Budgeting
How to budget your study abroad semester in Asia
Our founding mission is to provide more affordable study abroad opportunities for students interested in studying in Asia. We constantly and conscientiously work on keeping the tuition fees as low as possible – without compromising the quality of the study abroad semester.
Most other study abroad agents and providers include more detailed services in their fees, which is also reflected in the steeper prices (often starting from around 10 000 EUR/USD, up to about 25 000 EUR/USD a semester). The more inclusive packages usually include airport pick-up, accommodation costs, and travel insurance.
We want to encourage independent traveling and more personal experiences. We want to give you the freedom to decide when and how to travel to Asia, how much to spend on the accommodation and how to sort out the practical arrangements – and we help you at every step!
More and more students study abroad but participating in our programs is a way to differentiate yourself truly – exotic locations, a chance to build international networks, and the opportunity to acquire an entirely new skill set that future employers will appreciate.
The prices are examples of average costs and are subject to fluctuations in exchange rates.
In addition to the tuition fee and the application fee, you’ll need to budget for the following expenses:
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Travel Insurance
- Visa
- Food
The first three items on the list vary a lot in price, depending on how you like to fly, where you like to live, and what kind of coverage your insurance will have. We want to give you the option to personalize these things to best suit your budget and preferences.
The flights to Asia will probably be the most expensive additional cost to your study abroad semester. Flights are usually the cheapest, approximately 50 days before departure. When applying via Asia Exchange, you’ll get a confirmed study place within a week from applying. This makes it very convenient to book flights in advance. More information on travelling here.
Budget for flights: 500–1000 EUR/USD
Some of our destinations have on-campus dorms for international students, but our students must take care of their accommodation arrangements. Sharing a flat with other students is common. Most students travel solo and decide who to live with only after getting to know the other students during the first couple weeks of the semester.
The price for the accommodation depends on the destination. In Bali, Bangkok, and Phuket, accommodation can be found for as little as 100-350 EUR/USD a month. In Bali and Phuket, luxurious villas for several people go for about 1750 EUR/USD a month (including a pool). Therefore, six people sharing a villa would pay less than 300 EUR/USD a month.
The price of dorm accommodation also varies depending on the location. For example, the dorm accommodation for the entire semester (3.5 months) costs about 900 EUR/U in Seoul, Korea.
You can find out more about accommodation here and in the Asia Exchange Guide, which you will gain access to after being accepted to one of our programs. The Guide includes places recommended by our previous students, trusted realtors and general tips for what to look for and what to avoid.
Budget for accommodation: 300–3000 EUR/USD per semester
The price of the travel insurance depends on whether you or your family are already on a plan, how much coverage you want (i.e., for stolen items), whether you will partake in extreme sports, and which country you are going. A standard travel insurance (health costs, accidents, stolen items) for three and a half months in Thailand costs about 250 EUR/USD. More information on travel insurance is here.
Budget for travel insurance: 110–300 EUR/USD
Both eating in and out in Asia is very cheap. You can get delicious, healthy and fulfilling meals for a euro/dollar or do some fine dining with drinks for 10 euros/dollars.
Budget for food and drinks: 300–500 EUR/USD per semester
ca. 1300–5000 EUR / USD per semester (not including the tuition or application fee).
You can find a lot of information from our previous student’s blogs, reviews and interviews.
Download our budgeting spreadsheet.
