Financial Considerations

UWM’s office of Business and Financial Services has developed guidelines related to budgeting study abroad programs. The guidelines are published in the university’s Administrative Services Manual and found in the CIE Faculty Handbook for leading study abroad.

In accordance with Wisconsin state regulation FP#45, all faculty-led study abroad programs are budgeted on a cost recovery basis, whereby each participating student pays an equal share of the program’s total cost. A per-participant administrative fee is included in each program’s cost total. This fee is used by CIE to fund study abroad operations, including staff salaries and operational overhead. Faculty-led study abroad programs do not include a charge for tuition.

CIE study abroad staff work with faculty leaders to jointly develop and finalize budgets in advance of a program’s start. Only those charges that relate specifically to the operation of a program, while it is abroad, are permissible.

Program budgets are designed to break even, but are also structured to prevent against any unexpected overages. At the conclusion of the program, the CIE Study Abroad office will reconcile the budget and determine actual expenditures relative to total revenue collected.

Salary

You can expect to be paid your salary on the first of the month immediately following the end of your program. Don’t forget, though, that as with any salary payment, the amount will be reduced by the standard tax and benefit percentages. In the unlikely event that you do not receive payment on the anticipated date, please notify the CIE Study Abroad office immediately. There are numerous dates, processes, and

Salaries for program leaders (and program assistant, where applicable) vary within programs, as well as across the different schools and colleges. For example, the College of Letters and Science uses a formula to determine salary based on a fixed amount plus a per-student supplement. Other methods and formulas are used elsewhere, so please refer to your respective Dean or Department Chair for more specific guidance. Program leaders’ salaries cannot, however, exceed 1/9^th of annual salary (or 1/12^th for 12-month contract employees).

Airfare

Because of their short duration, CIE purchases group airfare for the majority of UWinteriM programs. Group airfare is optional for programs taking place in other terms since students often travel on their own before and after their program dates.

CIE plans and purchases airfare for all study abroad program faculty and assistants. Faculty and assistants give their approval of airfare itineraries before they are purchased.

Pursuant to UW – System policy, the CIE Study Abroad office now arranges all airfare through Fox World Travel. Frequent flyer miles may not used for airfare purchases or upgrades. Airfare is part of each study abroad program budget, so every effort is made to select the least expensive reasonable routing. To save costs, international flights are commonly scheduled to depart from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

All faculty and assistants are asked to complete an individual faculty flight form in accordance with the faculty program timeline to insure accurate information and flight requests. It will be emailed to you after program is confirmed to run. This form is not necessary for UWinteriM programs or if opting for a group airfare.

Vendor Payments

Payments to the vendors (hotels, hostels, transportation and tour companies, museums, etc.) are a necessary part of the study abroad pre-departure preparation process. The CIE Study Abroad office will work to pay as many vendor invoices in advance of a program’s start as is possible. This decreases risk for the program leader by lowering the amount of money, in the form of a travel advance, that they are responsible for during the course of the program.

A combination of institutional policy, budget design and best practice in education abroad means that the CIE Study Abroad office cannot and does not make payments to any vendors or service providers prior to all students confirming their participation. By confirming their participation, students are making a financial commitment to cover their portion of the cost of operating the program. Once this happens, the CIE Study Abroad office can begin making payments on behalf of the program. It is important to note that this means no deposit payments can be made to hold reservations – there is no money to spend for a program until after the students confirm.

During the program, it is the leader’s responsibility to obtain receipts and invoices for any payments made. To facilitate a seamless and prompt reconciliation of the budget these receipts/invoices should be as complete as possible.

In-Country Expenditures

CIE policy is to pay for as many in-country, program-related expenses (eg., hotels, local transportation, etc.) as possible before a program begins. Doing this minimizes risk by lowering the amount of money, in the form of a travel advance, a faculty leader has to carry during the program. While there are many solutions to safeguarding and managing your travel advance, for those who haven’t yet lead a program or haven’t developed a method, the CIE Study Abroad office recommends opening an account at the UW Credit Union. This account will come with a Visa debit card that you can use to withdraw cash or pay by credit.