Las Nubes Project offers two programs during the year, the Summer Abroad and the Reading Week Programs. Through these programs, students are given an unprecedented opportunity to interact with and learn from the local rural Costa Rican communities through first-hand lessons on tropical ecology, sustainability, indigenous education, arts, health, and conservation. Our courses take a community-based approach, developing collaborative projects that provide learning opportunities. The emphasis of our programs is on experiential education, building on our long-standing relationships with diverse communities and groups in Southern Costa Rica, including women’s organizations, agricultural cooperatives and producers, environmental protection and social justice groups, and indigenous communities, within others.
SUMMER ABROAD
READING WEEK
Registration Information
To enroll in our courses, you need to complete the following steps. This information applies to York University students. Students from other universities check the section for Visiting Students.
Overview
Our courses have no prerequisites and are open to all York University undergraduate (3rd and 4th year) and graduate students. Students can enroll in the courses as elective credits. If you would like these courses to count towards major degree requirements, you must contact your faculty’s/department’s program director and/or academic advisor.
Duration: 10 days for Summer courses, 9 days for Winter courses
Number of Credits: 3
Course Activities: Lectures, guest speakers, hikes, visits to sites and to communities, conversation with local stakeholders, hands-on projects with local organizations.
Room and board: Accommodations are a combination of homestays and hotels depending on the course. Local Costa Rican food will be provided taking into account dietary restrictions and/or preferences.
BEFORE YOU ENROLL
Our courses are intensive as well as physically and emotionally demanding. It is important that you consider these factors before enrolling in any of the courses. You also need to take into consideration all the health and safety risk factors listed on the Government of Canada’s website (Costa Rica Profile). You will need to acknowledge some of these factors on the Risk Assessment forms. If you have questions or concerns regarding accommodations and/or disabilities and before enrolling in any of the courses, you should schedule an appointment with Josephine C. Zeeman, Director of the Office of Student & Academic Services, EUC.
Step 1: Check your eligibility & attend an information session
STUDENT ELIGIBITY IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
- Good academic standing
- Cannot be on any academic warning or probation
- A minimum of 60 credits completed by either the end of Fall term for the February Reading Week course or by end of Winter for the Summer courses (only applies to undergraduate students)
- A cumulative GPA of 4.00 for Bachelor’s degree students and a cumulative GPA of 5.00 for Honours’ degree students
Check your eligibility here. Based on an evaluation of your academic records, a recommendation for admission into the Study Abroad program will be determined by the Office of Student Academic Services. You will be notified by email of this decision. Non-York Students, please follow this link
WE HOLD SEVERAL INFORMATION SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
All students are welcome to attend. At the session, we will present an overview of our EcoCampus in Costa Rica and the courses, and you will have the opportunity to meet some of your instructors (listed below) and ask them course-related questions. We will also discuss costs and requirements.
Attending an information session for each program is recommended but not mandatory. Not attending a session is not an excuse for missed deadlines and/or requirements. Here is a PDF copy of our information session's presentation (recently updated).
The following is a list of the dates and times of the sessions. Register in advance.
Step 2: Enrollment Process
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
You can enroll in one course or in as many courses as your program allows. The cost to participate in any course includes:
York Tuition
Amount varies, whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, domestic or international student (refer to the Student Financial Services website for more information)
+
Program Fee
To cover all in-country transportation, room and board, as well as park entrance fees that are part of course programs. Accommodations include a mix of homestays with local families, lodges and hotels
+
Flight Fare & Travel Insurance*
York International (YI) provides an award to all participant York students to help cover fare costs. All participants are required to have a travel insurance. Students must register directly with GuardMe through the YI’s website
The program fees for 2022 are as follow (in Canadian dollars):
| Number of Courses | Number of Credits | Program Fee (CAN$) |
| 1 | 3 | $1,300 |
| 2 | 6 | $2,400 |
| 2i | 6 | $1,800 |
| 3 | 9 | $3,300 |
| 4 | 12 | $4,200 |
| 5 | 15 | $5,000 |
| 6 | 18 | $5,700 |
* York University does not make flight nor travel insurance arrangements for students. For each course, you will be given specific information as to when to arrive and where will you be picked up and dropped off. Any activities or plans made outside our course program are the student’s responsibility
i This option applies only for the courses that run simultaneously (ENVS4810B & GEOG4050 from May 13-22, 2022 and ENVS4810A & ENVS4215 from May 24 to June 2, 2022)
SAVE YOUR SPOT
A $200 non-refundable deposit per course must be submitted by the deadlines listed below. All courses are capped, and spots are considered on a first come first serve basis.
Note that you won’t be able to pay the deposit unless we have checked your eligibility!
- To pay for the deposit ($200 per course, non-refundable) between now and the deadline date, you can book a time with us and pay (debit or credit card)
| Reading Week | n/a |
| Summer Abroad | March 23, 2022 |
ENROLL IN COURSES
Enroll in the course(s) through the REM system. Enrollment in these courses is restricted. Note that you will not be able to enroll in any course unless you have been approved to participate and have paid the deposit. Summer registration starts at the beginning of March each year, you will not able to add any Summer course before that time.
If you are a graduate student and your course is not listed as a graduate course, you are required to submit a request to enroll in an undergraduate course. Fill out this form, submit it to your program director and copy us on your submission.
The following are the courses offered in 2022:
SUBMIT THE PROGRAM FEE
The remainder of the program fee must be paid by April 4, 2022. To calculate the remainder owed, you need to deduct the deposit from the initial program fee.
Dropping Courses: We take your deposit as a commitment to your participation. If you withdraw from the course(s) after paying the remainder of the program fee, the activities and items for which we have pre-paid on your behalf and counting on your participation will be deducted from the program fee
SUBMIT THE PRE-DEPARTURE FORMS
Once you have gathered all your travel details (flight info, itinerary, travel insurance information, etc.), please visit the Pre-departure Portal, which includes, all risk assessment forms and waivers, the York International Mobility Award (YIMA) Form, and the Effective Intercultural Communications module. Completing and submitting all the forms is mandatory.
| Reading Week | n/a |
| Summer Abroad | April 4, 2022 |
BURSARIES AND AWARDS
The deadline to submit the Pre-departure package is:
Selected faculties and departments at York University have created bursaries and awards to support student participation in international experiences. Note that your application to these bursaries and awards is contingent to your enrollment in the Las Nubes Study Abroad courses and applications will be processed only after the mandatory session on April 4, 2022.
- Las Nubes Study Abroad Fund (LNSAF): This is fee subsidy provided to students who participate in the courses offered by Las Nubes at the Las Nubes EcoCampus.
Eligibility Criteria All York University students participating in the Las Nubes Study Abroad programs are eligible to receive the LNSAF. The amount of LNSAF funding is based on:
- Financial need (students with financial needs will be given higher consideration)
- Good academic standing (B+ or higher)
- Number of courses signed up for
- External funding or other awards applied for/received
There are two categories:- Category 1: Full one-course subsidy ($1,300 each, 4 per year)
- Category 2: Offered to support students enrolled in one or more courses.
- This application is available through the Las Nubes Pre-Departure Portal
- York International Mobility Award (YIMA): York International provides all degree-seeking York University students a travel subsidy to support their participation in global learning opportunities.
- This application is available through the Las Nubes Pre-Departure Portal
- Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), Study Abroad - Funding: For LA&PS students who want to study or participate in academic international activities abroad as part of their degree but need financial assistance. Application is available through the Go Abroad website
- Glendon Experiential Education Fund: For Glendon students taking the GL/SP/COMS4608 course.
Step 3: Prepare and pack for your Trip
ATTEND THE MANDATORY SESSION
You must attend this session, as we will discuss logistical travel details and give specific instructions for your trip.
| Reading Week | n/a | n/a |
| Summer Abroad | April 4, 2022 | 10 A.M. |
COURSE ORIENTATION SESSIONS
Some professors hold mandatory orientation sessions, where course details, expectations, assignments, and preparation materials are discussed and handled. If your schedule conflicts with these sessions, make sure to inform your professor with time, so alternate arrangements can be done. The following are the dates for the sessions:
| COURSE | DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narratives in/of Latin America: Individuals, Communities, and their Voices | April 26, 2022 | 1 P.M. | Glendon & Zoom |
| Environmental Arts and Food Sovereignty | April 27, 2022 | 2 PM | Zoom |
| Nature, Neoliberalism, Political Ecology: The Politics of Water in Costa Rica and Latin America | April 27, 2022 | 11 AM | Zoom |
| Natural History. Environmental Education in Costa Rica | April 25, 2022 | 1 P.M. | tba |
| Protected Area Management | April 26, 2022 | 10:30 A.M. | tba |
| Determinants of Health: Local to Global | April 29, 2022 | 11 A.M. | tba |
| Environmental Psychology | April 27, 2022 | 10 A.M. | tba |
| Globalization and Indigenous Peoples | April 29, 2022 | 2 PM | Zoom |
| Conservation and Development for Social-Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing | April 27, 2022 | 12 PM | Zoom |
Important Information
Visiting Students
List of Courses
Courses Currently Offered at Las Nubes
Historical List of Courses