George Fox University | Academics | Costa Rica

The Semester in Costa Rica Program

Program Overview

George Fox University students may apply to study in Costa Rica for one semester through a cooperative agreement with Universidad Veritas, San José, Costa Rica. The Semester in Costa Rica Program is designed primarily for students majoring or minoring in Spanish. Students study in San José, Costa Rica at Universidad Veritas de Arte, Diseño y Arquitectura, and live in local homes.

Course content

A Preliminary Course Request Form is sent to each student prior to his or her departure for Costa Rica. Students choose their courses based on their previous Spanish language course work, with the approval of their advisor or the foreign language faculty. Besides Spanish language courses, students can take courses in Spanish literature, phonetics, art, and culture.

Opportunities

Various activities and outings, such as concerts, theater productions, tropical dance lessons, Costa Rican food cooking classes, trips to the beach, sporting events, eco-tours, etc. will be offered throughout the semester. These activities are optional. Some activities will require a nominal fee, some will be more expensive.

Application Deadlines

The student must obtain and fill out two applications: a George Fox off-campus application form (available at the registrar's office) and a Universidad Veritas application (available from the director of Global Studies or the Spanish office). Upon receiving university approval, the student may complete and send in the application to Universidad Veritas.

Eligibility

George Fox students applying to study abroad must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Credits

Three Spanish grammar and conversation courses are offered for 5 semester hours of credit each. George Fox students also spend three weeks in a service learning program that carries 3 credits. Most students will receive 18 credit hours.

Housing

Students live in Costa Rican homes in San José. A student's Costa Rican family may consist of a couple or a single woman, with or without children. Students will be living with one, two, or sometimes three housemates from the Semester in Costa Rica Program, depending on the accommodations available, but they will always have their own room. Students who are participating in our program along with a friend may request to live together in the same home assignment. Those requests are honored as much as possible.

Costs

The student pays George Fox's standard tuition and room and board rates and continues to receive the university's financial aid. Costs covered include the international portion of travel to and from Costa Rica (but not from Portland to the U.S. departure city), your tuition, room, and half-board expenses (breakfast and dinner), and books. The student will need to cover the cost of lunches, any additional course fees, miscellaneous expenses, and personal travel while in Costa Rica. Students are responsible to obtain and pay for round-trip air travel from Portland to San José. The university will then credit the student's account for the cost of the international portion of the ticket.

For more information, contact:

Lon Fendall, Director of Global Studies

Hoover 213

Phone: 503-554-2685

E-mail: lfendall@georgefox.edu