Budgets & financial considerations

Beginning academic year 2023-2024, every embedded program proposal will require an approval from the academic unit's financial office. For embedded courses, the planning budget, student fee collection, and payment of expenses are ultimately the responsibility of the program leader and sponsoring academic unit. Please reach out if we can assist you with any related issues. 

Refer to the following website sections for specific information regarding the student fee collection and tethered process.

• Collecting Student Fees

• Tethered Summer Credit Process (for Maymester courses)

Building a responsible budget takes planning and coordination on behalf of the program leader in consultation with the Financial Office of their academic unit or campus. Considerations for costs to include in the budget may include the following line items (plus others, depending on the nature and location of your program):

• For spring break programs, group travel to the airport is highly encouraged.  Bus transportation from a reputable provider can be built into the overall program budget to ensure safe, reliable transportation for the entire group.

• Housing accommodations for students

• In-country transportation (airport transfer, if appropriate; tour bus for visits or day trips)

• Site visits (day trips, monuments, historical sites)

• Group lectures or tours

• Entrance fees (museums, parks)

• Travel expenses for faculty leaders (airfare, lodging, meals)

• Some group meals, if appropriate

Financial policies and budget expenses for embedded programs are managed by each academic unit and financial offices should be consulted about specific policies and best practices for your program.

Program funds, whether paid via student fees, University funds, or a combination of the two, should be utilized to support the academic activities and essential logistics of the education abroad program.  In the most general terms, program funds:

• Can cover:

  • Academic activities and cultural experiences, distributed equally among students. Students may opt not to participate in optional activities or meals, but they must be given the choice.

  • Meals, lodging, and transportation for program leaders.

  • Student in-country transportation, lodging, and some group meals.

• Cannot cover:

  • For embedded courses, student fees cannot be used toward employee compensation

  • Expenses related to guests of program leaders.

  • The purchase of medicine, alcohol, gifts, or any other non-program related expenses.

We strongly recommend that program leaders discuss payment processes with relevant financial staff within their department, campus or college.  Please be aware that some financial policies may have changed with regard to travel bookings, use of personal cards for professional travel arrangements, and other safeguards to protect against potential losses based on program cancellation. 

Penn State Global recommends the use of Penn State issued Purchasing Cards (p-cards) for program expenses whenever possible. Seek approval before confirming bookings or paying deposits.  Making payments without authorization from your financial staff may result in failure to be reimbursed for expenses. 

Financial Risk of Planning Programs

It is wholly the academic unit’s responsibility to shoulder any financial risk for Embedded courses. As the unit preparing the academic course, receiving the tuition, setting and collecting the student fees, all financial liability is assumed. For questions regarding budget planning, program contigency, best practices in Education Abroad, and/or recommended remuneration, please contact EmbeddedPrograms@psu.edu. 

For embedded courses, program leader compensation is determined at the level of the academic unit or department.  Please consult with relevant administrators about how compensation would be affected if the travel component had to be cancelled at any point. While we understand the commitment leaders are taking to academically and logistically create and plan these programs, Penn State Global cannot compensate program leaders in the event of a program cancellation. 

Penn State funds used abroad must be properly documented with receipts.  In situations where a receipt is not available (e.g. taxi in a developing country), then a signature must be obtained from the receiving party with the amount paid and the date the payment was made.

Program leaders are expected to uphold Penn State core values and make ethical decisions in consultation with Penn State Global while leading a program abroad.  Penn State core values include integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence and community.

A program leader is not permitted to purchase alcoholic beverages for themselves or any member of their program group with program funds.  Furthermore, although Penn State does not have an articulated policy on employee alcohol consumption with students, Penn State Global takes a strong and firm stance against doing so for the following reasons:

• Students who are of legal age to consume alcohol abroad may choose to do so at their own preference. Although alcohol can be consumed responsibly together, students may continue drinking after the faculty leader has departed and irresponsible behavior could result.

• With the presence of social media, the perception of a program leader drinking with students may be misconstrued in the public sphere.

• Program leaders spend a tremendous amount of time with students both in and out of the classroom abroad. This constant contact can blur the lines between leader and participant.  Refraining from drinking with your students, even minimally, can help to delineate this distinction.

Faculty and staff leading embedded courses can work with approved university travel agent, Anthony Travel, or book through Travel OnLion.

• Flights should be booked to match the official program dates. Any deviation from the program dates and/or origin (your campus’ normal departure airport) and arrival (closest airport to host city) requires a comparison flight quote which must be provided on the same day that travel is booked.

• Any personal travel being undertaken before or after the program dates is at the faculty leader’s own expense and the difference in price (and applicable taxes for personal travel) will be charged to the program leader via department or campus financial reconciliation process

• Any personal travel included in the itinerary may result in a portion of the cost of the ticket being subject to tax;

• All program leader travel is economy-class and it is expected that leaders will book the most economical ticket possible so as to reduce the financial burden on students;

Faculty leaders are not required to travel to and from the study abroad site with the students on a group flight.  In many cases, it makes the most sense to travel with the students, but it is not a requirement to do so.  When coordinating travel plans, consider from where the faculty and students will likely be departing.  For example, if the travel component of the course will occur over spring break, then it is likely that the faculty leaders and students will all depart from the home campus.  In this case, it makes sense to try to arrange for all participants to travel on the same flight.

When booking flights for Penn State employees and/or with University funds, please follow the travel policy for transportation carefully.  Refer specific questions to the Financial Officer in your unit.