This semester, the Ripped from the Wall team looked into American University’s study abroad program. The episode examines student experiences abroad, costs for different programs and a comparison between AU and other schools in Washington.

AU was ranked No. 4 abroad for the 2025 school year by U.S. News & World Report, leading all universities in Washington. However, according to an article published by The Eagle in September 2024, AU’s current ranking represents a slight drop from what it was in the US News & World Reports 2024 ranking.

Alison Nagy, associate director of strategic initiatives and operations for the study abroad office, said the office focuses on the academic value that the program may bring to students to enhance their college experience.

Nagy said when students study abroad, they continue to pay AU tuition and receive financial aid, with the main cost differences being housing and food expenses, as well as additional costs like plane tickets and visas.

“We don’t want finances to be a barrier for a student studying abroad,” Nagy said.

However, Janaylin Carela, who studied abroad in Kenya during her sophomore year, said she had a difficult time getting the aid she needed. She said AU had covered her summer tuition during her freshman year, and was expecting the same amount of coverage for the summer when she was studying abroad.

“So I went in thinking that I would have that lump sum of money to just lean back on. But it wasn’t the case,” Carela said.

To hear more about other students’ experiences abroad, listen to this episode of RFTW on Spotify.

This podcast is part of Issue 36 of AWOL’s magazine. You can see the rest of the issue here.