You may have the opportunity to participate in highly specialized course-related trips, such as underwater diving. If you wish to participate in underwater dives, you are required to obtain a Basic Open Water Diver Certification through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). We strongly recommend you obtain PADI certification before you arrive in Ecuador. Proof of certification must be submitted prior to the program start date via your MyIESabroad account for any student who chooses the Marine Ecology track. For students who plan to dive recreationally outside the GAIAS...

Courses and course schedules are determined by GAIAS two to three weeks before the program begins. When available, course syllabi are available on the IES Abroad website. Registering for courses at GAIAS is a 3-step process. Each step is done online on the USFQ website, and they must be done in order. They are: Register as a student by completing an online application where you will need to upload several documents. Take the online Spanish language placement test on the USFQ website. Register for courses. We will send you emails with more details on each of these steps, so please read them...

GAIAS Courses The classroom atmosphere might be entirely different from what you experience on your home campus. Please keep in mind that you will have to be able to adapt to different classroom structures and expectations. Teaching styles may vary from professors who mainly use lectures as their method of presentation to those who foster participation, debates, and practical work. Readings and assignments will be indicated in the syllabus, although you are expected to work more independently and explore outside resources on your own. Ecuador requires six years of secondary education before...

Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) was the first institution in Latin America with a liberal arts-based curriculum. USFQ’s main campus is located in the attractive suburb in the Cumbaya Valley accessible by bus from central Quito. The Galápagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences (GAIAS) is a world-class academic and research institution located on the main island of Galápagos, San Cristóbal. GAIAS is supported by the Galápagos National Park Service, the Municipality of San Cristóbal, and the provincial and central governments. Your program is run by the USFQ on two campuses...

In the Galápagos, your homestay will be close to the USFQ GAIAS campus. All homestays are located in safe areas and inspected on a regular basis. You will have your own furnished room, and may have another IES Abroad student staying in your home. Expectations for Your Homestay No two homestay situations are the same! Just as “family” could mean many different things in your home country, Ecuadorian families also are quite diverse. Some families are composed of a set of parents and their children. Other families consist of an older couple with grown children. Some might be single parents. Some...

You will participate in a mandatory on-site orientation which begins at the IES Abroad Center, followed by orientation sessions at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito campus. A complete schedule is distributed upon arrival. On the first day of your IES Abroad orientation, you will receive a packet containing the following: IES Abroad Quito student manual Emergency plan Orientation schedule Semester academic calendar List of important course registration dates Student ID card Staff contact information Emergency phone numbers Map of Quito Tourist brochures of the four regions of Ecuador IES...

Purchase a ticket to arrive at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport (airport code UIO) in Quito on the official arrival date between 8pm and 12am (midnight). Most flights from the US arrive to Quito at night, often as late as 11pm or midnight. IES Abroad Quito staff are accustomed to this and prepare accordingly, so do not worry about arriving at this hour. If you do not book a direct flight, we recommend that you leave at least 2-3 hours to make your connections in case your first flight is delayed. Someone will be at the airport to pick you up on the official arrival date. If you arrive...

As soon as a preliminary program calendar is available, it will appear below. However, this calendar is subject to change. Please do not make independent travel arrangements (including visits from family or friends) before you arrive on-site, receive any calendar updates from the IES Abroad Center staff during orientation, and finalize your course registration. Remember that you will not be excused from academic obligations, including final exams or required IES Abroad events, in order to travel independently. You can easily make personal travel plans once on-site!