PROGRAM OVERVIEW

APU partners with Living and Learning International (LLI), who hosts the Ecuador Semester Program in the city of Quito and provides an academically excellent semester where students will learn to engage with the challenges of holistic community development from a Christian worldview. Students experience a homestay with a local family and participate in an internship during the program. 

This program is designed for college-aged students who desire to grow in their ability to integrate life and learning; to integrate their walk with God with the realities of struggle, poverty and injustice in a desperate world; to not just add knowledge and travel to their lives, but to understand, with wisdom, God's calling.

APU REQUIREMENTS

• APU prerequisites are mandatory.

• Students must maintain full-time enrollment status (minimum 12 credits).

• Select only courses that are connected to your APU degree in order to maintain all financial aid.

• Students are not allowed to take APU online courses unless designated in program elective offerings.

• Students are automatically enrolled in APU's GLBL 425 course the semester AFTER the program.

• Registration is all through your APU Account. Upon acceptance, students will be granted access to register for study away sections of the courses. 

TRANSFER CREDIT & COURSE SUBSTITUTION

• Most of the courses for the Ecuador Semester Program have been pre-approved to count towards specific APU courses. Therefore, students do not individually need to get course approvals each semester. Instead, they will simply register for the study away sections of the courses below (instructions provided) and will receive those course credits on their APU account upon completion of the course.

• Students will need to complete a Transfer Credit & Course Substitution (TCCS) Form to transfer internship credit to APU credits.

• How to Complete a TCCS Form: Video Instructions

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Charges - See above.

Financial Aid - See below.    

• Federal Aid: Yes, automatically applied like regular semester. 

• State Aid: Yes, automatically applied like regular semester.

• APU Institutional Aid: No, APU institutional aid is manually removed for your Ecuador semester and then automatically reinstated for following semester(s). APU Institutional Aid includes aid such as President's/Dean's/Provost's/Director's/Founder's/M.E.L. scholarships, Fac/Staff Award, Honors/APU Grants, etc. Since students are going to a non-APU program, APU Institutional Aid cannot be used. In recognition of the financial challenges this creates, APU has agreed to charge students the lower program tuition cost instead of APU tuition. We recognize this does not cover all differences, but it is meant to assist with the cost.

• APU Catalog Financial Aid Policy for the Ecuador Semester Program. Access all related policies here. 

Payment Due Dates - Same as regular APU semester payment due dates.

ADVISING ROLES & RESOURCES

Program - Consult with Living & Learning International for all questions about the program and items they need from you.

APU Study Away - Consult with APU CCEL Study Away to explore which program is the best fit for you. Accepted students are provided a canvas site that will have all preparation materials including information on how to register, program charges, etc. 

APU Academic Advising - Make an appointment with Academic Advising (APU Academic Success Center or Faculty Advisor) to make sure the program you are interested in has the courses to keep you on track to graduate on time. Reference the course information on this site. 

APU Student Services Center - Consult your account specialist with any financial aid questions. Reference the program costs, charges & financial aid information on this site. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Program Application - Complete the Ecuador Summer Application with Living & Learning International.

• Advisor Form - Part of the LLI application includes a form you will need to have processed by APU Study Away. Please allow up to 2 weeks.

• For any forms your program needs you to get APU Study Away signatures, send them to studyaway@apu.edu.

Application Response - The program will communicate if they accept you as a participant. However, before committing to the program, we advise confirming APU program advising, APU academic advising and APU financial advising.  

Study Away 101 Completion - If accepted, you will be sent a link to self-enroll in the APU Study Away Canvas course to complete all APU forms/preparation.

PROGRAM TYPE - Type #1, APU Approved Semester Program 

PROGRAM & TERM STATUS - The Ecuador Semester Program is offered both fall and spring terms. Applications are now open for the next term.