Mai Japan Experience: Finances

It's no surprise that the biggest deterrent for studying abroad is finances, but even though people are aware of the general expense it takes to fund your time abroad, nobody talks about the many (not so) microtransactions that appear before your journey even begins. I'm not ashamed to admit that going into this program I was extremely naïve about the amount of money I'd need for this entire process, and outside of the actual costs, the biggest stressor came in the multiple, rapidly approaching deadlines that made me seriously worry on multiple occasions that I'd have to drop out of the program. But now that I'm less than a month away from flying out and have taken care of the majority of my larger expenses, I have a more comprehensive idea of everything you need to budget for.

DISCLAIMER: This list and the prices are based off of my personal experience in the Drexel University study abroad program for the International Christian University (ICU) in Japan. Each university has different required costs for each program, so be sure to double-check the specifics with your home institution.

Please consider donating to my GoFundMe to help me cover basic living costs!

Cost 

Application fee - $60  

When doing your initial application to study abroad, you will most likely have to pay a non-refundable application fee. This fee typically goes towards covering administrative costs like providing pre-approval services (i.e. the initial advising appointment, assisting with the application process, etc.) and reviewing your application.

Deposit - $500 

Similar to the application fee, this deposit is non-refundable and is used to show your commitment to the program and to cover administrative costs. Though the price is significantly higher than the application fee, the administrative services are more involved since your study abroad advisor will act as a liaison between you, your home institution, and the host institution.

For me, this deposit fee was due one week after receiving my acceptance into the study abroad program. Since I live paycheck to paycheck, coming up with this amount in such a short time was difficult, but I was fortunate that my parents were able to help me with the remainder costs. I recommend making sure you have at least $500 set aside by the acceptance date to avoid having to scramble to make the deposit deadline.

Proof of Funds for the Certificate of Eligibility - $1,800+ 

Proof of funds was one of the biggest expenses that I had to cover, and to say that I was stressing about it was an understatement. The Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) is an official host-institution document or immigration form that is used as a precursor for obtaining your student visa. After being accepted into ICU, I had to promptly fill out another application for the CoE and in it you have to prove that you have the bare minimum funds to sustain you for the entirety of your program.

For ICU, the minimum cost is about 100,000 yen per month, and since my program lasts for three months, I needed to have 300,000 yen (or about $1,800). I technically had a two-month gap from my acceptance in February until I had to fill out the CoE application in April, but considering all of my bills and financial situation, it was near impossible to save enough for it.

I submitted in a bank statement that showed about $1,000 that I had saved for the program but was contacted a month later for having insufficient funds. Fortunately, by that time I had just gotten my tax refund and was awarded two scholarships, so my resubmission was accepted.

For this step, it's imperative that you have the minimum funds. Without it, you risk your CoE coming to you late or not being accepted at all, rendering you unable to study abroad.

Passport and Passport Photos - $165, $15-20 

Adult (16 or older) First time or not eligible for renewal

Adult (16 or older): Renewal eligible

As you may imagine, to travel outside of the country you will need a passport. If you are over 16, have never had a passport before, and are only getting a passport book, you are looking at around $165 after processing fees. If you want to add extras like a passport card, expedited processing, or expedited delivery, then the price can go upwards of $200+.

To see how much a U.S. Passport is for you then click here: Passport Fee Calculator and Form Guide 

For a comprehensive breakdown of the passport fees, click here: Passport Fees 

Once you receive your CoE, you have to take it to your nearest Embassy of Japan and apply for your student visa. Depending on how far away you live from an embassy, you may or may not have to physically bring the CoE and visa application with you, so be sure to check in with your home institution for the correct procedure. For the visa application, you will have to glue down an official passport photo of yourself. Passport photos range between $15-20+ and you can get them taken at places like CVS, Walgreens, Staples, or a post office.

Since many places offer same-day photo printing, there's no rush to get these done. Passport photos must be taken within six months of your application, so I recommend doing it right when you're about to submit your visa application.

Housing - $1,300+ 

How much you pay for housing generally depends on whether you are staying on or off campus, and it's hard to say which is the cheaper or better option.

At ICU, if you're placed in a dorm on-campus then you just have to pay one lump sum for housing, however, if you outsource and find an apartment off-campus then you will have to account for monthly expenses at a varying range. Homestays are another housing option, but availability is limited. ICU partners with Nextage to help connect students to host families. Depending on if you're staying shorter or longer than 90 days, your rate can range between 4,400-4,600 yen per night, not including taxes and fees.

I was able to secure a spot in the dorm, which means my housing expense is 220,500 yen or about $1,351.83.

I'll be posting some articles in the upcoming weeks that breaks down these housing options in more detail and I will link them here once they are up!

Plane Tickets (round trip)  - $3,000~ 

The price of your plane tickets varies when you’re leaving and coming back. Generally, winter months like January and February will have the cheapest flights, as well as sometimes in the autumn between September, October, and early December. Any flights near major holidays or special times of the year, like cherry blossom season or Golden Week, will be significantly more expensive.

Your best bet is to consistently compare ticket pricing via flight search engines and set price alerts so you can secure the tickets the moment prices drop. Also remember that round trip tickets are cheaper than buying each of them separately, so try to buy both of them together if you can.

General Tuition Fee 

Unfortunately, I still have to pay the basic tuition fee for my quarter even though I won't be studying in my home institution, however, the fee is consistent with what I would normally pay. For me, after my loans and scholarships are applied, that's about an extra $3,000 to $5,000.

While many universities follow this model, your program type could greatly affect the pricing. If your program is directly connected to your school's offerings, then tuition will most likely remain consistent. External programs and third-party providers like CIEE, IES Abroad, and IFSA have a wider range of program offerings, but could net you around $15,000+ per semester.

I would recommend sticking to direct enrollment to keep things as cost effective as possible, but if your university doesn't have the program you’re looking for and you start saving well in advance, then going through a third-party would be a viable option.

Misc. Expenses  

Outside of the major expenses, there are a ton of smaller expenses that I've had to plan for, including but not limited to: 

• Train tickets to go to Embassy of Japan in NYC to complete my visa (2 round trips) = Approx. $80 

• 2-night hotel for when I arrive in Japan = $281

• 3-piece luggage set = Approx. $120 

• Weather appropriate clothes = Approx. $100 

• Airport luggage fees = $100+ 

• eSim = Approx. $200

Even when I think I've made a comprehensive list of things I'll need, there are always other small, nuanced travel necessities that come up. While this can be hard to plan for, there is a bit more flexibility in the timing at which you can buy things and pricing since many things are need-based. Be sure to write down anything you may need to buy as you think of it so you're not scrambling to get it at the last minute.

Funding Options 

After breaking it down, the cost of everything is very intimidating. Though it may seem like an impossible task, there are many options to help fund your trip and lighten the financial load.

Scholarships  

Scholarships are the easiest way to get money for your trip, and it's imperative that you take advantage of as many as you can. Since you aren't guaranteed a scholarship, it's better to apply for as many as possible.

Your program may have some then outsource for ones applicable to you. Look into it a year before you decide to start initial application because many big scholarships won't fall in line with your application schedule. Even if you aren't accepted into the program yet, it's better to apply early and give yourself the chance of being awarded than to miss out on the opportunity for funding.

Here are a few scholarships that were recommended for my program: 

• U.S.-Japan Bridging Scholarship 

• Toshizo Watanabe Study Abroad Scholarship 

• Freeman-ASIA 

• JASSO Scholarship 

ICU-specific scholarships (offered after acceptance into ICU):  

• ICU Study Abroad/Experiential Learning Support Scholarship 

• Japan ICU Foundation (JICUF) Exchange Students Scholarship 

Drexel-specific study abroad scholarship: 

• Dragons Abroad 

Bold.org is another website that I would highly recommend since it's filled with various scholarships catered to every type of person and situation. There are some that are study abroad specific, but most of them aren't. Despite this, it's still a great resource to utilize throughout your time in college since most of the scholarships just require a short essay and it's easy to turn out a large chunk of them. At the time of me posting this, I unfortunately haven't won anything, but I did make it as a finalist for one scholarship. Though that doesn't give me any monetary value, it's noted on my profile for funders to see, thus improving my chances of being selected for a scholarship. The awards tend to range as low as $500 to well into the thousands so it's definitely worth applying to anything you qualify for.

GoFundMe 

Another funding option you can use is GoFundMe, though this isn't the most reliable source of income. Since GoFundMe relies completely on other people's donations, there is no guarantee that you'll reach your goal. You have to strike a balance between promoting it to the people you know without it sounding pushy, and if you're the type who doesn't use social media often or have a large following, you most likely won't get the results you're hoping for. Regardless, I still think it's good to set it up because getting something is better than nothing. I haven't had many people donate to my GoFundMe, but it managed to get enough to book a hotel since I'll be arriving to Japan two days before the dorm move in date. Without those few donations, I would've been struggling to get the funds to book the hotel, so it's definitely worth setting one up just in case.

Student Loans 

If you're able to take out student loans, then this will be the most surefire way of getting money while abroad. Depending on when your school disperses funds, you may still have to cover the first month of your program out of pocket, so make sure you have enough saved up to sustain you until then. Just remember that you will have to pay back everything that you take out, so don't go too crazy and take out an exorbitant amount.

Final Thoughts 

I have been stressing out about finding funding for this program since I got accepted, and it got to the point where the stress was outweighing the excitement I should be feeling. As a low-income student, finding the money to cover these costs has been hard, but thanks to the generosity of my family and friends, as well as my own hard work, I've been able to scrounge up what I needed. Going into this, I assumed that because I already owned a passport all I had to do was take a large student loan to cover living expenses and housing, so this whole process was very humbling and eye-opening. Most of my financial struggles stems from the fact that I've been unable to take out any student loans due to older loans of mine coming out of forbearance, so hopefully that won't be an issue for most people, but if it is then know that you still have many options available to you.

My general advice for anybody wanting to study abroad is to start saving money and applying to scholarships as soon as you can. Even if you're able to take out a loan, many of these costs come up suddenly and with not enough time to wait until a loan is dispersed. Plus, you will have to pay those loans back once you're done with college, so if you can supplement most of the costs on your own, then you'll have an easier time paying off your loans in the future. You also can't rely solely on credit cards either since there will be times you have to prove via bank statement that you have the necessary program funds in your checking or savings account. Early planning and preparation are the key to conquering your pre-departure costs!