Due to the current unrest in Ecuador, the LBAT Ecuador program is canceled for 2024. Please check back for updates for Summer 2025.
Description
Study sustainability for five weeks in the beautiful mountain city of Cuenca, once part of the ancient Inca Empire and now Ecuador's tourist mecca, and spend six days in the famous Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin conducted his research for his Origin of the Species.
Earn 6 semester credit hours of Spanish at the 3000 level, applicable towards a certificate, Spanish minor or ALIS, IAML, or GEML major, or in partial fulfillment of the International Plan Study Abroad requirement.
Combine with other LBATs from early summer for a total of 12 credits.
Deepen your knowledge and understanding of contemporary Andean culture and society and its historical roots as well as Ecuador's mega-diversity and issues facing the country's sustainable development.
Live with an Ecuadorian family and speak only Spanish! Attend classes taught by Georgia Tech faculty at the Universidad de Cuenca, where you will find your Ecuadorian peers eager to get to know you!
Visit NGOs and learn about health, well-being, and traditional medicine from local experts.
Experience a varied cultural program, including excursions to the major biodiversity center, El Cajas National Park, and the Inca ruins of Ingapirca.
Location
Cuenca, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands
Dates
TBA
Host Institution
Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Equador
Accommodations
Homestay with Ecuadorian family in Cuenca.
Courses
- SPAN 3690: Commerce and Sustainable Communities
- SPAN 3592: Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Conversation in Ecuador
Total credits: 6
Prerequisites
Spanish 2002 or the equivalent and good academic standing. This program is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Students are required to be vaccinated to enter the Galapagos Islands.
Cost
- The program fee is $4,000. The fee includes ground transportation for cultural excursions and professional visits in Cuenca, housing and three meals/day with Ecuadorian family in Cuenca, travel, lodging, meals, and local transport in Galapagos Islands, round-trip airfare Guayaquil to Galapagos Islands; airfare from Isabela to San Cristobal Island (half a day more of activities!), round-trip by bus Cuenca to Guayaquil, health, evacuation and repatriation insurance.
- The program fee does not include the following: application/deposit fee, 6 credit hours tuition (out-of-state students pay in-state tuition), international airline tickets to/from Cuenca, Georgia Tech technology fee, and $100 cash payment of park entrance fee to Galapagos Islands.
Application and Payment Deadlines
- Apply via Atlas by Feb. 1.
- If you are a non-Georgia Tech (transient/special) student, you are required to submit TWO separate applications to the Office of International Education.
- A $500 non-refundable deposit is due at the time of application and is applied to the overall program fee.
- The first half of the program fee is due Feb. 15 and the balance is due March 15. Payments are withdrawn directly from the student's OSCAR accounts on the deadline.
Fee Payment Information: Please adhere to the deadlines stated for the program. Please observe the information in Payment Options to ensure that your payments are processed at the Bursar’s Office on time. Fees will be charged to your Oscar account on the due dates. Make sure you make all necessary payments on time in order to avoid a hold on your account. Students expecting financial aid must submit a letter from the Financial Aid Office stating the allocation and date of payments expected. Tuition and student fees are due according to the Registrar’s schedule for summer tuition.
Scholarships
Students are encouraged to apply for financial aid. Georgia Tech students may apply to the School of Modern Languages' Campoamor scholarship (approximately $400). HOPE scholarship does apply.
Cancellation Policy
Students who cancel their participation in the program after being accepted will be subject to the following non-negotiable fee schedule:
- Students canceling before Jan. 15 will lose their $500 deposit.
- Students canceling after Jan. 15 must pay 25% of the program fee.
- Students canceling after Feb. 15 must pay 50% of the program fee.
- Students canceling after March 15 must pay 100% of the program fee.
Program descriptions and fees are subject to final approval by educational units and the Office of International Education. Georgia Tech reserves the right to alter or cancel this program due to low enrollment, unavailability of a professor to teach a planned course, or other unforeseen circumstances. Once Georgia Tech has made payments to service providers, or if Georgia Tech cancels the program before departure or while the program is in progress for reasons beyond its control, such as political unrest or danger to participants' safety, only those fees that Georgia Tech is able to have refunded by service providers will be returned to participants.
Informational Meetings
TBA