Description

The Spring Semester program offers students a chance to fulfill up to 18 credit hours of their core curriculum requirements while studying in Costa Rica for a semester. The program also includes many core courses for Education majors. All levels of students and a wide variety of majors, however, are eligible to apply. Additionally, students engage in a language and cultural immersion through homestays with Costa Rican families.

UGA Costa Rica Campus

Students are based at UGA's beautiful campus at the head of the San Luis Valley adjacent to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The campus is high enough in elevation to offer a temperate climate year-round (64°Fahrenheit).

On-site nature trails can be explored, horse-back rides take students throughout San Luis, a natural pool formed by a 80m waterfall can be found after a short hike through the forest, and classes are taught in open-air classrooms and via "living classroom" excursions. With wide verandas overlooking the valley, a dining room with soaring ceilings, and computer facilities, the student union is a popular place to congregate. Participants enjoy three fresh meals every day and are housed in spacious bungalows nested into the landscape. All in all, the 155-acre campus is comprised of 36,000 square feet of built space.

Highlights

This experience contains an incredible offering of educational activities and excursions:
Hikes through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve as well as the Camino Real trails on campus.
Fieldtrips to the nearby town of Santa Elena.
Ziplining in Selvatura.
Time in the capital city of San José, where you will lodge at the Hotel Don Carlos and tour the city.
An all-day white water river rafting trip on the Pacuare River.
A weekend at the Arenal Volcano.
4 days at the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve located on the very tip of the Nicoya Peninsula.
A sustainable agriculture tour of the local coffee farm, Finca La Bella.
A visit to the San Luis waterfall (the second highest in Costa Rica).
And finally, finishing up the program in the Pacific coastal town of Playa Sámara for a few days.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

USD 8,000

Program Fees Include:

These fees cover all your lodging (both on- and off-campus), three meals per day, travel insurance, program excursion entry fees, and all sponsored in-country program transportation. Additional costs include UGA in-state tuition* and fees, personal items, and international airfare.

*Note: Out-of-state students pay in-state tuition. The HOPE scholarship can be applied to tuition for in-state students.

Non-UGA (Transient) Student Costs & Application:
An additional application and $60 USD processing fee is required for non-UGA students to enroll.

Non-UGA students (excluding USG and SEC students) will be charged 250 USD, in addition to their tuition, which is assessed by the UGA Bursar's office.

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 6-24

Scholarships are Available

Friends of UGA Costa Rica Scholarship Fund Qualifying students must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average and be enrolled in UGA as a full-time student. Friends of UGA Costa Rica Scholarships will be distributed primarily on the basis of financial need. STARS (Students Abroad with Regents Support) Stipends, in the amount of 500 USD, are available for 2010 UGA Costa Rica program applicants. Stipends are awarded to students upon the completion of 50 hours of work in the UGA Costa Rica Office and are intended to cover a portion of the study abroad program costs. To be eligible for the stipend, students must be enrolled full-time at UGA and must be accepted by a UGA Costa Rica Study Abroad Program (early acceptance required). Prior to the program start date, students must be able to complete 50 hours of work to earn the total stipend. UGA Foundation Incentive Scholarship The UGA Foundation has established a 500,000 USD endowment to support study abroad scholarships for UGA students. A portion of this scholarship is dedicated each year to students going on UGA Costa Rica study abroad programs. The UGA Foundation Incentive Scholarships range from 250-700 USD each. Scholarships will be awarded competitively on the basis of academic excellence and financial need, with priority being given to freshmen students who have not previously studied abroad. Scholarships are available to full-time UGA undergraduate students only. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Typically The Application Process Time is

30-60 days

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

University of Georgia - Costa Rica's Mission Statement

Our Mission is to provide excellence in academic programs and research opportunities while serving as the best equipped social, cultural, environmental and international facility of the University of Georgia. Our Vision is to work under the principles of environmental, cultural, social and economic stability, as well as to serve as an example of sustainability to the academic and non-academic communities of Costa Rica, Latin America and the World.

Year Founded

1785