Numerous factors will influence the costs of participating in the ILR Credit Internship Program for a semester. Location, housing choices, additional travel, exchange rates for international placements, and personal needs, among other factors, will influence the expense of your semester.
Students who choose to undertake international internships may find the costs of their semester to be significantly more than a semester in residence in Ithaca. The cost of living tends to be quite high in many cities such as London, Dublin, and Hong Kong and fluctuating exchange rates are also an important consideration. Students will want to plan well for these additional expenses.
Please review the sample budgets for London, UK (PDF, 18 KB); Dublin, Ireland (PDF, 20 KB); Jerusalem, Israel (PDF, 20 KB); and South Africa (PDF, 21 KB) for more specifics on costs in these cities. Costs will, of course, vary depending on exchange rates and your individual needs. Please visit this site for a currency converter.
All students participating in the ILR Credit Internship Program will continue to pay ILR tuition at the same in-state or out-of-state rate as they do when in residence at the Ithaca campus, and your ILR tuition will continue to be billed directly by Cornell University.
If you currently receive financial aid, you will continue to receive that financial aid while you are off campus! Financial Aid can be used for all relevant expenses related to your internship including: tuition, housing, meals, personal expenses, books, and (non-tourist related) airfare if necessary. In some instances, you may receive increased financial aid packages depending on the location of your internship. The ILR Credit Internship Program has worked closely with the Office of Financial Aid to create accurate budgets for our international locations that more fully reflect the increased costs of participating in an internship abroad.
The ILR Credit Internship Program is not, however, privy to individual financial aid packages and specific questions about your situation should be directed to the Office of Financial Aid.
If you receive Federal Work Study support, this aid will be converted to student loans.
If you do not currently receive financial aid, but think you might be eligible given the additional expenses of undertaking a credit internship, you should contact an advisor in the Office of Financial Aid well in advance of the semester you elect to participate in the program to discuss this possibility.
To receive refunds once you have left for your internship, the Office of Financial Aid recommends that you sign up for Direct Deposit through the Cornell Bursar. Checks will be directly deposited into the bank account you have specified.