How to Afford Study Abroad

Studying abroad is one of the best experiences you can have during college, but it can be expensive.

I loved my experience studying abroad in Paris, but it definitely wasn’t cheap. Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do to make study abroad more affordable.

Here are my best tips for how to afford study abroad!

 

1. Get a summer job

At the end of my freshman year of college, I decided I wanted to study abroad during my sophomore year spring semester.

So the summer before my sophomore year, I got a summer job as a movie extra to start saving money. Yes, it might sound cool, but being an extra was actually not a very glamorous job.

I usually only got paid $8 an hour, but that turned into $12 an hour for overtime. With 14 hour days being common on set, I was able to earn a lot of overtime and in one summer I managed to save a couple thousand dollars working a few days a week.

Obviously, being an extra might not be a summer job possibility for you, but there are plenty of summer jobs out there for college students. Working at a restaurant, working in retail, lifeguarding, working as a summer camp counselor, babysitting, tutoring, and mowing lawns are just a few ideas of summer jobs you can do to earn extra money.

 

2. Get an internship

Another great way to save money for your study abroad is by getting an internship.

During my sophomore year fall, I still needed to save money for study abroad, so I applied for tons of internships. I ended up getting a part-time internship at a major broadcasting company making $18 an hour and working 20 hours a week.

Not only was this great for my resume, it also allowed me to save a few thousand more dollars for my study abroad.

If you need help finding internships, get in touch with your university’s career center or reach out to anyone you know (family members, friends of family, alumni from your university, professors, etc.) for leads on potential jobs.