Global Education and Field Study

Blocks Away: Billing & Aid

Learn how blocks are financed, what charges to expect, and what financial aid is available to make a CC-led block away an option for all students.  Colorado College strives to make access, equity, and inclusion a hallmark of our global education program.

The information listed here is specific to Blocks Away which occur during the 8-block academic year. For Summer Block cost information, please visit our Summer Blocks: Billing & Aid webpage.

TUITION: No additional tuition is billed for a block away during the academic year.  Your standard tuition for the semester is unchanged by the decision to travel with CC for a block. 

PROGRAM FEE:  While tuition for a semester includes tuition for off-campus blocks, the travel expenses for the off-campus block is not included in a student's tuition, room & board charges.  These costs are paid through a program fee specific to each off-campus block course.  This fee covers travel-related expenses such as local housing, excursions, entry fees, guest speakers, local transportation, etc.

MEAL FUNDS: Students who live on campus and have a standard meal plan will receive a refund of that meal plan for the block they are away.  These funds should be used to cover meal costs while away on the off-campus block.  Students living off-campus are expected to pay for meals while on the off-campus block just as they do while enrolled in on-campus courses. 

AIRFARE: Airfare is not included in the AY Off-Campus Block program fee, however the cost of airfare is calculated and included in financial aid awards for the block away for students who qualify for a block away aid award (see below). 

MEAL PLAN & BLOCK AWAY
Students pay for a meal plan at CC on a semester schedule, not by block, so when a student takes a block away, they are essentially not going to be able to use 1/4 of their meal plan for the semesters.  We have arranged that when a student is on a block away during the year they receive a refund of their meal plan for that block. The refund is typically processed 1-2 weeks before the off-campus block begins and typically provides students with approximately $670-$700 in refund, money we anticipate students will use to purchase their meals at the program site. 
STUDENTS WITH AN APARTMENT PLAN OR NO MEAL PLAN
This refund is only available for individual blocks, not semester or half-semester programs, which are funded differently.  It is also only available to students who have purchased a meal plan for the semester of their program.  Students living off campus, or who have not purchased a CC meal plan are expected to purchase their own meals, just as they would during their on-campus courses.  Students with an apartment meal plan have paid far less and so their refund is also considerably smaller.  Just like those living off-campus, students with apartment meal plans are expected to budget their own meal funds for an off campus block just as they do for their on campus blocks the rest of the semester. 
ADDITIONAL FOOD & TRANSPORTATION FUNDS FROM YOUR PROGRAM
In addition to the meal plan refund, many individual block away courses have funds within their program fee which they will also provide to students to supplement their food budgets. In some cases this "allowance" is to help cover additional food costs in a location where food may be more expensive.  In other cases it may also be required that students purchase or "top off" their own metro/bus tickets using funds from the "allowance".  These funds, like the meal refund, are typically provided to students 1-2 weeks prior to their program's start date. 
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING DIRECT DEPOSIT SET UP
For both the meal plan refund and any program fund meal & transit allowance, it is essential that students have Direct Deposit set up with the College. This allows for speedy electronic deposits in a student's home bank account and is never used for payments of CC charges.  Students without direct deposit may receive their funds as a check, and that can mean that the funds do not arrive before the student has departed, creating some issues for students who need the funds for food.  If you are unsure if you have Direct Deposit set up with the College, please speak to the Student Financial Services team to confirm that it is in place. 

No, It is not. While CC used to require a program deposit, this has been removed in an effort to ensure greater student access to study away programming.  Once a student is approved for a program, they are asked to sign (electronically) a Program Fee Agreement (PFA). This agreement acknowledges the student's understanding of the program fee and withdrawal policies and is used as a placeholder in lieu of a deposit. The PFA is a binding agreement between the student and the college to follow the policies stated within the agreement.  A student is not considered fully approved and admitted into a block away course until this agreement (and 2 others) are completed on Summit and the student selects "Confirm" as an option for their application.  

How to withdraw from a CC Academic Year Off-Campus Block (Block Away): 

In order to officially withdraw from an 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. 

Student Confirmation & Withdrawal Deadlines: Academic Year Off-Campus Blocks:  

All Block away courses have a Student Commitment & Withdrawal Deadline.  All approved students should return to Summit, complete all post-acceptance forms, and confirm their roster spot by this date or risk removal from the roster.  This date is also the latest date by which a student can withdraw from the course (completed on SUMMIT) without withdrawal charges being assessed.  Later withdrawals will come with significant withdrawal charges. 

  • BLOCK 1-2:   May 1
  • BLOCK 3-4:   August 1
  • BLOCK 5-6:   October 1
  • BLOCK 7-8:   December 1
STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THEIR PARTICIPATION ON SUMMIT BY THE DEADLINE FOR THEIR PROGRAM WILL BE TREATED AS "PASSIVE WITHDRAWALS", REMOVED FROM THE PROGRAM ROSTER, AND ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REINSTATEMENT.  

 

Late Withdrawal Charges:  

Post-deadline withdrawal will result in a withdrawal charge equivalent to 25% of the program fee.  This fee increases to 75% of the advertised program fee if a withdrawal is requested during the block prior to program departure.  For example, a withdrawal from a Block 6 course during Block 5 would produce the higher withdrawal fee. 

 

Withdrawal & Financial Aid:

Block Aid Awards 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. 

Petitioning to Reduce or Waive Withdrawal Fees:

If a student believes that a situation or condition beyond their control, such as a family crisis in the days leading up to departure, necessitates their withdrawal, they may file an official petition to either reduce or waive the late withdrawal fees to the Campus Appeals Committee. The petition must be submitted by the student, not a parent, guardian, or family member.  The petition should outline the conditions which required that the student withdraw from their off-campus course after the published deadline.  All petitions should be submitted electronically to the Campus Appeals Committee. 

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.  

Medically-Necessary Withdrawal - Predeparture:

In the event a withdrawal from a CC-led Off-Campus block after the block's Student Commitment & 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 who can affirm that it is their recommendation that the student not travel due to a medical or mental health concern. No details of the diagnosis are necessary, 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. In most cases 100% of the fee is waived for such incidents, however, there are rare cases where only partial reimbursement is possible due to the nature of the expenditures already made on behalf of the student. 

Medically-Necessary Withdrawal - During a Program/Course:

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.  

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.
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.    

Return to Campus Following A Mid-Program Withdrawal: 

For Academic Year Block Away 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 next block for which they are enrolled in an on-campus course, 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.  

 

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AID AWARDS: Students who receive need-based aid are eligible for up to 2 Block Away Aid Awards 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. 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 Block Away Aid Award.  All students who have been approved for an Academic Year Off-Campus Block during the standard Application Window (again, typically the last week of January through March 15th in the prior spring) 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 March 15th. 
  2. The student has provided Student Financial Services with all required financial aid forms for the upcoming year's aid review by the SFS deadline of March 1st. 
  3. 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 aid status no later than the first full week of April, however, if a student's financial aid materials for the following year are incomplete as of the review date, that student will not be reviewed and will receive notification of the deferral of their aid review until such time as SFS is able to determine their aid status for the following year.  In April, all students approved for an Off-Campus Block by the March 15 deadline will receive an email notification of their aid status. This may fall into one of four 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 that program's Withdrawal Deadline without any financial commitment to the program.  As additional aid becomes available, students will be alerted to a possible aid award. Please review the Aid Award Selection menu below for more information on the Alternate List and our recommendations for how to proceed if you are "waitlisted" for an aid award. 
  • Notification of Review Delay: Students who have not provided Student Financial Services with the financial aid forms needed to assess aid eligibility for the following academic year cannot be reviewed for a possible Block Away Aid Award.  This notification will urge them to provide the forms as soon as possible so that they are review-eligible in subsequent review periods. 

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 4 letters outlined above.  It should be noted that placement on the Block Away Aid Waitlist is more prevalent for students who are not part of the primary Aid Review in March. For this reason, regardless of the timing of the next year's block away (Block 1 through Block 8) we always recommend that students complete financial aid forms as well as their Block Away applications as early in the January-March window as possible to ensure the greatest possibility of approval and inclusion in the primary aid review in March. 

WHEN IS AID PROVIDED?:  Per federal requirements, Colorado College provides the aid award for all fall blocks at the start of Block 1 (start of fall semester) and all awards for spring off-campus blocks at the start of Block 5 (start of spring semester).  This may mean that the aid award, particularly for students traveling during Blocks 1, 2, 5, or 6, may arrive after the recommended period to purchase airfare.  In these cases, students should use any funding provided them for airfare to reimburse the 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: 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.  

CAN STUDENTS USE 2 BLOCK AID AWARDS IN THE SAME ACADEMIC YEAR?:  Yes, if awarded at the time of application, students can use their 2 awards during the same academic year, though this will remove all future eligibility as each student is limited to 2 total awards during their time at the college.  Using both awards to participate in two different 1-block away programs in the same year will not impact tuition or room & board charges for that year or any semester within the year.  It should be noted, however, that eligibility for a student's first award during any given aid cycle does not guarantee that they will also be granted a 2nd award.  Please review the Aid Award Selection menu below. 

CAN BLOCK AWAY AID AWARDS BE USED TO FINANCE LONGER PROGRAMS OR NON-CC PROGRAMS? No. CC-led semester (4-block) and half-semester (2-block) programs are financed very differently from 1-block courses, and the Block Away Aid is only available for single block programs.  For information on aid policies related to full- and half-semester programs, please visit the Semester Away: Billing & Aid webpage. Additionally, CC Block Aid cannot be used for external (non CC-led) January or summer courses offered by other universities. It is designed only to offset costs related to CC-led Block Away courses. 

The Aid Review & Selection Process for Academic Year Blocks Away Awards is conducted immediately following the March 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 March 15 deadline, as well as those whose financial aid forms were received by SFS after their deadline will be eligible for consideration suring a supplemental review.

The 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 an Off-Campus Block by the March 15th deadline and has provided Student Financial Services with all required financial aid forms to determine aid for the following year by the SFS deadline of March 1st. 
  • 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 an 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, 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.  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. 

IF YOU WERE APPROVED FOR MULTIPLE OFF-CAMPUS BLOCKS
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.  For example, a student who has applied to one program with a $5,000 cost and another program with a $4,000 total estimated cost may be awarded an 80% grant for the $5,000 program (a $4,000 award) but if that student opts to join the $4,000 program, their aid would remain at 80%, producing a $3,200 aid award.  If the student was eligible for 2 aid awards, it is possible that they will receive awards towards both, but it is also possible that after their initial award, they would not qualify for a 2nd award in the same year, as that 2nd award is placed into the pool of students seeking a 2nd grant, and this may may result in only 1 award being provided.  Students who do receive two awards for programs in the same academic year would no longer be eligible for future Block Away Aid Awards, the same as any student who has received 2 prior Block Away Aid awards over a longer period of time.  

WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT DO IF WAITLISTED FOR AN 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 Block Away courses have a deadline for withdrawal. 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 this date.  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. 

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Report an issue - Last updated: 07/21/2025