The IUHPFL is not only an academic commitment, it is a significant financial commitment as well. Below you will find the answers to your questions regarding IUHPFL Program Fees:
I’m interested in applying to the IUHPFL. What are the first steps?
There are two initials steps in applying to the IUHPFL: applying to take the language test and applying for a passport.
Step 1: Application for the language test
The first step in the IUHPFL Application Process is to register for the testing that takes place in October.
- The test registration fee is $15.00. This fee is to be paid by September 24, 2010 in advance of the regional language placement test in October. This $15.00 fee must be paid on-line here via credit or debit card.
- The results of the placement test will be supplied to the IUHPFL High School Coordinator at your school, who will then relay that information to you.
- If you pass the placement test, you can proceed to apply to the Honors Program. We highly suggest taking our Self-Inventory before applying to the Honors Program to make sure it is the right study abroad program for you.
- Applicants are responsible for the costs involved in applying to the IUHPFL, which include paper to print off the application materials and postage to mail the application materials.
Step 2: Application for a passport
If you plan to apply for the IUHPFL, we encourage you to begin the process of applying for a passport.
- If you are accepted into the Honors Program, having a passport will be necessary to purchase an airline ticket and will greatly facilitate the submission of your acceptance materials.
- Even if you are not accepted into the Honors Program, your passport is a worthwhile investment, as it will be valid for ten years (provided you are at least 16 years of age at the time of passport application).
What are the Program Fees for the 2012 IUHPFL Program Cycle?
An overview of Program fees and travel expenses, what is and is not included, can be found here.
What is the payment schedule for Program Fees?
Payment of the Honors Program Fees is due in three installations:
- The first installation is made upon acceptance into the IUHPFL. At this point, students will incur two immediate expenses to secure their slot as a participant:
- A non-refundable initial payment of $500.
- This initial payment will contribute towards the upfront costs of deposits made for accommodations onsite.
- $750 deposit towards round-trip airfare, which is to be paid via check directly to our travel agent.
- For reasons of safety and security, and also for the logistical smooth running of the Honors Program, we require that all students of the same program must fly together on the same group flights to and from the host country that we reserve.
- The second installation is due in early April and equals half of the Program Fees (minus the $500 initial payment). The final airfare balance will be due to the travel agent in April on a date determined by the travel agent.
- The third installation is due in early May and amounts to the remaining balance of Program Fees.
NOTE: If you are accepted into the IUHPFL and have not paid your balance in full by the last payment deadline, you will not be able to participate in the Program.
Is Financial Aid available to help defray the costs of the IUHPFL?
Financial Aid is available for the IUHPFL.
An online need-based assessment tool will be made available during the IUHPFL application process if students wish to submit a Financial Aid application. Students' need for Financial Aid will have no bearing on students' selection. Financial Aid distribution will be based on individual family need and is given in varying amounts that have ranged in the past from $600 to $1,200. Over the past two program cycles (2009 & 2010), roughly 52% of students who applied for Financial Aid received it.
Many students solicit sponsorships to help offset the costs of the Honors Program, while other students fundraise on their own with bake sales, yard sales, etc., to cover the Program Fees. Still, other students pinch pennies and work extra hours to be able to pay for the Honors Program. We advise the following: if you plan to apply to the IUHPFL, begin saving money to cover the Program Fees now.
For more information about the Financial Aid application process, please click here.
For more information about reduction in fees opportunities that are not need-based, please click here.
Are there other reduction in fee awards, grants or scholarships that are not need-based that I can apply for?
- For German students:
- The Department of Germanic Studies at Indiana University Bloomington will award five Krefeld students a $1,000 scholarship courtesy of funds from the Max Kade Foundation. No separate application is necessary as students will be selected from the existing applicant pool.
- For French students:
- The John and Barbara Busch Scholarship is available to assist North Central High School students who qualify for and participate in the IU Honors Program in French. Mr. and Mrs. Busch are graduates of North Central High School (Class of 1969), and Mr. Busch was an IU Honors Student in St. Brieuc in 1968. Qualification for and participation in the IU Honors Program in French are the only requirements for the scholarship. No application or demonstration of need is required. It is Mr. and Mrs. Busch's hope that should recipients of this scholarship be in a position to assist others in the future, they simply "pay it forward." Please e-mail iuhpfl@indiana.edu for more information.
- For Allen County students:
How can I solicit sponsorship funds and fundraise to offset the cost of the IUHPFL Program Fees?
Students tend to fundraise in one of two ways: soliciting sponsorship funds and/or fundraising on their own. Below you will find some suggestions on how to do both.
- Soliciting sponsorship funds
- Begin to talk to relatives and family friends about your desire to participate in the Honors Program as early as possible, and perhaps ask them if they might be interested in sponsoring you if you are accepted into the Program. In lieu of giving you gifts for your birthday or holidays, you could suggest that relatives instead sponsor money towards your Program Fees if you are accepted into the Program.
- Begin to talk to local organizations in your community and/or your school district about possibly sponsoring your participation in the Honors Program (i.e., Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Key Club, etc.). You could also begin to ask small businesses in your community to sponsor your potential participation in the Honors Program. The IUHPFL provides a sample letter for students who are interested in participating in the Honors Program, but who have not yet begun the application process that they could send to local organizations and businesses.
- Consider banding with other interested students from your high school or region to send sponsorship letters as a group and then agree to equally share the sponsorship funds among you, should you all be selected to participate.
In the event that you are selected to participate in the Honors Program, a sample fundraising letter will be available on the IUHPFL website for you to use in soliciting sponsorships.
If you are ultimately accepted into the Program, it is important to thank your sponsors. Many IUHPFL alumni prepare a slideshow of their pictures, which they present for their sponsors upon their return from their trip abroad with the Honors Program. Other past participants have been sure to write a postcard from their destination site abroad to their many sponsors. Your sponsors will want to hear about your experiences and will want to see what their sponsorships dollars went towards.
- Fundraising
Below are ideas that former alumni of the Honors Program have implemented to fundraise, whether it be individually, or with other students from their same school or region:
- Seek out every opportunity to earn money to put towards Honors Program fees: babysit, dog sit, mow lawns, shovel snow, rake leaves, ask to work extra hours or cover shifts at your current place of employment, etc. Think about organizing bake sales, garage sales, or a car wash, etc., by yourself, or with other interested students at your school or in your region (thereby splitting the proceeds amongst all of you).
- Plan an auction with the proceeds benefitting you, or both you and other students at your school participating in the IUHPFL. You can ask nearby large cities (Bloomington, Chicago, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, etc.) for donations for the auction from their local museums, theatres, sports teams, etc.
- Plan a spaghetti dinner with other interested students in your school or area that includes a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, and bake sale. Purchase the food from a bulk foods store, and bake your own treats for the bake sale. Get local organizations to donate items for the silent auction, or pitch in to buy a few complimentary items for the silent auction if need be. Use a church hall for the dinner, so as to avoid paying to use the facilities. Make sure to advertise well for the event to maximize profit, and split the proceeds amongst the group.
If you are an alumnus of the Honors Program and would like to share fundraising ideas with the IUHPFL office, please e-mail us at iuhpfl@indiana.edu.
What is the IUHPFL withdrawal policy?
The IUHPFL withdrawal policies are as follows:
- Withdrawal before the Honors Program begins:
If you withdraw from the Honors Program after you have paid the fees but before the Program begins, the Honors Program will consider a refund of certain fees to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Fees that will NOT be refunded include:
- The $500 non-refundable initial payment
- Any fees that are non-recoverable at the time of withdrawal. Non-recoverable fees may include housing, meals, transportation and staff compensation that have already been committed or paid on your behalf.
*It may be possible to use your already purchased airline ticket towards another flight to the same destination, incurring charges to make adjustments to the date of your flight.
- Withdrawal after the Honors Program begins (i.e., while onsite):
If you withdraw from the Honors Program after it begins, you must send a formal statement to the Honors Program that explains in detail the reasons you feel you need to withdraw from the program.
We will consider a partial refund of fees only 1) if you become seriously ill or 2) if an emergency requires you to return to the U.S. In these cases, the amount of the refund will be determined individually on the basis of costs recoverable by the Honors Program at the time of withdrawal.
Please note that withdrawal after the Honors Program begins (i.e., while onsite) supposes that you will have to change the date of your return ticket home and such a change in airfare will result in additional costs. Also, please note that if you withdraw while onsite, the airlines will work with you as best they can to get you home in a timely manner, but availability to change return flights may be limited due to airline policies regarding group flights.
- Expulsion from the Honors Program:
If you are expelled from the Honors Program, no fees or costs will be refunded. You will also be expected to cover the additional expenses incurred related to the necessary arrangements to change your return flight home.
ABOUT IUHPFL > Program Fees