Program and Living Costs
Program Costs
Tuition and Fees
2012 tuition and fees are as follows:
- Tuition: $900 per credit hour.
- Activity Fee: $400 per student (proratable at $100 per week)
- Medical Insurance Evacuation and Fee: $100 per student. This fee is assessed by the MSU Office of Study Abroad. The fee covers the following: health insurance, an emergency assistance card for immediate telephone access to the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety; emergency medical evacuations; and routine scanning of U.S. State Department travel warnings.
Housing and Living Expenses
Currency Exchange
Although a member of the EU, Poland continues to use its own currency, the złoty (usually denominated as “PLN” or “zł”). Currency exchange rates fluctuate often, and we recommend that you use a currency calculator to plan your living expenses. Examples (which are not endorsed in any way by MSU College of Law) of currency calculators on the Internet include: Google (USD to PLN); Yahoo (USD to PLN); and XE (USD to PLN).
Program Housing and Housing Fees
Program housing is located in two dormitories near the University of Bialystok Law Faculty. Busing is readily and regularly available from the dormitories to the center city and to other parts of the university campus.
Single and double rooms are available, as are three-person rooms. All feature typical American dormitory conveniences. The rooms are not air conditioned, but this is usually not a problem in Poland. The newer of the two dormitories features a gym, laundry facilities, and other amenities. 2011 pricing for double occupancy dorm rooms started at 350 PLN per person, equivalent to about $120, per month. This includes all fees except Internet (approximately $35). 2011 single occupancy rooms started at about 535 PLN per person per month. We have no control over dormitory pricing policies, so final rates cannot be published until closer to the program start. But yes, housing really was that cheap, and we do not expect rates to change significantly, if at all.
Non-dormitory housing may be available but will be significantly more expensive.
Cell Phones
It is strongly recommended that program participants obtain either an international cell phone or a Poland-specific cell phone or GSM SIM card for their unlocked cell phone. The Program owns several Polish cell phones that we will make available on a first-come-first-served basis for interested participants for $30 per phone, plus the cost of a new temporary “pay-as-you-go” SIM card (usually about 9 zł, although cell phone plans are subject to change). The normal rate for Polish domestic prepaid cell phone service is approximately 0.3 zł per minute (roughly $0.10 / minute), which compares favorably to the cost of international cell phone service.
The Program will attempt to obtain additional Polish cell phones and pay-as-you-go SIM cards for participants prior to the date of departure. The application form will have a check box for purchasing a cell phone from the Program as and if they become available.
After completion, the Program will also repurchase Polish cell phones in very good or excellent condition from participants who obtain cell phones through this cell phone purchase options. We will not repurchase any cell phones that were not obtained through the Program.
Dan Barnhizer