SAF Program Fee - An Explanation
The Comprehensive SAF Program Fee Includes:
Student Services:
• Personalized study abroad advising from an SAF counselor
• Submission of application materials and follow-up to secure an admission
decision
• Personalized advice and necessary support and documentation to make
application for a student visa
• Guaranteed, pre-arranged accommodation (in a standard double room while
classes are in session), typically on campus in university residence halls or
university-managed apartments.
• Arrival transportation and host university move-in coordination
• Academic records maintenance and transfer credit coordination
• Grade and credit query assistance
• Local trouble-shooting assistance (i.e. with course registration,
housing issues, etc.)
• 24/7 emergency assistance through SAF Headquarters (SAF HQ) in
Indianapolis, the SAF Country Offices (Seoul, Shanghai, Taichung, Tokyo) and
emergency assist travel insurance
• Participation in the SAF alumni network, upon return to home
Host University Payments:
• Admission Application Fee
• Visiting Student Tuition (based upon enrollment in humanities and social
sciences disciplines or intensive English language program – occasionally fees
to study in architecture, business or engineering, etc. are higher; students
are also responsible for any additional course related fees such as laboratory
or studio fees)
• Mandatory University Fees (such as transportation fee, technology fee,
international orientation and/or international services fees, etc.;
university-sponsored medical insurance costs are only included in the SAF
Program Fee if such coverage is mandatory and cannot be waived)
• Housing Application Fee & Housing Deposit (housing deposits, where
required, are included in the SAF Program Fee and will be refunded at the end
of the program when the student vacates their residence in good
condition. Depending upon the SAF host university, the housing deposit
may be refunded directly to student, while other host universities will refund
directly to SAF. If the refund is sent to SAF, SAF will refund the
housing deposit monies to the student)
• Housing Costs (beginning with the host university housing contract start
date and provided only while classes are in session), in a standard double room
(university meal plans costs are not included although students may be required
to purchase a meal plan by their host university)
• Transcript Issuance Fee (if necessary)
The Comprehensive SAF Program Fee Does Not Include:
• The costs of meals (unless otherwise stated)
• Laboratory or other course-related fees
• College or Department surcharges (some in-demand departments such as
Business, Engineering and Architecture, etc. charge students a supplementary
fee for enrolling in their College and/or Department. These fees are not
included in the SAF Program Fee.)
• Single or premium room allocation (While SAF tries to meet each
student’s housing preference, we have little control on the type of housing
students are allocated. Students who are placed in single or premium
housing situation will be required to pay the difference between the standard
double room housing cost and their single/premium placement.)
• Round trip airfare
• 24/7 emergency assistance from SAF HQ, the SAF Country Offices
(Shanghai, Seoul, Taichung, Tokyo) and required emergency assist travel
insurance (e.g. ACE, AEJ, etc.). SAF participants are required to
purchase emergency assistance travel insurance, but the cost of this insurance
is not included in the SAF Program Fee. Payment of this very reasonable
insurance fee is coordinated by your local SAF Country Office.
• Early arrival accommodation (SAF will provide students with a
recommended arrival date but unfortunately the recommended arrival date will
not always directly coincide with the host university’s housing contract start
date. The SAF Program Fee includes the cost of accommodation beginning
with the housing contract start date and while SAF will reserve housing for
students prior to the housing contract start date, if possible, this is
considered early arrival housing and the student is responsible for any
additional housing costs.• Accommodation during vacation periods
• Immunizations and Inoculations: Many SAF host universities require
international students to demonstrate that they have received
immunizations/inoculations for certain illness. Students who have not met
their host university’s minimum requirements may need to be immunized upon
arrival at their own expense.
• SAF Program Fee does not cover student’s personal living expenses and
accrued fees/fines including but not limited to: library fines, lost
keys, health center usage fees, printing costs, etc.
SAF Refund Policies (Application Fee, Program Deposit, SAF Program
Fee):
Application Fee: The SAF Application Fee is
non-refundable. Students are not expected to make any payment to SAF
during the process of their initial inquiry and counseling. Only when the
student chooses to submit a formal application to SAF is a one-time,
non-refundable application fee due.
Program Deposit: Once a students’ application is complete and
ready for submission to the study abroad program, a partially refundable
deposit and SAF Program Contract is required. In the unlikely event that
a student is not accepted to one of the three study abroad programs he/she
chose, 100% of the deposit will be refunded. In the event that a student
is accepted to one of the three study abroad programs he/she chose but cancels
his/her participation for personal reasons, with the exception of a serious
medical problem, 50% of the deposit will be refunded. In the event that a
student applies for but fails to obtain a student visa, 100% of the deposit
will be refunded. Students may choose to defer or postpone participation in an
SAF Program once. Students who have been accepted to a SAF study abroad
program but choose not to participate after one deferral forfeit 100% of their
program deposit.
SAF Program Fee: Students should not pay the SAF Program Fee
unless they are committed to participating in the program. Should a
student withdraw from the program after paying the SAF Program Fee but before
leaving their home country, SAF reserves the right to refund only those funds
which have not already been expended on student’s behalf.
Students who withdraw from the Program after arriving at the host university
are only eligible for a refund if they have contracted a serious illness or an
emergency exists that requires them to return to their country of origin and
SAF must approve any such refund. The refund will be limited to the
amount not already expended on student’s behalf as of the date on which they
withdraw from the Program.
Students participating on a two semester SAF Program are required to achieve
a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0/4.0 scale (or the equivalent) on
their first semester of enrollment or be subject to withdrawal from the SAF
Program. Students withdrawn from the SAF Program due to poor academic
performance will only receive a refund for monies that SAF is able to recover
from their host university for their planned second semester of enrollment.
SAF Program Fee Credits:
Occasionally SAF will need to make adjustments/refunds to the SAF Program Fee
payment based upon a change of circumstances once students arrive on their host
university campus (i.e. students may change their housing placement, make meal
plan adjustments, etc.). SAF will make every effort to make necessary
adjustments/refunds as soon as possible but students must be aware that we
cannot make refunds until we receive official invoices from their SAF host
university which are not always provided in a timely manner. Also please
note, that SAF will not issue or reduce refunds due to students who have
outstanding, open, or unpaid invoices with SAF.
SAF Program Fee refunds will be made in the following manner:
• US Programs: SAF will issue a check to students in USD
• Programs Outside the US: SAF will request that students provide
their local bank account information and SAF will send a wire transfer directly
to this account in the local currency.
• Refunds made once students return to their home country: SAF will
request that students provide their local bank account information and SAF will
send a wire transfer directly to this account in their home country
currency.
Comprehensive SAF Program Fee Structure:
• The comprehensive SAF Program Fee reflects all scholarships and discounts
provided by host universities and other organizations, including SAF (see the
introduction above). Most SAF host universities, but not all, provide SAF with
special reduced fees. Currently the average annual fee reduction (excluding the
universities of Columbia and Oxford) is USD 2,750. If scholarships received are
included, the average annual fee reduction is USD 3,000.
• The SAF Program Fee is a combination of a special fee charged by SAF
host universities (where applicable) and the nominal cost of SAF student
services provided in students home country and in the host country where the
student will study. The current cost of providing SAF’s services is
approximately USD 3,000.
• SAF works with all host universities to reduce the cost of study abroad
by providing SAF with reduced fee levels and by keeping the cost of providing
our services as low as possible.
• Students who apply to or have been accepted at an SAF host university
where SAF currently receives no special or reduced fee will be notified.
Important Considerations:
SAF participants should be aware that some SAF member universities will only
admit visiting students via SAF and many will only guarantee housing to SAF
sponsored students. In addition, as the official program sponsor SAF
assumes a significant liability risk and provides a legal buffer for students
and their home member university.
Some SAF host universities in the have student administrative and student
finance systems that are not adjusted to accommodate international visiting
students and consequently some students participating in SAF programs
automatically receive documentation including fee invoices, which are not
relevant to them. Students are carefully advised about the possibility of this
happening before they leave their home country and that they should forward any
invoices received directly to SAF. Students are advised not to make any
payments directly to their host university.
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