Starting in fall 2026, Elon University will implement a new price for its external study abroad fee. The fee, which was previously $4,700 for several years, but was reduced to a $3,500 fee, will apply to all students participating in approved affiliate semester programs, such as Semester at Sea and the Theater Academy of London. The fee is part of the billing structure for study abroad, which also includes health, safety and a sustainability fee.
According to an email sent out to faculty and staff by Dean of Global Education Nick Gozik, this extra price tag is a separate fee for supporting student wellness and safety while abroad.
According to Gozik, the cost was reduced due to a change in tuition, so students would be paying less than what they did before.
“In the past, if the program’s cost was less than Elon’s published tuition, there was a refund for the difference in the cost. Because the university continues to cover scholarships and other institutional support for students, whether they are on campus or abroad, a decision was made to discontinue this practice.” Gozik wrote in the email.
Sophomore Jonah Uffelman, a music theater major, said he heard about the fee from his fellow classmates, since studying abroad externally through Florida State University is popular among students in the department.
“A bunch of us are planning on going abroad. It's sort of a thing in the music theater program, where the juniors in both the music theater and acting classes study abroad in London at the Theater Academy London,” Uffelman said.
According to Uffelman, this fee makes the cost harder for students since they will be paying Elon’s tuition on top of the new fee’s price.
“I think it's kind of crazy, just because of the fact that it keeps getting harder and harder. It started with FSU tuition, and then it they changed it to Elon tuition, which is more, and then they added these extra fees,” Uffelman said.“So it just feels like it's constantly piling on top of itself, and it's making many people in my class reconsider whether they want to study abroad just because they feel like it's so much money.”
Uffelman said he is among the many students who have reconsidered their decision to study abroad due to the fee.
“It's hard now, because I've just finalized my sublease for the fall, but I definitely have reconsidered it,” Uffelman said “It's a scary amount of money, and I obviously do want to study abroad, but for the amount of credits I would take there, I just don't know if it would be entirely worth it for the amount of money I would have to spend to do it.”
Sophomore Emma Bruce feels the additional fee makes the cost feel unfair, especially with Elon University’s tuition rising by more than 5% for the 2026-27 academic year.
“I honestly feel like it's greedy, because tuition is going up 5% and then on top of that, there is this fee that makes tuition just as much as it would be to go here,” Bruce said.
Bruce, who is also a music theater major, said she hopes the school will recognize the value that these opportunities give to certain programs.
Bruce said the theater program is highly specialized and attracts students from around the world, many of whom pay a lot to attend what she described as a top-10 musical theater program. She added that while studying abroad is often seen as part of the experience, the extra cost on top of tuition can be frustrating, and she said he hoped the GEC would be more understanding of that.
“We aren't going here just to go here,” Bruce said. “We go here because it's the only place we can go to guarantee that will make all of our dreams come true.”
Bruce also expressed how a lack of study abroad scholarships being offered has also caused some frustration.
“'I’ve tried to talk to the global office multiple times and ask, ‘Is there any way we can get more scholarships? Is there anything else that I can do?’” Bruce said.
Bruce said that when she went to the study abroad office earlier in the year, the only scholarship that was offered was a first-time scholarship. Elon University offers a one-time, first-time Global scholarship according to the Global Education Center’s website.
She added that because many music theater students travel to Italy in the summer to study opera, scholarship funding is directed toward the Italy program.
Gozik also addressed the concerns with financial aid in the email.
“As a result of the decrease in the Semester Study Away Fee, many programs will have a lower cost, and along with maintaining our students' scholarships and financial aid, we will continue to encourage students to take advantage of this important opportunity, which is an integral part of the Elon experience.” Gozik wrote.
Other schools in North Carolina offer fees for approved affiliate study abroad programs, but Elon’s new price appears to be more expensive. According to their website, North Carolina State University requires a $300 fee for Affiliate/Third-Party Study Abroad for summer and short-term programs, after the standard $75 set up fee. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill charges a $1,000 study abroad fee after a $50 application fee. At High Point University for unaffiliated programs, students are expected to pay the program cost directly to the program provider or institution sponsoring the study program, and pay a non-refundable $500 study abroad application fee to the school.
According to Gozik, the cost was reduced due to a change in tuition, so students would be paying less than what they did before.
“In the past, if the program’s cost was less than Elon’s published tuition, there was a refund for the difference in the cost. Because the university continues to cover scholarships and other institutional support for students, whether they are on campus or abroad, a decision was made to discontinue this practice.” Gozik wrote in the email.