WFU Rejects Proposal Regarding Study Abroad Tuition

“In keeping with tradition at Wake Forest, we will continue policies that successfully provide incentives for going abroad to study,” Paul D. Escott, dean of the College, announced this week.

This year, the university considered a proposal by the International Studies Advisory Council that would have students paying Wake Forest tuition while participating in study abroad programs not associated with the university. That proposal was declined recently in favor of keeping the long-standing policy of students paying tuition charged by the non-Wake Forest programs, instead.

Escott mentions the continuation of the tuition policy in a letter delivered this week to members of the Classes of 2000 and 2001. The letter outlines procedures enabling those students to use ThinkPads in study abroad programs.

In the letter, Escott explains that those planning to study abroad “in a non-Wake Forest program . . . will not be paying tuition to Wake Forest.” The letter further informs the students that “the University will continue to provide you with substantial benefits-such as your normal package of financial aid or the new merit scholarships for study abroad.”

The scholarships are among the features included in the new Undergraduate Plan, originally called the Plan for the Class of 2000. Members of both classes are eligible for the new scholarships, since they entered Wake Forest under the Undergraduate Plan. A tuition increase associated with the plan pays for plan features.

“Of course, all eligible students, including those in another graduating class, would receive their normal package of financial aid while abroad,” Escott said.

Students travelling to non-Wake Forest programs will pay a fee if they take a ThinkPad. In his letter, Escott notes that “because you will not be paying tuition here, the cost of a ThinkPad cannot be carried by the University.”

In such cases, students will pay a user’s fee of $500 per semester, make a refundable deposit of $1,000, and pay an insurance premium of approximately $31. The fee serves “to keep tuition costs down for all students,” Escott writes.

Due to the potential for ThinkPad theft or damage, Escott encourages all students studying abroad to seek university assistance to obtain, at no charge, an international warranty and an extended warranty, if needed. Students would be responsible for paying the deductible on Wake Forest insurance if a ThinkPad is lost or damaged.