Whether you’re still deciding on courses or you’re packing your bags, you can always contact our staff to help you along. Yes there is paperwork and yes there are decisions to make around course selection, housing preferences, dates, travel necessities, registration, budgeting and more. Our staff can walk you through it all.
Once you apply to Arcadia, our program managers are in regular contact with you about the status of your application and they send out extensive information that will prepare you to go abroad, including information on culture, politics, history and the local higher education system.
Once you arrive, our staff will meet you and introduce you to your accommodation and your orientation program will begin – to help you settle in academically, practically, culturally and socially.
First! Home school arrangements
- Let your study abroad advisor know that you are taking part in an Arcadia University program
- Cancel any housing or meal contracts for the time you’ll be away and make arrangements to reactivate them when you return.
- If registration for next year's courses on your home campus will take place while you are abroad, ensure that the appropriate arrangements are made with your registrar or study abroad advisor.
- Some students enrolled on semester programs decide when they are overseas to stay for the full year. This is possible. While home college approval for continued study can be obtained when you are abroad, it will be much easier to make the necessary arrangements and receive preliminary approval before you leave the U.S.
Travel Information
We try to make your travel overseas as easy and affordable as possible. Please note that you must physically attend all of your Arcadia orientation which begins on the posted program arrival date. To get yourself there on-time, you’ll have many travel aspects to consider, including obtaining your Visa.
- You’ll have to check in to orientation by the scheduled time on your program start date. We recommend booking a flight that arrives into Cape Town between 7:00am and 12:00pm (noon) on the scheduled arrival date. For most inter-continental flights, you will need to depart the U.S. 1 or 2 days prior to your scheduled arrival date. Once completed, we will provide you with transportation to your host institution.
- If you arrive at the airport on the scheduled arrival date at the scheduled time, you will be eligible for group transportation from the airport to your orientation accommodation. It is strongly recommended that students arrive in time to meet the group at the airport, in order to take advantage of Arcadia-provided transportation. If you choose to arrive before your program start date, you will have to organize your own transportation and accommodation for that period.
- Don’t forget to complete the Online Flight Form once you have booked.
Booking your flight
You are responsible for arranging and purchasing your own flight. If you want to travel before or after your program dates please check your visa requirements.
Vacation Travel Tips
- Wait until you are in-country to make travel plans for during your program so you know your class schedule and assessment dates.
- Choose a good guidebook such as those from Lets Go or Lonely Planet. You can also check online sources, maps and street views for country background, attractions, locally filmed movies, local author books to read etc.
- Check out our FAQs for more tips on what to pack.
Budgeting
It’s important to think about all the expenses you are likely to incur while abroad so you and your family can plan ahead. Your program Fees section explains what your program fee does and does not cover, and will provide you with an overall estimate of expected expenses. For example, your airfare to South Africa is not included in your program fee. It is important to note that the "Estimate of Additional Expenses" information is provided for planning purposes only, and may vary according to your own personal spending habits.
Items to consider
- Allow about $50 for meals and basic expenses during the orientation (some meals will be provided). Orientation generally lasts about four days.
- Expect to spend extra on meals and basic expenses during your first couple of weeks in-country as you settle in.
- University of the Western Cape assess a per-semester tuition surcharge for enrollment in certain courses. You should consult the "Estimated Cost of Attendance" noted with your program fees. Please check with your program manager for details.
- The cost of meals, books, local transport and personal items will vary. Vacation expenses can really add up, depending on how far you go and how much time you take. If you are in a full-year program, you will have a three or four week holiday break during each semester. Most students travel during holiday breaks. Check your program calendar for other breaks and holidays that occur during your study period.
- Count up your weeks of study and vacation if any under your program.
- Make daily and weekly budgets and stick to them.
Sample Budget WorksheetExpenses
| Full program fee (including $500 deposit) |
$ |
| Orientation expenses |
| Meals (#program weeks _ x $ _ per wk) |
| Special Courses Fee |
| Books/photocopies |
| Local transport |
| Personal expenses |
| Vacation expenses |
| Airfare |
Total Expenses
|
Resources
| Family contribution |
$ |
| Your savings |
| Stafford Loan (deduct 5% for origination fees) |
| Other financial aid |
| Other resources |
Total Resources
|
Financial Tips
Banking
You will soon become an expert at international banking transactions…
Contact Your Bank
Before you leave the US contact your bank and/or credit card company to let them know that you will be studying abroad – where and for how long.
- If your bank is not aware that you will be using your card(s) overseas, they may cancel your card(s) due to suspicious activity outside your normal spending patterns.
- Also confirm with your bank that you will be able to use your card(s) overseas and what their fees are.
- Ask your bank for a list of overseas outlets where your card is accepted.
Carrying Cash
- It's a good idea to arrive with at least the equivalent of $200 in your wallet exchanged into ZAR– you can do this at your local bank if you give them notice or at the airport for a hefty charge.
- Your American ATM card should work at most banks overseas including your arrival airport, however you can only draw from a primary (usually checking) account.
- Local banks will also exchange currency but note their operating hours and fees.
Cash Machines (ATMs)
If your ATM card is linked to the Plus or Cirrus systems, your card will work in hundreds of cash machines throughout the country. The advantage to using your American ATM card is that you will be assessed the wholesale exchange rate that applies to large foreign currency transactions. That said, have other sources of money in case your ATM card does not work.
Credit Cards
You can use most credit cards in South Africa but they must be in your name, as it appears on your passport. Visa and MasterCard are more widely accepted than American. Credit card cash advances are considered loans, so interest is charged from the day the advance is made. Before you depart, check with your card company for more information on what services you’ll have where, what fees are involved and what to do if you lose your card.
South African Bank Accounts
You will have the ability to open a bank account in South Africa. Many of the major South African banks, like Standard Bank, offer student accounts, and all that is needed to set up an account is around 100 Rand and your passport.
In an Emergency
When the program is in session, our Resident Director in South Africa can make emergency loans to students. Students must sign a promissory note and repay the loan as soon as they receive money from home. If you find yourself in dire financial straits while traveling, the State Department can help your family transfer money to you (provided you are a U.S. citizen).