Early Start Program: San José, Costa Rica

Student in Costa Rica

Get ahead start on your semester in Costa Rica with a one-month intensive Spanish course.

Credit

Receive 3 credits in SPAN 270 (equivalent to 5th semester Spanish).

Dates

2008-2009 Academic Year
Fall semester: May 26 - December 21, 2008
Spring semester: Early-January - Mid-July, 2009

Eligibility

Open to students from any accredited U.S. college or university, sophomore through graduate levels. Requirements include a strong academic record (minimum 3.0 GPA), proficiency in Spanish (the equivalent of 4 semesters of college-level Spanish with a B average), good recommendations from instructors, and willingness and ability to adapt to a different environment.

Cost

2008-2009 Academic Year

KU Students: Approximately $9,170 for the semester
Non-KU Students: Approximately $9,470 for the semester

The program fee includes tuition, fees, room and board for the academic period, orientation at KU and in Costa Rica, group activities and field trips, student visa, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation services, and administrative costs.

Not included: Airfare, passport, exit visa, books, and personal expenses.

Note

All dates, costs, and program information are subject to change as necessary due to fluctuations in the exchange rate or other reasons.

Financial Aid

KU students who qualify for financial aid in the form of Stafford and/or other loans, Pell or SEOG Grants, and scholarships may apply the aid to the cost of a Study Abroad Program.

Limited supplemental scholarships are available to KU undergraduates. Applications are available at the Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the scholarship application. The scholarship application deadline is March 1 for Fall and October 1 for Spring.

Early Start Program Scholarship
This scholarship is open to KU students who have been accepted into the Costa Rica semester program (either Fall or Spring or the Academic Year). The amount covers most of the expenses (tuition, room and board, on-site assistance, and an excursion) connected with studying in the Escuela de Filología for the month. Interested students should contact Megan Goold in the Office of Study Abroad.

Non-KU students should check into the financial resources available to them at their home institutions.

Application Procedures

Deadline for Fall: March 1
Deadline for Spring: October 1

Applications are available in the KU Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the application.

(Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to download an application. If your computer does not have Acrobat Reader you can download it for FREE.)

Useful Websites

KU Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Universidad de Costa Rica website
Grupo de Kansas website
KU course equivalencies