Ecuador Semester
Living & Learning International
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-age 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.
SEMESTER HIGHLIGHTS
Option to complete all GE language requirements in one semester
Spanish Major Track and Social Work Track offered (extra costs apply)
Internship and 30 APU service credits built into the program through the Community Development course (Major-specific internship options also available)
Homestay with an Ecuadorian Family for a portion of the term
Multi-day excursions to the Galápagos Islands, Amazon Jungle, Coast of Ecuador, and mountain adventure town of Baños
Day trips to the Equator, Cloud Forest (zip-lining), Rucu Volcano, Otavalo Market, and Cotopaxi Volcano
Christian community and student life
LLI REQUIRED COURSES
*Students can select at least 12 credits of total courses to be considered full time.
LLI 350 Ecuador: History, Art & Culture | 3 Credits = APU HIST 235* | 3 Credits
LLI 100 Community Development & Internship | 1-3 Credits = APU UGSA 300 | 1-3 Credits
LLI Spanish Course (Multiple) | 3 Credits = APU SPAN (Multiple) | 3 Credits
*Meets APU GE: Intercultural Competence
**Select at least one.
APU ELECTIVE COURSES
*Listed below are APU courses. To find LLI's course equivalencies, go to the Ecuador Course Advising List or Ecuador Semester Course Registration Resource.
See the APU & Ecuador Semester Course Comparison document here.
BIOL 101 Biology and Society (w/lab) 4 Credits
Meets APU GE: Natural Science, not applicable for Biology major creditCOMM 260 Intercultural Communication 3 Credits
Meets APU GE: Intercultural CompetenceSPAN 101 Elementary Spanish I 3 Credits
Meets APU GE: Foreign LanguageSPAN 102 Elementary Spanish II 3 Credits
Meets APU GE: Foreign LanguageSPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I 3 Credits
SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II 3 Credits
SPAN 250 Intermediate Conversation & Writing Abroad 3 Credits
SPAN 301*** Spanish Conversation and Community 3 Credits
Meets APU GE: Intercultural CompetenceSPAN 310 Advanced Language Study Practicum 3 Credits
SPAN 495 Special Topics in Spanish 3 Credits
UGSA 301** Undergraduate Study Abroad 3 Credits
Spanish 330 Voces del Ecuador: Select Topics in Ecuadorian Perspectives
UGSA 302** Undergraduate Study Abroad 3 Credits
(Christian Spiritual Formation)
UGSA 303** Undergraduate Study Abroad 3 Credits
(Worldview and Global Religions)
UGSA 304** Undergraduate Study Abroad 3 Credits
(Social Entrepreneurship & Leadership)
**Counts as APU Elective Credit ONLY; does not fulfill any General Education requirements.
***SPAN 310 Advanced Language - Study Practicum (Chair approval needed)
LLI INTERNSHIP
The Ecuador Semester Program includes a built-in internship opportunity where students will participate in 120-180 hours of internship work in the Quito community. The course accompanied by the internship provides a seminar-based model of learning for students to process and gain constructive learning through academic readings, seminar discussions, and reflective writing assignments to be applied to their individualized internship experiences.
Students will need to seek advising from their APU academic department's internship coordinator if they are interested in receiving APU credit for their LLI internship. Students will need to request this information in advance and are responsible for starting the process.
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.
PROGRAM COSTS: 2024 - 2025
Program Costs Charged to Student's APU Account
LLI Tuition $12,000
LLI Program Costs (Housing & Some Meals) $3,000
(Required) International Insurance Cost $100
APU UG University Service Fee $340
APU Study Away Fee $50
(Optional) APU Health Fee/Medical Insurance $755*
Out-of-Pocket Expenses (Students Pay Directly)
International airfare, some meals, optional excursions, souvenirs, etc.
$50 housing security deposit
$75 application fee
*Regular APU student health insurance & waiving options apply.
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.
"The Spanish classes were wonderful! I had 15 hours of Spanish class each week, and it helped me become fluent. The internship component was also stellar, giving me practical major-related experience while serving the local community. I also absolutely loved the excursions and the opportunities we had to explore the beautiful parts of Ecuador..."
- Brady, Business Management & Honors Humanities Major