Semester at Sea

Semester At Sea Costs Climbing
Semester at Sea is undeniably the most expensive way to study abroad. The program is increasing the tuition each semester, causing noticeable hesitation in student applicants at Washington State University.
The dream of someday studying abroad for some students at WSU, is staying just a dream. Not only do students have to worry about increased program tuition, they also have to worry about the other expenses that come along with studying abroad. They must take into consideration the visa costs for multiple countries, airfare, excursions, books, meals and traveling fees. Students typically estimate an additional $8,000 on top of their tuition. The website does say that prices are subject to change until the departure date, however students are shocked to see by how much.
Lindsay R. Agnew, a junior at WSU, applied for the Semester at Sea program in February 2008, when the cost for a double cabin was $22,000. The cost for the same room now is $25,475 for the spring 2009 trip.
There is only a small paragraph on the web site explaining why the prices are increasing so dramatically. “The web site said that in the past year the cost of one ton of bunker fuel had increased 100 percent,” Agnew said. “I was devastated when I found out about the inflated gas prices pushing the tuition up by about $3,500.” Agnew was planning to study abroad this coming spring but was forced to cancel her plans because of the cost.
Being that the Semester at Sea program is already the most expensive abroad option available, Agnew said “I couldn’t ask my parents to pay that much more, I just couldn’t do that to them.”
Another junior at WSU, Mollie V. Finlon, had a similar reaction to the increase. “I had dreamed about doing Semester at Sea ever since I was little” Finlon said. “I was planning on going abroad my junior year of college until my parents received an e-mail from the program this past summer telling us about the huge price increase.”
Even though Finlon’s heart was set on doing this program, she decided there are different ways she would rather spend the money. “I would rather ask my parents to help me pay for something useful once I graduate, like helping me with putting a down payment on a house, getting a new car, or possibly even a wedding someday,” Finlon said.
The tentative cost for the fall 2009 trip is on the webpage already. The double cabin that Agnew and Finlon were both interested in will be $29,295. That $3,820 difference already has students outraged.
People intending on canceling their trip for this spring must notify the program by October 20th to receive a full refund.
The WSU Study Abroad department encourages students to study abroad because of an unmatched cultural experience they gain that will last a lifetime. However, more and more students and parents are asking about the costs of the program. They are very concerned with the dramatic price increase so far this year.
Research and Special Programs Coordinator for the study abroad office, Melanie A. Jones, said “I advise them all to look into scholarship options. It is very worthwhile to apply because there are so many possibilities.”
“With the falling value of the U.S. dollar in other countries, we have seen a huge decrease with students in all the programs,” Jones said. “We are trying to focus students’ interests on countries that don’t use the Euro, less traditional places.”