Policies

All tuition and fees related to participation in DePaul’s study abroad programs are billed to a student’s financial account at DePaul. Any payment arrangements should be made with the Student Accounts office at OneDePaul. Personal expenses or expenses not covered by tuition or program fee as outlined in the Financial Commitment form must be planned for and covered by the students.

Students participating in a DePaul study abroad program must enroll in the required number of courses and credits. No exceptions will be made. Students must make sure they understand the credit system for the program. 

Study Abroad, in coordination with the Dean of Students, will review students’ conduct history at DePaul as part of the selection process and periodically after the selection process. By applying to study abroad, students grant Study Abroad, in coordination with the Dean of Students permission to review their DePaul conduct histories. If they are found to have serious violations of the Code of Student Responsibility, they may not be accepted or be removed from a program. In those cases, they remain subject to the Withdrawal Policy, and will be responsible for any fees and/or tuition in accordance with Study Abroad policies and procedures. All decisions made by Study Abroad regarding ability to participate in a study abroad program are final.

Students must be in good academic standing in order to study abroad.  Participants must also meet the eligibility requirements set for the specific program (e.g., language proficiency, minimum GPA, etc.) and be approved by Program Directors and/or Study Abroad to make sure the student is appropriately prepared and that studying abroad is integrated into the student’s overall academic program at DePaul. With the exception of some programs offered by the College of Law, students must be enrolled at DePaul when applying for a study abroad program. Students on academic probation are not eligible to study abroad.

Family and friends are not allowed to accompany students on a study abroad program, and non-program participants are not allowed to participate on any program-arranged activities.  If students have family or friends located in the program location, they may visit with them during the program's free time.

For programs in which international airfare is included in the program fee, students cannot book their own tickets (even if they have mileage or free air passes), and it is important for the safety of the group that everyone travel on the same group reservation. In addition, students are not allowed to upgrade their tickets to a higher class of seating.

Students are required to take the outbound flight with the group, but if they would like to book their own flights home (to stay longer in the program destination country and/or return to a city other than Chicago), flight deviations are sometimes possible. Return flight deviations are dependent on airline regulations for the group tickets purchased and policies of the travel agent securing the flight and are typically limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Study Abroad will provide information to all students at the time of acceptance about how to arrange a return flight deviation. Students will then work directly with the travel agency in charge of the flights and will pay all change fees and/or additional airline fees directly to the travel agent.

In the event that a group flight is delayed or cancelled, Study Abroad will work with our travel agent to rebook the group on a new flight as soon as possible.  Costs associated with this rebooking, including additional nights of lodging, local transportation, and food expenses, will be covered by the airline or by Study Abroad, depending on the nature of the delay or cancellation.  

Any changes an individual student needs to make to their flight for any reason are at their own expense, as are any other additional costs associated with the flight change (e.g. lodging, local transportation, food expenses).  If the flight change is necessary due to a medical issue, students should file a claim through CISI insurance for reimbursement of expenses up to the limit provided in the insurance policy.

Students are required to use the program housing, if included. Under certain extenuating circumstances, exceptions to this housing requirement may be granted at the discretion of Study Abroad.

On most faculty-led, short-term study abroad programs, students typically stay in shared accommodations for the duration of the program.  If a student has health concerns related to shared housing arrangements and may require a single room, they must complete the Shared Housing Appeal Request as soon as possible after being accepted to their program.  Part of this process includes coordination with DePaul's Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD), who will work with the student to collect all pertinent information and documentation and help determine what is appropriate for the given situation.  Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed.  A written narrative and supporting documentation are required.  Note: This appeal process only applies to faculty-led, short-term study abroad programs.

While the goal of Study Abroad is to send as many students as possible, planned programs may be cancelled for various reasons (e.g., minimum enrollment not met, safety and security situation at home or destination, etc.) at different times throughout the program planning and administration. In cases where a program is cancelled, Study Abroad advisors are available for students to discuss other possible options. Students will be directed to other programs, if appropriate.

If DePaul University makes the decision to cancel a program prior to the program's start date, students will be refunded 100% of the program fee. If students have been registered in any associated classes and the classes have not started, they will be withdrawn from the classes and refunded 100% of tuition. If any associated classes have started, students will either complete an adapted version of the class on campus or be withdrawn from the class and refunded 100% of the tuition, to be determined by DePaul University on a case-by-case basis.

DePaul University is not responsible for any additional expenses related to study abroad programs which are outside the program fee (e.g. flights not included in the program fee, housing arrangements, visa/passport fees, etc.) and all costs that students may incur related to non-program fee expenses are their responsibility, even if DePaul University cancels the program.

If a program is cancelled while students are on site or if a student studying abroad is unable to participate in planned activities due to unanticipated reasons (e.g. health or travel delays), DePaul will make every reasonable effort to refund any recoverable costs to students. However, for pre-booked study abroad activities or services with unrecoverable costs, refunds will not be possible.

The Study Abroad Withdrawal Policy applies to a student once they have confirmed participation in a program by clicking “commit” on their accepted application. Students who need to withdraw from a study abroad program or a course in the program, must submit written notification to DePaul University’s Study Abroad office via email to abroad@depaul.edu. The Study Abroad Withdrawal Policy can also be found in each student’s application. Study Abroad encourages students to share all of this information with their parents, guardians, and/or sponsors. If a student would like to appeal a withdrawal fee, they must complete the Withdrawal Fee Appeal Request, which requires a written narrative and supporting documentation.