SUMMER OFF-CAMPUS BLOCK CHARGES

A Summer Block Away has three anticipated costs: Tuition, Program Fee, and Airfare. 

• Tuition:  Most programs are 1-unit (1 block) courses, which means they have the standard charge for a summer block, just as if it were on campus. 
• Program Fee: This fee covers the costs on location for the off-campus course, including all housing, ground transportation, excursions, instruction, group activities, meals, and our travel and health insurance (for international programs). 
• Airfare:  Airfare is not included in the CC billing and is paid by the student when they book their flights. 

With these three components, a typical summer off-campus block cost may look like this:

• $6,000-$12,000     CC Summer Tuition ($6,000 for 1 unit in 2024, $12,000 for the 2-unit Spain Program)
• $1,000-$5,500       CC Program Fee (Program fee will vary depending on program site and course duration.)
• $600-$2,200          Airfare (Not billed by the college. Airfare is purchased individually.)

SUMMER OFF-CAMPUS BLOCK AID

There are two forms of aid which students may receive as participants in a Summer Off-Campus Block, the Wild Card and the Block Away Aid Award.

The Wild Card:  This grant is automatically applied to any student's first CC summer course, either on- or off-campus, and offsets (removes) the tuition charge for that first block of summer credit.  It is only available for the first unit of summer credit, so a student who uses it one year would be expected to pay for summer tuition if they were to enroll in a future summer course.  Students on the CC Summer in Spain program, which is a 2-unit course, could use the Wild Card for 1 of the 2 blocks of tuition, but would be expected to pay the 2nd unit of tuition for that program. 

All CC students are eligible for the Wild Card award, but only for 1 award during their CC career.  The Award is only used to offset (remove) the tuition charge for a students's first CC summer course and cannot be applied to the program fees associated with CC Off-Campus blocks during the summer or the school year.  It also cannot be applied to non-CC summer courses taken through other universities or international education providers. 

Block Away Aid Awards: Students who receive need-based aid at the College for their academic year costs are eligible for two Block Away Aid Awards during their CC careers. These may be used towards block away programs both during the academic year and the summer session. All students who are approved for a CC-led Summer Off-Campus Block are reviewed automatically for aid eligibility. No additional application is necessary. The Block Aid Award is designed to help offset costs related to a Block Away program fee as well as the estimated round trip airfare costs for that off-campus block. Aid recipients are typically notified of their award within 2 weeks of the application deadline, giving them time to decide if the program is financially viable for them before each program's Student Commitment & Withdrawal Deadline. The Block Aid Award is calculated to cover a percentage (ranging from 20% up to 90%) of the program fee as well as the estimated round trip airfare cost, based on flights in/out of Denver. Block Aid Awards do not offset or apply to summer tuition charges. 

Students who are approved for multiple blocks are considered for aid towards the most expensive of the programs. If the student laters decides to opt for a different block, the aid is transferred in the same percentage of support, but not the same dollar amount. So, if you are awarded 80% for a $5,000 program (a $4,000 award) but opt to join a $4,000 program, your aid would remain at 80%, producing a $3,200 aid award. 

Can an eligible student use both Block Aid Awards for Summer Off-Campus Blocks? 

Yes. A student eligible for the Block Aid Awards is eligible for 2 awards and may choose to use both for to academic year off-campus blocks, two summer off-campus blocks, or one of each. For summer, it is possible to use two block aid awards in the same summer if the two courses do not have overlapping dates or to enroll in the 2-unit Summer in Spain program. It is also possible to use the 2 block aid awards in two different summers. However, students should be aware that the Block Aid awards do not impact tuition charges for summer study, and that the Wild Card grant is only valid for a student's first summer course at the College, so any further summer blocks taken (on campus or off) would come with a per-unit tuition charge in addition to any program fees. This tuition charge would not be included in a Block Aid Award for a 2nd summer off-campus block once the Wild Card has been used. 

SUMMER BLOCK AWAY AID AWARDS: Students who receive need-based aid are eligible for up to 2 Block Away Aid Awards (Summer or Academic Year) to assist with the expenses of an off-campus block.  These awards are based on the Estimated Total Cost (ETC) of the program. The ETC combines the program fee and an estimated cost for round trip airfare to/from the program's off-campus site.  In cases where travel to a particular destination requires other expenses, such as visa fees or mandatory vaccines required to enter a country, this is included as well.

Eligible students are awarded based on a financial aid level determined by Student Financial Services. These awards can range from an award covering 20% of the ETC up to a possible 90% of the ETC.  There are no awards which will cover 100% of anticipated costs, so students must anticipate some financial commitment towards program expenses, and may seek out additional aid from external grants or scholarships (See the Scholarship webpage for Global Education).  As Block Away Aid Awards are set into 5 different percentage "blocks" of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 90% coverage, they will not exactly match the percentage of coverage for standard aid any individual student may receive. 

APPLICATION FOR AID:  There is no formal application for a Summer Block Away Aid Award.  All students who have been approved for an Academic Year Off-Campus Block during the standard Application Window (typically late November through January 15th) are automatically reviewed for aid eligibility.  However, in order to qualify for an aid award during the primary review, students must meet all three of the following criteria:

1. The student has been approved by faculty for an off-campus block on or before January 15th.
2. The student is designated by SFS as eligible for need-based aid for the following academic year.

NOTIFICATION OF AID AWARD:  Our goal is to provide all students with notification of their summer aid status no later than the first full week of February. In February, all students who were approved for an Off-Campus Block by the January 15 deadline will receive an email notification of their aid status. This may fall into one of three categories:

• Aid Award Letter:  An email outlining the aid award total and remaining ETC left to be covered by the student. 
• Notification of Ineligibility: An email outlining the reason why an aid award is not available to the student. This is typically due to the student not being eligible for need-based aid at the College or for students who have already received two prior Block Aid Awards, the maximum any student may receive.
• Alternate List Notification: If the available aid pool is exhausted before all students who qualify are able to receive an award, those who have not received an award will receive notification of their placement on our Aid Alternate List.  Students on this list may remain enrolled in their program until the Summer Withdrawal Deadline of March 1st without any financial commitment to the program.  As additional aid becomes available, students will be alerted to a possible aid award.

ADDITIONAL AID REVIEWS: If a student is added to a Block Away roster after the initial aid review has been completed, whether a new registration or a reclassification from the program's Alternate List to the active roster, that student will still be eligible for an aid review. Global Education and Student Financial Services typically conduct supplemental aid reviews once per block. As with the standard review, no additional forms are required and all newly-added students will receive notification identical to the letters outlined above.  It should be noted that placement on the Summer Block Away Aid Alternate List is more prevalent for students who are not part of the primary Aid Review in January and who joined, or were approved to join a summer program after that review has been completed. 

WHEN IS AID PROVIDED?:  Per federal requirements, Colorado College provides the aid award for all summer blocks at the start of Block A (late May or early June).  This may mean that the aid award may arrive after the recommended period to purchase airfare.  In these cases, students should use any funding provided them for airfare to reimburse the earlier purchase of the airfare.  In some cases, if students work with the college's airfare booking agents, ScholarTrip, a system of up-front deposit and later payment may be possible.  Information on the Scholar Trip airfare system is available on the "Next Steps" PDF provided to students upon acceptance into any Off-Campus Block. 

HOW IS AID PROVIDED: Summer Block Away Aid awards appear as a credit on a student's CC account.  If the aid award is less than the full program fee, then there will remain a portion of the program fee to be paid by the student, and the student is expected to cover all airfare costs.  However, if the aid award is larger than the program fee charge, any award funds remaining after the program fee has been paid in full are provided to the student through direct deposit.  We highly recommend that all students enrolled in an Off-Campus Block ensure that Direct Deposit is set up with the college to provide these additional aid funds and any program meal or transit allowance which students receive prior to departure. 

AWARDS & STUDENT ACCOUNTS: If, at the time of aid provision, a student has an outstanding balance from a past semester on their student account, aid initially intended for airfare support or program fee payment may be used to clear the outstanding balance before being counted towards the Off-Campus Block expenses.  

THE AID REVIEW & SELECTION PROCESS: The Aid Review & Selection Process for Summer Blocks Away Awards is conducted immediately following the January 15 deadline.  At that time, all students who meet the review requirements will be included in the review process. If additional aid remains available following this process, students approved for a program after the January 15 deadline will be eligible for consideration suring a supplemental review.

The Summer Block Away Aid Awards receive funding from a variety of sources, however, it is a fixed pool of funds each year, meaning that we are required to review, rank and select students for awards and there is a possibility that some eligible students will be placed on an Aid Alternate List if there is insufficient funding to provide aid to all eligible students.  The ranking & selection process follows the following structure: 

INITIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Initial Eligibility: The student applicant has been approved to join a Summer Off-Campus Block by the January 15th deadline. 
• Financial Eligibility:  SFS determines that the student is eligible for need-based aid in the upcoming academic year.  Additionally, the student has not received two prior Block Away Aid Awards, the maximum permitted. 

Students who are waitlisted for a roster spot on a Summer Off-Campus Block are not eligible for review.  They become eligible upon redesignation (an accepted invitation to move off the Alternate List and join the course roster) and can be included in the once-per-block supplemental aid reviews at that time. 

RANKING OF ELIGIBLE STUDENTS

FIRST CRITERIA: Prior Aid Award: All aid-eligible students qualify to be considered for a maximum of 2 block away aid awards (summer or academic year), however, in an effort to ensure maximum access and equity among students, aid awards will first be distributed to students who have yet to receive their 1st block aid award.  All aid-eligible students are initially placed in one of two pools, representing those seeking their first Block Away Aid Award and those seeking a second award.  During the primary review in January, no awards will be given to those seeking a 2nd award until all eligible first-time award seekers have been granted an award. 

SECOND CRITERIA: Academic Year:  Within each of the initial pools (1st award or 2nd award), preference is given to upper division students as they have fewer future opportunities to join a block away.  Seniors are awarded first, then juniors, etc. 

THIRD CRITERIA: Need Level: Within each Academic Year group, the final sorting of eligible students is based on aid level, with preference given to students with higher financial need designations as defined by CC Student Financial Services.

Because the Off-Campus Block Aid Pool is limited, CC cannot guarantee aid to all students for any particular program.  We try to accommodate as many students as possible, but it is not uncommon for students seeking a second award, or those in their first year at the college to be placed on an Aid Alternate list. We attempt to provide aid to as many eligible students as is possible, and while we believe that over a student's CC career, they will absolutely have the opportunity to obtain aid for a block away if they are eligible, we cannot guarantee that aid is assured for any particular program, particularly for students early in their CC careers or who seek a 2nd award. 

WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT DO IF WAITLISTED FOR A SUMMER AID AWARD? 

While we do all we can to provide aid awards to as many eligible students as possible, it is not always possible with our fixed aid pool to accommodate all qualified applicants each year.  When this happens, eligible students are placed on an Alternate List for an aid award.  If you find yourself on this "waitlist", you should consider doing the following:

• Review the Student Confirmation & Withdrawal Date for your program.  All Summer Block Away courses have a deadline for withdrawal of March 1st. As long as students withdraw by this date they incur no fees or withdrawal charges.  This is a key date to know as you consider whether you can join the program. 
• Plan to Remain in the Program, awaiting aid until the deadline. You may remain in the program with no financial commitment until the March 1st deadline.  During that time, aid may become available, so we always recommend waiting to see if aid is offered to you, but we also recommend that if an aid award is essential for you to join the program, that you keep track of that deadline and, if no aid is available for you, that you withdraw before the deadline to avoid any late withdrawal charges. 
• Ask Global Education Your Position on the Aid Waitlist. Knowing where you are on the waitlist can help you decide if you wish to wait for a possible award or withdraw from the program.  If you reach out to Global Education, they can tell you which grouping you are in on the list, between first and fifth, sixth and tenth, eleventh and fifteenth, etc.  We will not provide exact numbers, but a 5-spot range which is a good indicator of how likely an aid award will be.  If you are one month from the deadline to withdraw and you find out that you are between student 21 and 25 on the waitlist, you may opt to withdraw at that time.  If you were between position 1 and 5, you might wait until the deadline date to make that decision, because there is a greater possibility that aid will be possible for you. 
• If/When you choose to withdraw: You should return to Summit and use the blue "Request Cancellation" button to officially withdraw from the program.  Simply speaking or emailing the faculty or Global Education is not sufficient to withdraw.  Neither is removing your registration on Banner. Requesting cancellation on Summit is the only official withdrawal mechanism. 
• If/When an aid award is provided to you: You will receive an email from Global Education outlining the aid award, what is and is not covered by it, and how funds will be distributed. Please read that email in its entirety.

How to withdraw from a CC Summer Program: 

In order to officially withdraw from a Summer Off-Campus Block, Students should return to Summit and use the blue "Request Cancellation" button to register their withdrawal.  Notifying the program faculty or the Global Education staff in person, by phone, text or email is not sufficient.  Failure to enroll in the course on the Banner registration system is also not sufficient to qualify as a withdrawal.  Only cancellation on the Summit portal will be considered an official withdrawal, with the withdrawal date corresponding to the cancellation date on Summit. 

Withdrawal Deadline:

Summer Off-Campus Blocks have a Withdrawal Deadline of March 1, 2025. Students who withdraw from their summer program on or before this date face no withdrawal fees and are not responsible for any CC-billed program charges. 

WITHDRAWAL BY DEADLINE: Students who withdraw (Blue "Request Cancellation" button in Summit) by March 1 will be assessed no withdrawal charges. 

WITHDRAWAL AFTER THE DEADLINE: Students who withdraw after the March 1 deadline will be assessed a withdrawal charge equivalent to 25% of the summer program fee. 

WITHDRAWAL DURING OR AFTER SPRING BLOCK 8: Students who withdraw during Block 8 or later will see the fee increased to 75% of the program fee. 

WITHDRAWAL WITHIN 21 DAYS OF THE COURSE START DATE: Students should also be aware that withdrawal during the final 21 days before the start of the course also requires payment of 30% of the program's tuition. This charge would not be covered by the Wild Card grant. 

Withdrawal & Financial Aid:

Financial aid awards, including the summer tuition Wild Card, cannot be used to cover withdrawal charges. When a student withdraws, the aid award is rescinded, allowing for aid to be available for future block away enrollments. 

While it is unfortunate, there are situations where a medical necessity would require that a student withdraw from a study away program either following the Withdrawal Deadline or even mid-program.  In these cases, the following policies apply.  

In the event a withdrawal from a CC-led summer program after the March Withdrawal deadline and before the departure date is the result of an urgent medical concern which causes medical caregivers to recommend cancellation, Colorado College will attempt to reduce or waive any program charges from the student's account. In order to verify a medical necessity to withdraw, students withdrawing will be asked to provide a statement from a licensed medical or mental health professional. This document:

• Must be provided by a medical professional who can affirm that it is their recommendation that the student not travel due to a medical or mental health concern.
• Does not require details of the diagnosis or treatment, only confirmation that the attending professional does not recommend travel.
• This documentation should be provided either on official letterhead or through official channels of the medical provider. 
• It is also required that the physician or health care provider be someone who the student is seeing professionally, and not a family member or friend of the family. 

Medically-Necessary Withdrawal - During a Program/Course:

On-Site Care: All students on any CC-led Study Away program have access to medical and mental health services, either on-site or through virtual care.  When students encounter medical or mental health concerns while away on a study away program, they should first communicate their concerns to the on-site staff and work with the staff to ensure that appropriate and available care is accessed.  If the situation leads the student to request a return home, staff will arrange with the student for an early departure.  However, as with any medical withdrawal on-campus, it may be necessary for the student to withdraw from the courses due to the inability to complete the appropriate coursework. 

Documentation: In order for a student to qualify for reimbursement of a portion of the program fee, the faculty leader of the program must confirm that medical resources available on-site, through International-SOS, or through virtual services provided by CC have been utilized.  The student should work with the faculty and/or other on-site support staff to obtain documentation from the medical care providers outlining a recommendation that the student return home for care.  If such documentation is not possible, the faculty member can serve to verify the medical necessity and to approve the departure as medically necessary.

Medical Necessity: Colorado College fully expects that most medical and mental health concerns which emerge while on a study away course can be appropriately treated and managed on-site with resources available to the program. Approval of medical withdrawal, rather than withdrawal by personal choice, is reserved for those cases in which appropriate care is difficult to obtain or when local providers recommend return to the student’s home.    

Students should communicate the nature of the family crisis to the faculty leadership of the program. Leadership will discuss the concerns with Global Education and a determination will be made as to the scope of any possible reimbursement for a shortened study away experience.  Students should anticipate that withdrawal prior to program departure due to family emergency will not produce a significant refund as most program expenses require significant on-site deposits which are not refundable. This is also true of mid-program withdrawal, however, on programs where International SOS and CC’s UHP travel insurance is included as part of the program, reimbursement of some expenses may be possible through an insurance claim for “trip interruption.” This typically will include reimbursement for flight rebooking fees and potentially some other travel-related expenses.  

Students who withdraw from a program pre-departure due to a family crisis may petition the College's Campus Appeals Committee to reduce or waive the late withdrawal fees charged.  The petition must originate with the student and should be sent directly to the Campus Appeals Committee via email. It is recommended that a supporting statement from another family member accompany the students' petition to verify the information provided regarding a family emergency which precludes travel. 

Withdrawal & Summer Tuition Charges

Return to Campus Following A Mid-Program Withdrawal: 

For summer students, departure mid-program means that a student returns home (to deal with whatever concerns led to the withdrawal) and should anticipate returning to campus for the start of the fall semester (Block 1) or upon recovery from their medical concern. If the medical condition requires additional blocks off, students should work with the Advising Hub to file for a leave of absence for medical reasons.