Study Abroad Finances

International Programs summer tuition is the same as summer tuition on the Malibu campus. International Programs tuition is charged to the student's account a few weeks prior to departure and is due on the first business day after the add/drop period. For questions related to student account payments, please contact the Office of Student Accounts.

International Programs Food and Housing is charged to the student's account a few weeks prior to departure and is due on the first day of the program. For questions related to student account payments, please contact the Office of Student Accounts.

Housing
Housing arrangements vary by program. Students should view their program's page or contact local program staff for additional information on housing abroad. Students with a signed contract are automatically guaranteed IP housing and do not need to complete an additional housing registration process.

Food
Each of our campus locations provides a number of group meals throughout the week. Group meal formats vary by program. In some programs, students dine out at restaurants regularly as a group, while other programs provide digital disbursements which assist students in paying for meals or groceries on their own. In the Florence program, students have a private chef that prepares meals at the villa. For details on meals in your program, please go to your program's web page or contact the program's local country staff.

Group meals and digital disbursements are included in the students' room and board fee. Please see below for more detail on digital disbursements.

In addition to these meals, students should be prepared to pay for 5-6 meals per week independently (not Pepperdine-provided meals).

Students who apply for a summer program by the regular deadline are eligible to receive a free roundtrip economy ticket from their home to their program location and back. For safety and logistical reasons, students are required to book airfare through Pepperdine's travel partner, Corniche Travel. Students will be provided with detailed flight booking instructions prior to departure and should not book travel until they have been instructed to do so by International Programs. If a student withdraws from the program after a flight has been purchased on their behalf, the student will be responsible for the cost of the flight. Similarly, if a student that chose to be on the group flight does not use their outbound ticket, the student will be charged for the roundtrip flight.

All students that attend a summer program outside of the United States will be enrolled in a global health insurance program through GeoBlue. GeoBlue provides coverage up to $250,000 per person per year and covers routine, pre-existing, and emergency care. For more information, please visit the global health fee section of our Health and Safety page. The global health fee is $28 per week for summer 2025. Some programs require additional health insurance plans to meet local immigration requirements. No health fee is required for the Washington, D.C. summer internship program as D.C. students utilize their personal U.S.-based health care plan. 

Books and Supplies: Costs for books and supplies vary. Students should be prepared to spend $200 - $400 per semester on books and supplies.

Loan Fees: Contact the Financial Assistance Office for additional information.

Additional Meals: Students should be prepared to pay for 5 meals per week independently.

Spending Money: The amount of personal spending money students will need depends entirely on personal spending preferences and local costs. Some of the factors to take into consideration are how much the student plans to travel, how much the student normally spends while traveling for extra meals, lodging, etc., and how many souvenirs the student wants to buy. Former students say on average they spend anywhere between $200 - $1,000 for summer programs. Students are encouraged to make a budget to plan for personal spending. Click here to view a budget template that students can use to plan their spending abroad.

P.E. or other Course Fees: Students that enroll in a P.E. course abroad will be charged an extra fee for that course. Other courses such as lab sciences or art courses sometimes charge additional fees. Fees range between approximately $200 - $500, depending on the course. Course fees are charged to the student's account at the same time as tuition and room and board.

If a student is receiving financial aid and scholarships at the Malibu campus, they will almost always receive the same financial aid and scholarships while abroad. Students with departmental, athletic or private scholarships should check with the organization or department distributing their aid to understand how their award will transfer. Grants and scholarships only apply to tuition, unless otherwise stated by your financial aid advisor.
For information on International Programs scholarships and other study abroad scholarships, visit our Scholarships page. The Net Price Calculator on the Financial Assistance website is a useful tool for estimating overall academic year or semester costs.

Students should check with the office of financial assistance regarding their tuition grant percentage (TGP) for Malibu-based and study abroad programs before committing to a summer program. For summer program applicants, 6 units are required to use federal aid. The Summer Estimator on the Financial Assistance website is a useful tool for estimating overall costs.

For the most accurate financial aid information, go to the Financial Assistance website and also talk to your Financial Aid Advisor. The Financial Aid Office is located next to One Stop in the TAC. Financial aid normally disburses the first day of your classes abroad, if all necessary steps have been taken and all necessary documents have been submitted.

Numerous student veterans and military-connected students have already taken part in our nationally-ranked and recognized study abroad programs.  Please refer to our resources page for Student Veterans and Military-Connected Students for additional information.

Major American credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express are widely accepted globally. However, please note that most businesses charge an additional fee for the use of a credit card. Purchases made with credit cards are billed in the local currency and the credit card company converts the amount to dollars. Students should speak with their bank prior to departure to understand if they are eligible for a credit card with no international fees.

Since most credit card companies are major financial institutions, they receive the bank conversion rate, which is far better than may be obtained by converting travelers' checks or cash. Many money exchanges in Europe allow the use of a Visa or MasterCard to obtain cash for an often steep fee.

The most common and convenient way for students to obtain local currency at all campuses except Buenos Aires is to withdraw cash from a local ATM. Cards marked "Plus," "Cirrus," or that have a red star symbol are widely accepted, although not all ATMs accept all cards. European ATMs only accept four-digit pin numbers, so before departure, be sure to check with your bank to determine whether or not your current ATM card has an international PIN. Also, be aware that banks charge fees for ATM transactions, and sometimes fees are charged both by the bank that provides the ATM card and the bank that operates the automated teller in Europe. Students typically withdraw large amounts of money at a time to reduce ATM fees, and then store cash in a secure place at their program location. Local program staff will provide students with advice on managing money during orientation upon arrival.

In Buenos Aires, we recommend that students bring American dollars to convert onsite as the conversion rate is typically better for cash.

Although American Express is not as widely accepted for purchases as Visa and MasterCard, an American Express card offers unique advantages. With offices located in all major cities, American Express will quickly replace lost or stolen cards. American Express will also cash personal checks for American Express cardholders, provided the arrangement has been made prior to departure from the United States.

Digital disbursements are monthly payments that students receive to cover a portion of their meals while abroad. These funds are included in the student's room and board fee. All campus-based programs utilize digital disbursements. 

In order to receive digital disbursements, students must have a U.S.-based bank account with a debit card and access to online banking. Although International Programs partners with Chase Bank to distribute digital disbursements, students can receive the funds through any U.S.-based bank.

Students will be sent detailed instructions prior to departure that will help them to set up their digital disbursements. Detailed instructions are also available here. 

Each month, students will receive an email asking them to accept their digital disbursement. Students are responsible for completing this in a timely manner, and should be careful to select a password for their digital disbursement account that they will easily remember. Resetting the password while abroad can be challenging so students should be sure to note their password in a secure place or utilize a secure digital password manager.

International Programs students can take advantage of a variety of resources to prepare financially for their program. Students will be invited to attend Financial Literacy workshops, and will have the opportunity to to discuss finances at their orientation sessions.