFS Group to your host country from the U.S. departure city. Depending on your host country, your departure city will be New York; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; or Miami.
- Placement with a carefully selected host family who provides room, board, and guidance (for programs that include homestay).
- Orientations prior to departure and after your arrival, including room and board during multi-day orientations that occur throughout the program. This may be anywhere between a few nights’ to a few weeks’ stay or more, depending on the program.
- Transportation to orientations within your host country and to your host family.
- Tuition waiver from your host school. Your host family will also provide a way for you to get to school each day. For programs that don’t include school, refer to the program description for other covered activities.
- Secondary medical insurance.
- Visa information and assistance.
- Access to a support network that includes AFS Professional Staff in the U.S. and your host country, plus thousands of trained volunteers worldwide.
- 24-hour emergency assistance.
- Program tuition and $75 non-refundable preliminary application fee.
- Domestic travel to and from your hometown to the U.S. departure city.
- Visa and passport fees as well as travel costs for an in-person appearance at a consulate or embassy within the United States, if required by your host country’s student visa application process. Visa-related costs vary by country, but we suggest you budget $300 to $1,000.
- Spending money for personal expenses, such as gifts, long-distance calls, sundry items, going out with friends, pocket money, etc. Depending on your host country, AFS recommends you plan on about $100-$300 per month.
- We reserve the right to add a fuel cost surcharge, if warranted increases in transportation costs.
$900 deposit: Due upon submission of your full application.
$1,500 installment (year and semester programs only):
- Due Monday, November 3, 2008, for programs departing January through April 2009.
- Due Friday, April 10, 2009, for programs departing June through September 2009.
If you have not been guaranteed a placement abroad by these dates, then the installment is due two weeks following notification of guaranteed placement.
Remaining balance: Due 60 days before the first day of the month your
program begins. If you have not been guaranteed a placement abroad by this date, then the remaining balance is due two weeks following notification of guaranteed placement.
AFS will impose late-payment penalties as appropriate, including program exclusion for students whose tuition is not paid in full prior to departure. AFS accepts personal checks, bank checks, money orders, and most major credit cards.
Refund Policies$75 application fee: Non-refundable.
$900 tuition deposit:
- Refundable if your application is not accepted by AFS Staff in the U.S.
- Refundable if your application is not accepted by AFS Staff in any of the host countries you have agreed to consider.
- Refundable if you do not receive the name and address of your host
family two weeks prior to departure, and you decide to withdraw on
that basis.
- Upon program withdrawal more than 60 days before departure:
Is fully refundable. - Upon program withdrawal less than 60 days before departure:
You will be responsible to pay your deposit plus 20% of the total tuition cost. The remainder is refundable. - In circumstances when the $900 tuition deposit is refundable, tuition
payments are also refundable.
- All tuition is non-refundable.
If you receive a scholarship that covers any portion of an invoice you have already paid, AFS will issue a refund accordingly.
Important Notes- Delays in student departures may occur due to circumstances beyond the control of AFS-USA, such as changes in visa processes or other regulations here or abroad.
- Participation fees for programs are not based upon the length of the program. Fees will not be prorated or discounted if departures are delayed.
- All programs, prices, and travel dates are subject to change without notice.
- Please do not use the date ranges provided for planning your domestic travel. Program lengths provided in the AFS-USA catalog are approximate. Departure and return dates are subject to change and may change by as many as three weeks on either end. AFS-USA will inform participants of more specific travel dates approximately two months before departure.
