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 (tba).
Step 1: Check your eligibility & attend an information session
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.
Student’s Eligibility 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
To check your eligibility, fill out the form below. 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.
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. .
The following is a list of the dates and times of the sessions. Register in advance.
| DATE | TIME | PROFESSOR | LOCATION | |
| READING WEEK | September 23, 2021 | 11:30 A.M. | Martin Bunch | Zoom (Register) |
| October 21, 2021 | 2 P.M. | Martin Bunch | Zoom (Register) | |
| November 2, 2021 | 4 P.M. | Martin Bunch | Zoom (Register) | |
| SUMMER ABROAD | September 27, 2021 | 11 A.M. | Ravi de Costa | Zoom (Register) |
| October 20, 2021 | 2:30 P.M. | Leesa Fawcett Alejandro Zamora Felipe Montoya | Zoom (Register) | |
| November 17, 2021 | 10:30 A.M. | Adrienne Perry | Zoom (Register) | |
| January 17, 2022 | 10:30 A.M. | Sheila Colla | Zoom (Register) | |
| February 8, 2022 | 2:30 P.M. | Leesa Fawcett | Zoom (Register) | |
| March 8, 2022 | 11:30 A.M. | Mathieu Poirier Felipe Montoya | Zoom (Register) | |
| March 18, 2022 | 3:30 P.M. | Zoom (Register) |
Step 2: Enrollment Process
You should follow these steps in order. 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.
The cost to participate in any course includes:
York Tuition
Amount varies, whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student
Course 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
You can enroll in one course or in as many courses as your program allows. The course fees for 2022 are as follow (in Canadian dollars):
| Number of Courses | Number of Credits | Cost (CAN$) |
| One course | 3 | $1,300 |
| Two courses | 6 | $2,400 |
| Three courses | 9 | $3,300 |
| Four courses | 12 | $4,200 |
| Five courses | 15 | $5,000 |
| Six courses | 18 | $5,700 |
Note: 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.
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!
Deposits will be accepted in cash only:
- Before or by the deadline date at HNES 139F (Bev Rutherford’s office during business hours)
| Reading Week | December 15, 2021 |
| Summer Abroad | March 15, 2022 |
The remainder of the course(s) fee must be paid by money order or a bank draft (no cash, no personal cheques) and made out to York University by the following dates: To calculate the remainder owed, you need to deduct the deposit from the initial course fee.
| Reading Week | January 14, 2022 |
| Summer Abroad | April 4, 2022 |
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 course fee, the activities and items for which we have pre-paid on your behalf and counting on your participation will be deducted from the course fee.
York International (YI) provides all participating students with the York International Mobility Award (YIMA). An officer from YI will attend the mandatory session to provide instructions for your application. Do not apply until having received proper instructions. Also, students from LA&PS and Glendon can apply for extra funding to help cover the course fee. These faculties may have additional application procedures (Note that you can not apply for these bursaries unless you have completed the previous steps). To apply for:
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 completed the previous parts. Summer registration starts at the beginning of March each year, you will not able to add any Summer course before that time. Below is the list of courses and links to REM catalogue numbers.
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:
From the list below, download, complete, sign and scan forms #1-5. Once you have gathered all your travel details (flight info, itinerary, travel insurance info #7, etc.), as well as your forms, you can complete and submit the following travel information form. You will also need to submit the York International Mobility Award Form (listed here, but complete it only after the mandatory session). These forms are mandatory and you will not be able to travel unless you submit them.
- Risk Assessment Form – Cover Page
- Risk Assessment Form – Statement of Understanding
- Risk Assessment Form – Undertaking of Risks and Management Strategies
- International Travel Waiver Form
- Photo Video Waiver and Consent Form
- YIMA (online)
- Copy of Travel Insurance – All participants are required to have travel insurance. Students must register directly with GuardMe through York International’s website
Deadline to submit all forms for each program is:
| Reading Week | January 16, 2022 |
| Summer Abroad | April 7, 2022 |
Step 3: Prepare and pack for your Trip
You must attend this session, as we will discuss logistical travel details and give specific instructions for your trip. In addition to the session, you can also read the Summer Abroad Student Manual (2019) prepared by Las Nubes Alumni, Christina Nardini, to get a student’s perspective of the overall experience at Las Nubes.
| Reading Week | January 14, 2022 |
| Summer Abroad | April 4, 2022 |
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 |
| Advanced Topics in Environment and Health (Ecosystems Approaches in the Field) | tba | tba | tba |
| Narratives in/of Latin America: Individuals, Communities, and their Voices | April 26, 2022 | 1 P.M. | tba |
| Environmental Arts and Food Sovereignty | tba | tba | tba |
| Education for a Sustainable Future | tba | tba | tba |
| Natural History | April 25, 2022 | 1 P.M. | tba |
| Protected Area Management | April 26, 2022 | 10:30 A.M. | tba |
| Introduction to Applied BioTech | tba | tba | tba |
| Determinants of Health: Local to Global | tba | tba | tba |
| Environmental Psychology | tba | tba | tba |
| Globalization and Indigenous Peoples | tba | tba | tba |
| Conservation and Development for Social-Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing | tba | tba | tba |
Important Information
We take your deposit as a commitment to your participation. If you withdraw from the course(s) after paying the remainder of the course fee, the activities and items for which we have pre-paid on your behalf and counting on your participation will be deducted from the course fee.
Students who require accommodations need to meet with their advisors beforehand and provide their professors with letters of accommodations at the course orientation sessions. Accessibility may be limited in certain areas in Costa Rica and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet all your accommodation needs. Should you have any questions or concerns and before you enroll in any of the courses, you should schedule a confidential appointment with Josephine C Zeeman, EUC Director of Office of Student & Academic Services at (416) 736-2100, ext. 66453.
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. You will also need to purchase travel insurance. Read all the items recommended by York University on your insurance.
Student participants are required to have a travel insurance. Read the following document for YorkU requirements.
Canadian citizens do not require a visa to enter Costa Rica. Refer to the Embassy of Costa Rica in Canada’s website for requirements for citizens of other countries.
Get in Touch
Thank you for your interest in the Las Nubes Project!
For information concerning the Las Nubes Project or the Fisher Fund for Neotropical Conservation, please contact us at lasnubes@yorku.ca
Lillian Meighen Wright Centre (Las Nubes EcoCampus)
Santa Elena, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica