Mariette Thomas, director of the Center for International Education, shares answers to the most common questions about the cost to study abroad.

Students who have studied abroad have a competitive edge when entering the job market. Employers are looking for applicants who have international experience. With less than 10% of U.S. college students graduating with a study abroad experience, studying abroad is a great way for your student to set themself apart from other applicants post-graduation.

Study abroad helps students develop 21st century job skills that are valued across professional industries. Study abroad improves career possibilities, the starting salaries of recent graduates, the speed of getting a job offer, and earning outcomes throughout one's career. A study from the Institute for the International Education of Students found that:

A 2015 study by the UK Higher Education International Unit found that study abroad alumni have a 19% lower unemployment rate than their peers who did not study abroad and out-earn their peers by 17%. This equates to approximately $7,000 annually for U.S. students. Maintaining this earning advantage translates to earning an extra $567,500 over one's career!

Think your student can't afford to study abroad? It's more affordable than you think! 

The cost to study abroad varies widely depending on the program, location, as well as a student's personal expenses. Many semester abroad programs are exchange programs, which means that students pay Loyola tuition and all Loyola scholarships, state aid, and federal aid apply. Loyola also offers fee-based programs. Some programs may be cheaper than a term at Loyola depending on a student's scholarships and financial aid! Loyola summer programs start at just $3,000 for 2 courses (6 credits), and cover all excursions and cultural events associated with the courses, health/medical insurance, and housing.

For many students, studying abroad is only possible with financial assistance. Each year, Loyola awards scholarships to students who plan to study abroad on our programs. Non-Loyola scholarships are also available. See a list of available scholarships and application deadlines. Of course, students should discuss all financial planning with their financial aid counselor well in advance of applying as well.

It’s almost time to enroll in summer courses! The Summer Session gives your student the chance to get ahead on credits while making the summer engaging and productive. Taking just one summer course between each year of college could allow students to graduate an entire semester early—saving on tuition costs. 

Taking a summer course can also help lift a student’s GPA or check off a core requirement. Course sessions range from 2 to 10 weeks, with entirely online options to learn from home or summer housing for students who want to stay on campus.

Encourage your student to talk to their advisor to see if Summer Session would be a good fit for their major and course of study.  Still have questions? Email summer@loyno.edu for individual questions and support.

At its worst, Mardi Gras in New Orleans is marked by destructive excess (think of its carbon footprint!) and vestiges of segregation.

At its best, it, rather than Lent, may better reflect heaven. Think about heaven. For Christianity, it is, in some mysterious way, a sharing in God’s very life—a life abundant and overflowing with love. And this happens in community with others and even with creation (see Romans 8:21).

Now, think about streets. They are normally dangerous, polluting, and, historically in New Orleans, a source of economic and ethnic division. At Mardi Gras, they are transformed. They gather people who would never otherwise cross paths to feast, dance, and play together.

Lent is a long, annual reminder to consider how my practices distance me and others from God and how I might work with others to help all people and all creation to experience, “on earth as it is in heaven,” the foretaste of heavenly flourishing that Mardi Gras can hint at.

Here are some Loyola-related resources available to all for Lent: Loyola’s Retreat in Daily Life in English and Spanish, Lenten presentations at Loyola and on Zoom, and books by Becky Eldredge and Jesuit Fr. Mark Thibodeaux.