Northeastern has started a new program that would allow students admitted for the spring semester to start early by studying abroad in the fall. The program, called NUin, aims to rope in students who admissions officials say are good candidates for Northeastern but can’t be accepted for fall due to space limitations.
Through the program, students can study during fall semester in one of three overseas locations – if they pay between $22,000 and $29,000.
According to information sent to students eligible to participate in NUin, students in the Australia and England programs will pay $28,495; and those going to Greece will pay $22,900. This cost is significantly higher than a first semester at Northeastern, which, before financial aid, averages to 22,739.50 with tuition, fees, room and board.
While first year students can be eligible for financial aid, those participating in NUin are not since they are not technically students until their return in January.
About a tenth of the participants will receive $5,000 grants to offset some of the cost, Theresa Arnold, NUin coordinator, said.
She acknowledged, however, that the grant will not dent the price significantly, especially in the more expensive programs in England and Australia, where a high cost of living and a weak dollar combine to make study abroad significantly more costly than studying in the United States.
“We can’t accommodate everyone – yet,” Dean of Admissions Ronne Turner said.
The NUin cost includes tuition, housing, round-trip airfare from Logan Airport, basic study-abroad insurance, a pre-departure orientation at Northeastern, a post-arrival orientation and some program excursions. It does not include meals, books or other costs.
Though the price is higher Arnold said those participating in NUin are not necessarily wealthier than the average student and may still get financial aid when they come to Northeastern in the spring.
“I wouldn’t make that assumption. People make a wide variety of decisions in terms of how they pay for college,” she said. She also said students going on the trip were representative of the student body at large.
Arnold said NUin is well worth the cost. For example, she said, the students staying in London are “right downtown, in a place where students don’t normally live
