Financial Planning and Costs
The basics of studying abroad:
- You remain registered at TRU yet get to study in another country.
- Tuition continues to be paid to TRU along with ancillary fees (less the UPass).
- This is a non-competitive program.
- Other scholarships are available based on GPA, experiential, and destination requirements.
- Aside from the flight and VISA costs, transfer your living costs from Kamloops to the country you wish to travel to.
Once you have attended an Information Session, we recommend completing the Study Abroad Student Budget Planning Sheet which you can bring to the interview. This budget sheet has been created to assist you in two ways with preparing to go:
- Project costs to estimate your income and potential expenses for the duration of the exchange.
- Actual costs based on the real costs being paid for your exchange.
Are you on a student loan? If so, you are still eligible to apply and recieve a student loan to support your exchange. The minimum number of TRU credits need to be recognized as a full-time student at TRU is 9 TRU credits. Students who are participating on exchange are considered full time if they are taking 9, 12, 15 TRU credits. Going on exchange is 100% doable.
To learn more about student loans, visit Student Awards & Financial Aid.
What are you waiting for?
Tuition, food and housing costs will vary depending upon a number of things. Firstly, ISEP and Bilateral exchanges differ regarding how and where the expenses are paid. TRU is a member of ISEP (International Student Exchange Program), which is a network of exchange partners worldwide, whereas bilateral exchanges are through universities that TRU has direct exchange agreements with. Check out the tables below to compare how the finances differ between the two.
Comparison of Bilateral and ISEP finances
Bilateral Exchange Expense
- Costs for tuition only are paid to TRU prior to departure
- Tuition: students pay for the number of courses they are enrolled in(minimum 3 courses for full time status)
- Housing and Meals: Costs paid abroad, as per host country prices, depending on the student's chosen arrangements
ISEP Exchange Expenses
- Costs for tuition, housing and meals are paid to TRU in Canadian dollars at Kamloops prices prior to departure
- Tuition: students pay for the number of courses they are enrolled in (minimum 3 courses for full time status)
- Housing and Meals: costs per semester paid to TRU and then provided abroad by the host university
Living costs will be different depending upon where you go on exchange, just as they differ in every city in Canada. The table below provides a broad outline of costs past students have paid when on exchange compared to studying at TRU, and shows just how affordable studying abroad can be!
Study abroad financial comparison per semester
| TRU | France | Vietnam | ISEP Exchange * | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $1,877.70 ** | $1,877.70 | $1,877.70 | $1,877.70 |
| Residence/Housing | $3,280.0 *** | $1,480.00 | $1,000.00 | $4,000.00 |
| Other Academic Fees | $654.27 **** | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total | $5,811.97 | $3,357.70 | $2,877.70 | $4,877.00 |
* ISEP housing total includes food
** Undergraduate
*** TRU Residence
**** Ancillary/Mandatory
Finally, keep in mind the exchange rates when researching your housing options as most places will be quoting the price in local currency, the link below will convert any currency you are curious about to Canadian Dollars. You can check the latest exchange rates using this online currency converter from the Bank of Canada.
