Finances, Immigration, & Health Insurance

The one term at the London Centre is as follows:

Fixed/Billed - 2021-22

¹Program fee includes: housing, group theatre tickets, course field trips, most books and academic materials, student services and programming, and travel card for Tube and bus travel

Out-of-Pocket Expenses - Estimates

Note: Some out-of-pocket costs such as airfare, passport, and visa fees (if applicable) are incurred well before the start of the participation term and financial aid funding is unlikely to be available for these costs.

² Estimated personal expenses anticipates costs for participating in the life of London, independent travel periodically on weekends and during the mid-term break, personal costs, and costs for having a mobile phone able to make and receive calls and texts in the UK and during travel. These out-of-pocket estimates are intended only as guidelines as these costs can vary greatly depending on individual spending habits, the amount of additional travel one chooses to pursue, and currency exchange rates.

³ Please see charts at the bottom of this page to determine which visa, if any, you will need to apply for before traveling to the London Centre. Then read the bullet points below to learn more about your particular status.

• UK Standard Visitor Visa - On Arrival / No Advance Application. Students with a US passport who will be at the London Centre for only one term and will not be doing an internship (most students) will NOT need to apply for any visa in advance. They will receive their standard visitor visa upon arrival at the airport in the UK.
• UK Student Visa - Advance Application. Some students will need to apply for a UK Student Visa (please see charts below). As of Spring Term 2021, the application fee for this visa is £348 - this roughly converts to about $486, excluding costs for post and packing.
• UK Standard Visitor Visa - Advance Application. Some students who have a passport from a country other than the US may need to apply in advance for a Standard Visitor Visa (please see charts below) before traveling to the UK. As of Spring Term 2021, the application fee for this visa is £95 - this roughly converts to about $133, excluding costs for post and packing.

Lawrence allows students to apply their institutional and federal/state financial aid to study at the London Centre. Students with specific questions regarding how the cost of spending a term in London will affect their financial aid packages should set up an appointment to speak with a officer in the Office of Financial Aid in Brokaw Central.  For more information on the Financial Aid policies, please see Financial Aid, Billing, Deposits and Refunds.

Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships to further support their term in London.  Please see the Funding section of the Off-Campus Programs office website for information about study abroad scholarships and funding opportunities.  The London Centre Anniversary Scholarship and the Paul Family London Centre Scholarship are both available specifically to support participation in LU's London Centre program.  London Centre students are also considered for funds the Off-Campus Programs office administers to support study abroad for Humanities students, students from diverse backgrounds, first generation college students, and more.

Every student participating in a Lawrence-sponsored or Lawrence-affiliated international off-campus program is required to carry the Lawrence University medical and evacuation insurance policy administered by Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI). The fee for this coverage (approximately $42 per month of coverage) is charged to the student's account along with the program fees. It is presumed that this coverage is in addition to whatever medical insurance coverage the student already holds and has thus been factored into the cost estimate for the coverage.

The insurance coverage starts three days before the program start date and extends seven days beyond the program end date, to allow time for travel to and from the program. As this coverage is valid only outside the United States, all students are strongly encouraged to maintain their health insurance coverage in the United States in the event of their unexpected return due to a medical emergency.

For more information on the insurance policy, please see International Health, Assistance and Evacuation Insurance.

All London Centre students are required to have a mobile phone that is able to make and receive calls and texts in the UK and during independent travel for the duration of the program and that they provide this number to the London Centre Resident Director.  For emergency response and immigration purposes, it is required that students are able to contact the program Director and that the Director is able to contact all students.  Students are responsible for having a mobile phone and for maintaining it in working order throughout the program.  There are various ways students can consider to have a working mobile phone in London:

• Some students will purchase an inexpensive pay-as-you-go phone in London which can have credit added to it as needed or purchase an inexpensive monthly plan. This is the most certain way to be sure the phone will work while in the UK. 
• Some students will purchase a SIM card with a UK number and use their phone from the US .  Students interested in this should contact their US phone carrier before departing for London to be sure they will be able to put a UK SIM card into their phone.  This is a common approach but students sometimes find that the SIM will not work in their phone once they arrive in the UK.
• Some students make arrangements with their US phone carrier to be able to use their US number while in the UK and Europe by adding international coverage to their regular plan.  Students often experience issues with this where the international plan from the US is expensive and does not work reliably in the UK or while in different countries in Europe. 

All students participating in the London Centre program will need a current and valid passport.  Students who have a passport should check the expiration date to be sure their current passport will be valid until at least six months after the end of their term in London.  If a student does not have a current passport or their passport will expire earlier than six months after the end of the program, they should apply for a new passport.  Students needing to apply for a new passport are encouraged to do so as soon as possible so they will have their new passport months ahead of participation or any UK visa application. 

Some students will need to apply for a UK visa in advance of their term at the London Centre.  Students will receive more information about applying for a visa if this applies to them but should know that they will be responsible for the visa and associated fees. Following are rough guidelines about UK immigration requirements accurate as of Spring Term 2021.

UK Student Visa category

Students who meet one or more of the following criteria will be required to apply for a UK Student Visa in advance of their term(s) at the London Centre:

• Non-UK passport holders participating in the London Centre internship program
• Non-UK passport holders attending London Centre for Fall and Winter Terms consecutively

Note: The UK Student Visa application process begins six months before the start of your program. Students will receive initial documentation from the London Centre. Students then apply online, attend a biometric appointment, and finally mail in application materials to the visa processing center. Application processing usually takes about four weeks. It is important to being this process early to avoid extra costs and the stress of delays.

UK Standard Visitor Visa category

Students who do not meet the criteria above will be admitted to the UK on a UK Standard Visitor Visa. Please note the following regarding this visa:

• Students traveling on a US, EU, or any other (non-UK) passport (or other 'visa-national' or 'non-visa national' country passport) who will NOT be doing an internship AND will be either studying at the London Centre for one term only or for winter and spring terms consecutively. (Most students fall into this category). 
  • Most students will 'apply' at the port of entry upon arrival in the UK and will NOT need to apply for this visa ahead of departure. 
  • Students traveling on a passport from a country other than the US may need to apply in advance for a UK Standard Visitor Visa.  Students from countries the UK considers a 'visa national country' who are not participating in an internship will be in the UK on the UK Standard Visitor visa category but must apply for this entry visa ahead of departure.  Students needing to apply for UK Standard Visitor visa can begin their visa application no earlier than three months before the program start date.

The Off-Campus Programs office and London Centre Director will be in touch with all students ahead of their term in London with more detailed information about immigration requirements, processes, and necessary documentation.  While it is up to students to enter the UK legally and according to their proper immigration category, Lawrence will provide assistance and information about these requirements and expectations. 

Please see the graphs below to learn which visa category you belong to.