Finances 

Be sure to notify your bank and credit card companies that you will be traveling so they do not freeze your account and to ensure that your PIN will work while you are abroad.  

Have a 4-digit pin number for ATMs. While 6-digit pins are increasingly common in the US, you may need a 4-digit pin in your study-abroad country! Check with your bank to make sure your card is activated for overseas use and that your PIN will work overseas.

It is recommended that you carry the phone number of your local bank in case you misplace your ATM card. 

• All students will be charged Holy Cross tuition and the Holy Cross standard room charge. 

• Board/meal plan will be charged since meals are covered on SFS/OTS programs

• All students will be billed a mandatory $235 fee per semester for Global Security Assistance and international Medical/Travel Insurance provided by International SOS (ISOS) and Cigna Global Health/Lloyd’s Insurance (students will NOT be charged the Health Service fee). This fee is considerably less than the cost of the policy and is subsidized by Holy Cross. 

• If a student is on campus at Holy Cross for one semester, they will be charged the Student Activity Fee. If a student is abroad for the academic year, they will not be charged this fee.​

The reason the student is billed directly by Holy Cross for the College’s tuition and housing is because they remain enrolled at Holy Cross, ensuring academic continuity and retaining access to important on-campus resources including College advising, academic oversight, transcript and degree-planning processes, Class Dean and Chaplaincy support, health and safety support, emergency assistance, and other services associated with an approved study abroad experience. This is the primary benefit of the Home School Tuition (HST) model.

HST also helps ensure that approved coursework taken abroad contributes appropriately to the student’s Holy Cross degree, and that participation does not unnecessarily disrupt progress toward the College’s eight-semester residential requirement or timely graduation.

The Home School Tuition policy permits eligible federal and institutional financial aid to be applied to a student’s Holy Cross account (subject to the requirements and limitations of the applicable aid programs). Therefore, financial aid “travels” and can be applied towards the student’s Holy Cross term bill during the Fall/Spring terms that a student studies abroad.

Students should expect some additional expenses related to studying abroad. The following list may not be comprehensive and is subject to change. Additionally, students should not expect to have the same amenities abroad as they have at Holy Cross. Each program has different components unique to each location: 

• FLIGHTS 

•  AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION 

•  LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

•  MEALS (when off program)

•  BOOKS

•  PERSONAL EXPENSES (including bedding and kitchen supplies, field gear)

•  ENTERTAINMENT

•  LAUNDRY

•  PRINTING FEES

•  PACKING EXPENSES or storage fees for personal belongings 

•  COVID-19 TESTING