Biology Study Abroad Programs in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Earn 3 credits studying the 2-week environmental science program in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador with AIFS Abroad. The course, "Ecosystems and Biodiversity in the Galápagos", at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, introduces the major ecosystems in the Galápagos Islands and their ecological complexity. Students will participate in academic field excursions to learn about the environmental characteristics, biodiversity, ecological niche, and environmental issues of the archipelago. Stay in hotels in Quito and Santa Cruz and a homestay while on San Cristóbal Island. Visits and field trips are a key part of your academic study in the Galápagos, while social and cultural activities in Quito give you a better understanding of Ecuador – the South American country governing the islands. In the Galápagos, students visit La Lobería Beach, La Galapaguera, Kicker Rock, and Frigate Bird Hill. USFQ was founded in 1988, one of Ecuador's top-ranked universities and the only private, liberal arts university in the country. USFQ opened its extension campus on San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos, in 2002 to promote conservation in the archipelago through education and research.

You will live like a biologist as you explore the Amazon basin, the Andes, cloud forests, Pacific Ocean coastline, and the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador—unique climatic niches that harbor ecological treasures and a wealth of flora and fauna. Within these diverse and vulnerable settings, you will conduct fieldwork and live with homestay families in Quito and the rural cloud forest. Excursions include the Andean páramo, the Amazon, and a week in the Galápagos Islands. SIT's program in Ecuador offers the choice to do a minor in environmental science or conservation biology. MONEY MATTERS SIT has given an average of over $1.3 million in scholarships and grants to SIT Study Abroad students in recent years and is committed to ensuring you have the information necessary to apply for such funding. Our program costs include academics, excursions, accommodations, airport transfers, meals, and health insurance. Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor and read the website for more specific information.

Track a tapir and Andean bears in a cloud forest. Study primates and rainforest ecology in the Amazon. Then get ready to explore the Galápagos, one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world, on this 20-day adventure for high school students 16 and up. Tropical ecosystems exhibit an amazing degree of biodiversity and species richness, and this program brings you into the heart of it all - the Andes Mountains, the Amazon Rainforest, and the Galápagos Islands. Conduct biological surveys while you track Andean mountain bears, jaguars, and the elusive tapir. Head into a remote part of the Amazon jungle where the world's most biodiverse region is right at your fingertips. Snorkel and explore the pristine islands of the Galápagos Archipelago, home to the widest array of flora and fauna on the planet. We are offering two sessions for 2026 (while space lasts): June 22 - July 11, 2026 July 13 - August 1, 2026

Earth Expeditions (EE) are Miami University study abroad courses designed for people looking for inspiring professional development opportunities while earning graduate credit. All courses engage with grassroots conservation and sustainability programs making a difference in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Our planned 2026 EE sites are the Amazon, Australia, Baja, Belize, Borneo, Brazil, Costa Rica, Galápagos, India, Kenya, Mongolia, Namibia, Paraguay, and Thailand. Awarding seven graduate credit hours (5 credits for the Summer Term + 2 credits for the Fall Semester), EE courses are hybrid and combine direct global study experiences with engagement in a web-based online learning community. Summer field courses typically run from mid-May through mid-August, with pre-course work beginning in April. The international field “in-country” portion of each class generally lasts 9-10 days. The 2-credit-hour follow-on fall semester course, “Inquiry & Action,” is entirely online and typically runs from late August to mid-December. This component is optional for students taking an EE course for stand-alone graduate credit outside the master’s program.

The Tropical Conservation Semester offers a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Ecuador, where you will immerse yourself in Latin American culture and language, and explore some of the most pristine and wildlife-packed sites on the planet. You will experience the immense biodiversity of Ecuador from the Amazon Rainforest, to the Andes Mountains, to the Galápagos Islands. Ceiba has partnered with the University of Wisconsin to offer an unparalleled semester in applied tropical ecology, conservation, and rural community development. We join real-world conservation projects, and encourage you to blend the academic and applied realms, bridging the gap between classroom science and practical conservation. This one-of-a-kind semester is ideal for undergraduate students in biological and social fields who seek interdisciplinary training for careers in habitat protection, tropical ecology, environmental education, and international development.