Costs and Payment
Paying for Your Trip
Those participating in Alternative Breaks are required to pay fees to fund their trips. Fees for most trips will be charged to your student account.
- What's included in each trip: Transportation, 3 meals a day, housing accommodations, and free day activities (such as a museum entry or tour of the community).
- What's not included: Personal souvenirs and snacks. Trips involving airfare may also require transportation to the Chicago O'Hare airport. For international travel, passport fees, vaccinations, COVID-19 testing (if required), luggage fees, tourist visas, and travel insurance are not included in your trip fees.
Fee Discounts
Through the generosity of donors, Alternative Breaks is able to offer a limited amount of partial fee discounts each year to offset trip costs for students. Fill out this online form to apply for a fee discount.
Fees
Fees for a trip are based on a student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as determined through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process. Costs will decrease as a student’s EFC lowers.
Alternative Winter Break
The costs below are for Alternative Winter Break trips. Fees will be charged to students' accounts in early January.
Additional costs for international trips may include transportation to the departure airport, passport fees, vaccinations, COVID-19 testing, luggage fees, visas, and travel insurance.
| EFC | Domestic Participant Cost | Domestic Trip Leader Cost | International Participant Cost | International Trip Leader Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $125 | $75 | $700 | $600 |
| 1-5,486 | $175 | $125 | $900 | $800 |
| 5,487-9,000 | $225 | $175 | $1,100 | $1,000 |
| 9,001-24,000 | $275 | $225 | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| 24,001 and above; or no FAFSA on file | $325 | $275 | $1,500 | $1,400 |
Alternative Spring Break
The costs below are for Spring Break trips. Fees are charged to students' accounts in late March.
Additional costs for international trips may include transportation to the departure airport, passport fees, vaccinations, COVID-19 testing, luggage fees, visas, and travel insurance.
| EFC | Domestic Participant Cost | Domestic Trip Leader Cost | International Participant Cost | International Trip Leader Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $125 | $75 | $600 | $500 |
| 1-5,486 | $175 | $125 | $800 | $700 |
| 5,487-9,000 | $225 | $175 | $1,000 | $900 |
| 9,001-24,000 | $275 | $225 | $1,200 | $1,100 |
| 24,001 and above; or no FAFSA on file | $325 | $275 | $1,400 | $1,300 |
Alternative Summer Break
The costs below are for Alternative Summer Break. Fees are typically charged to students' accounts in mid-May. Costs below include a safari at the conclusion of the trip.
Additional costs for international trips may include transportation to the departure airport, passport fees, vaccinations, COVID-19 testing, luggage fees, visas, and travel insurance.
| EFC | Participant Cost | Trip Leader Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $1,200 | $1,000 |
| 1-5,486 | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| 5,487-9,000 | $1,800 | $1,600 |
| 9,001-24,000 | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| 24,001 and above; or no FAFSA on file | $2,400 | $2,200 |
Financial Responsibility Policy
Students who can no longer attend their Alternative Break and would like to request that they not be charged for their trip must adhere to the following policy. If a replacement can be found for their spot on a trip, they will not be charged unless there are unavoidable penalties (such as a ticket change fee). All students wanting to release their spot on their trip must write a letter to the Center for Civic Engagement of 200 words or less explaining why a release should be given. If approved, releases will be given in the following manner:
- 60+ days before the trip, no financial responsibility
- 59 - 30 days before the trip, responsible for half of the trip costs
- <29 before trip no refund, fully responsible for trip costs
Extenuating circumstances that prevent you from fully participating will be considered.
Should a refund request be declined, participants can appeal any refund decisions to the Center for Civic Engagement staff by emailing civicengagment@IllinoisState.edu. Appeals must be under 300 words and will be discussed by the AB Executive Board and the Center for Civic Engagement staff.