With the economy struggling and tuition rising, students may rule out studying abroad as a viable option to enhance their education.

But Anne Seitzinger, director of the Study Abroad Office, said the rising tuition does not affect the cost to study abroad.

“Tuition doesn’t affect the cost of the program,” Seitzinger said.

Although the heightened tuition has not affected the cost of the program, the state of the economy may affect the amount of money students spend on housing, meals and transportation, Seitzinger said.

But, there is financial assistance available for students who wish to study abroad.

“The greatest perceived deterrent is money,” Seitzinger said. “We work very hard to keep the cost down for students.”

There are ways, however, to aid the cost of traveling abroad.

“There are many different avenues for finding money [to study abroad],” said Emily Gorlewski, the outreach and programming coordinator for the study abroad program.

Some students have found unique ways to fund their trips.

Thomas Graff, junior photography major, studied abroad in Austria and was able to pool his resources and work to obtain the money.

“I turned my parents’ house into an art gallery,” Graff said. “I had an art benefit show to raise money for my study abroad experience. The show had live music including classical piano, guitar and various singers. I have a lot of friends who play instruments and they donated time.”

Graff made a profit of $1,800, and was awarded a scholarship of $1,000 to study abroad.

Some have resorted to the old-fashioned way: asking mom and dad.

“I paid for part of it and my parents paid for part of it,” said Chelsey Newcomb, junior Spanish and English major, who studied in Costa Rica.

“There are scholarships and grants available,” Newcomb said.

Students who took part in the program have agreed that it is a worthwhile and valuable experience.

“Stepping outside the U.S. to a different culture – a country that I’ve never been to – it was life changing,” Newcomb said. “Food, music, everything was different.”

Other than the experience of being immersed in a different culture, students also get something that every student can use: resume material.

“There is some talk of a correlation between students studying abroad and then being able to get a better job after they graduate,” Gorlewski said. “Some employers look at it as an advantage on your resume.”

Seitzinger also feels traveling abroad can aid students in their futures.

“We like to think of it as a value-added component to a student’s degree,” Seitzinger said. “It makes someone’s degree stand above the rest. They gained knowledge through a worldwide classroom.”