Education Abroad

Housing

Students on the AIFS Richmond Rome program will have the option of staying in an off-campus apartment or homestay. AIFS offers a meal plan to students in both types of accommodations.  

The cost of housing will be included in the invoice that AIFS sends to Appalachian and students will be billed through their Appalachian term bill.

Financial

Program Costs

Students participating on AIFS programs will be billed through Appalachian the AIFS program cost.  This will replace the Appalachian tuition & fees for the term they are abroad.  In addition to the AIFS costs students will also be responsible for submitting a $200 OIED Program Development Fee upon acceptance by the Education Abroad Office.  The fee payment confirms your spot and is non-refundable.

Paid to Appalachian State

	Semester
1AIFS Program Fee	See AIFS
2OIED Program Development Fee	$200
Intl Health Development Fee	$60

¹AIFS Program Fee includes tuition, housing, some program excursions, and insurance.
²The OIED Program Development Fee will be placed on students’ accounts upon acceptance by the Education Abroad Office. The fee payment confirms your spot and is non-refundable.

Estimated Additional Costs

	Semester
AIFS Application Fee	$95
Airfare	$1000 - $1500
Refundable Housing Deposit	$350
Meals	$1500 - $2200
1Personal Expenses	$600 - $1000
Books and Materials	$200 - $400
Local Transportation	$150 - $300
2Visa (for US Citizens)	$200 - $250
Passport	$150
3US Based Health Insurance	Varies
4Personal Travel and Spending	$1200 - $2000

¹Personal expenses includes but is not limited to: toiletries, cell phone, emergency funds, laundry, basic travel and spending, etc. 
³Students are encouraged to maintain a US based health insurance plan while abroad (to exempt out of AppState insurance students must follow the App exemption process - proving that they have insurance coverage for the entirety of the semester).
⁴Personal Travel and Spending amounts will vary by student and will be affected by how often a student goes out, travels, and the items they purchase.

Please note that non-billable costs are estimates only and will be affected by personal spending habits, currency fluctuations, etc. Prices listed in USD unless otherwise noted.
 

Students are encouraged to start planning for their study abroad program costs well in advance. Please use the Student Financial Planning Worksheet to help estimate your anticipated expenses and your anticipated financial resources.  When planning for estimated additional costs students are encouraged to research currency conversion rates.  

Financial Aid

The majority of financial aid and scholarships can apply to semester and year-long study abroad programs. For more information please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid web page.

Scholarships

AIFS Scholarships
AIFS offers a variety of scholarship opportunities for students.  Scholarship awards range from $200 to $5000.

OIED Scholarships
Each semester OIED offers a variety of different scholarship opportunities for students. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $2000. 

Benjamin A Gilman Scholarship
The Gilman Scholarship Program application is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.

Fund for Education Abroad
Applicants from groups underrepresented in study abroad and those destined for non-traditional locations are given preference, in an effort to make the demographics of U.S. undergraduates studying abroad reflect the rich diversity of the U.S. population.

For information about additional scholarships please visit our External Scholarships web page.  

Academics

All students will be required to enroll in an Italian language course.  In addition to language students will be able to choose from a range of elective courses taught in English.  For music majors who do not want to fall behind during a semester abroad, or for those with an interest in music, an exciting Music Program is available, taught in a multicultural environment in conjunction with Saint Louis College of Music, founded in 1976 and authorized to issue Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research. Students take up to 15 Richmond credits and may then take an additional music course offerings.  Students are also able to take a Service Learning and Active Citizenship course.

For more information about the courses and structure of the program please visit the AIFS Rome website.  

All students are expected to maintain at least the equivalent of a full time course load according to Appalachian State and the host university while abroad (whichever is greater). Students participating on the Rome program will take 12-15 credits. For more information about study abroad enrollment policies, credit approval, and credit and grade conversions please visit the Academics section of our website.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and some programs may fill up before the listed deadline. Each year applications for Fall, Spring, and Summer will open up on August 1st. Once open the deadline will be listed below and an Apply Now button will be available at the top and bottom of this page. Most applications will have a 2 part application process so students are encouraged to complete their OIED application well before the listed deadline.

Students applying to an AIFS program should complete the AIFS application while also completing the Appalachian application.

For more information about deadlines and how to apply please visit our Guide Me web page.