Costs and Payment
Paying for Your Trip
Those participating in Alternative Breaks are required to fund their own trips. Costs for most trips will be charged to your student account.
Fee Waivers
Through the generosity of donors, Alternative Breaks is able to offer a limited amount of partial fee waivers each year to offset trip costs for students. Fill out this online form to apply for a fee waiver.
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.
May 2021 Alternative Break Trips
The costs below are for the domestic Alternative Breaks trips taking place in May 2021. Fees are charged to students' accounts in early May, on the Friday before trip departure.
|
EFC |
Participant Cost* |
Trip Leader Cost* |
|
0 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1-5,486 |
$125 |
$75 |
|
5,487-9,000 |
$175 |
$125 |
|
9,001-24,000 |
$225 |
$175 |
|
24,001 and above; or no FAFSA on file |
$275 |
$225 |
*Note: These costs reflect University travel expenses. Students who elect to drive themselves or to ride in a non-university vehicle will receive a discount. For the trips going to Michigan, the cost will be reduced by $50. For the trips going to Tennessee or Arkansas, the discount will be $75.
Alternative Winter Break
The costs below are for Winter Break 2020 international trips. Due to coronavirus (COVID-19), winter break international trips for the 2020-2021 academic year will be shortened and moved to Spring Break in March. Costs and locations will be available in fall 2020. Fees will be charged to students' accounts in early March, on the Friday before trip departure.
| EFC | Participant Cost | Trip Leader Cost |
| 0 | $600 | $500 |
| 1-5,486 | $800 | $700 |
| 5,487-9,000 | $1,000 | $900 |
| 9,001-24,000 | $1,200 | $1,100 |
|
24,001 and above; or no FAFSA on file |
$1,400 | $1,300 |
Alternative Spring Break
The costs below are for Spring Break 2020 trips. Fees are charged to students' accounts in early March, on the Friday before trip departure. Costs for 2021 trips will be available in August 2020.
|
EFC |
Bus Participant Cost |
Bus/Trip Leader Cost |
Plane Participant Cost |
Plane Trip Leader Cost |
|
0 |
$75 |
$25 |
$250 |
$200 |
|
1-5,486 |
$125 |
$75 |
$300 |
$250 |
|
5,487-9,000 |
$175 |
$125 |
$350 |
$300 |
|
9,001-24,000 |
$225 |
$175 |
$400 |
$350 |
|
24,001 and above; or no FAFSA on file |
$275 |
$225 |
$450 |
$400 |
Alternative Summer Break
The costs below were originally for the 2020 Summer Break trip, now cancelled due to COVID-19. Fees are typically charged to students' accounts in mid-May.
| 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 requesting a charge reversal must write a letter to the program coordinator of 200 words or less explaining why a reversal should be given. If approved, reversals will be given in the following manner:
- 60+ days before trip, no financial responsibility
- 59 - 30 days before trip, responsible for half of 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 Alternative Breaks Executive Board. Appeals must be under 300 words and submitted to the AB Director.