<p>"Do most of the schools expect students to continue to pay the US fees despite the much lower costs of studying abroad? In most cases, it would MUCH cheaper to bypass the organized programs."</p>
<p>Yes, most schools will require you to pay their regular tuition, room and board for your semester abroad. So, if you are going to a private school in the US, for the same program abroad you'll be paying three times more then you would if you were attending a state school. This hardly seems fair. Also, if you are going to a really good US school, the ACADEMIC part of your study abroad will probably not be the highlight of your experience. You'll still probably have a lot of fun, and gain valuable benefits from the culture/language immersion, etc. Is it worth $20,000 for a semester (especially knowing that it should cost ~$6000)? I am not sure about that... I think your post-graduate study plan makes a lot of sense...</p>