Also! You can get financial aid to go if you are enrolled in classes that your university accepts credit for. You can even get federal/state aid, not to mention all the scholarships that exist. I know this because I work in the financial aid office at IU. So it is absolutely worth it, because you don't lose any out of pocket money (except possibly the cost of a plane ticket). You will even be able to get loans! The exchange rate would be your only financial concern.
You would probably have to get a special visa to stay abroad for longer than 6 months, so I'd say just go for a semester. You'll get homesick. And if you go to Europe, I bet you'll have serious cravings for a greasy American pizza and an ice cold Budweiser. The hoops you would have to jump through to stay for a whole year just wouldn't be worth it. I doubt the program you looked at has enough course offerings that would transfer back to your school in the States.
and awww snap, i love gold stars.