Students on a group excursion to a colonial village in the town of Frutillar, home of southern Chile's first German settlement. This unique influence can be found in the area's architecture, cuisine and culture.
Located approximately 500 miles south of Santiago, Valdivia is one of southern Chile's major cities. Bounded by the Andes Mountains and Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west, this region offers a striking blend of natural beauty, historic sites, and contemporary culture. Valdivia is an ideal location to perfect your Spanish and immerse yourself in all that Chile has to offer.
All students live with Chilean anfitriones, or hosts, who provide three meals per day. Living in a Chilean home provides a natural opportunity for you to learn about daily life in Chile, and many students regard their living arrangements as one of the highlights of their time in Valdivia
Students attend classes at the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh), located on an island near the center of Valdivia. Classes are offered through the Centro de Idiomas at UACh, with all classes taught in Spanish by university faculty. Facilities available to students include libraries, computer labs, Wi-Fi, sports centers, and an 11-hectare botanical garden.
This program offers classes in Spanish language and Latin American history, literature, culture, and film. All courses are designed for students with intermediate or higher Spanish-language abilities, and are taught in Spanish by UACh faculty. Full-year students are eligible to enroll in regular university classes during their second semester.
Opportunities to immerse yourself in Chilean life include program excursions to cultural and historical sites of interest in and around Valdivia; getting to know peer advisors (Chilean university students); volunteer opportunities like teaching English to elementary-school students and helping to build houses; and extra-curricular activities, which include joining university sports teams or learning to dance salsa with Chilean students.
Fall Semester: August 22 - December 13, 2008 (Application Deadline: July 1)
Spring Semester: March 27 - July 18, 2008 (Application Deadline: January 10)
At least 2 years college-level Spanish or the equivalent: minimum 2.5 GPA: minimum sophomore class standing. Please contact the study abroad office at your home university for additional eleigibility requirements.
The program fee per semester is $6,025. Please click on the "Dates, Deadlines, and Costs" tab for more information about what is included in this fee.
Click here to select the Next tab
Located approximately 500 miles south of Santiago, Valdivia is one of southern Chile's major cities. Picturesque beaches, lakes, and volcanoes surround Valdivia, the capitol of the newly-formed region of Los Ríos. Bounded by the Andes Mountains and Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west, this region offers a striking blend of natural beauty, historic sites, and contemporary culture.
With a population of 150,000, Valdivia is large enough to offer a wide variety of activities and events, yet small enough to feel like your home away from home. A visit to a centuries-old Spanish fortress may be followed by a movie at Valdivia's internationally-renowned film festival. Outside of class, you'll have time to people-watch in the city's tranquil central square, taste local specialties like empanadas and kuchen in a pastelería, and visit the sea lions that congregate at the city's daily market on the waterfront. Your classes at the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh) are a ten minute walk from downtown. The university itself is located on the Isla Teja, a fluvial island formed by the three rivers that flow into Valdivia.
As the only U.S. study abroad program at the Universidad Austral de Chile, and in an area with few English-speaking visitors, Valdivia is an ideal location to perfect your Spanish and immerse yourself in Chilean culture.
Click here for more about Valdivia and pictures of southern Chile.
All students live with Chilean anfitriones, or hosts, who provide three meals per day. In Valdivia, it's common for family members to return home from work or school for the mid-day meal. Your host family may have teenagers, young children, older adults, other university students or any combination of these. Homes are typically located in nearby residential areas of Valdivia, and students usually walk to classes or take local buses. Living in a Chilean home provides a natural opportunity for you to learn about daily life in Chile, and many students regard their living arrangements as one of the highlights of their time in Valdivia
Click here to select the Next tab
CWU student Ian Kinney practicing the cuenca, a traditional Chilean dance, in Valdivia's central square during Independence Day celebrations.
Students attend classes at the Universidad Austral de Chile (known as UACh, or "la Austral"). Founded in 1954, the university's main campus is located near the center of Valdivia on the Isla Teja, an island between the Calle-Calle and Cruces Rivers. Fittingly, the university's motto is "Conocimiento y Naturaleza" ("Knowledge and Nature"), Approximately 10,000 students attend UACh, with the majority at the Isla Teja campus. UACh is home to nine academic departments with 41 undergraduate majors, and over 700 professors. The facilities available to students include libraries, computer labs, Wi-Fi, sports centers, and an 11-hectare botanical garden.
Classes are offered through the Centro de Idiomas at UACh, with all classes taught in Spanish by UACh faculty. In addition to hosting the CWU Valdivia program, the Centro de Idiomas teaches English to Chilean students in most career-track programs at the university.
Click here to see photos of the UACh campus.
This program appeals to students from many disciplines through curricula in Spanish language and Latin American history, literature, culture, and film. Taught in Spanish by UACh faculty, all courses are designed for students with intermediate or higher Spanish-language abilities. Students usually enroll in a total of four classes per semester.
Courses (6 quarter/4 semester credits each):
Survey of Latin American Literature
Explore the concept of Latin American identity through literature from the pre-Hispanic epoch to the 20th century. Through discussion and analysis of a wide genre of literary works, this class examines the defining characteristics and issues of Latin American culture. Particular emphasis is given to contrasting images of pre- and post-Hispanic indigenous cultures and works of the 20th century.
History of Chile
Examine the ideologies, problems, and political and economic realities of Chile from the past to the present. Study the history of the indigenous people of Chile prior to the arrival of the Spanish and develop a detailed understanding of the Spanish colonization process during the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries.
Latin American Cinema
Study Latin American cinema through theory, discussion, and analysis. Develop an understanding of the aesthetics of Latin American cinema and explore the films as artistic constructions of social and cultural identity. Dr. Guido Mutis, instructor for the course, is Director of the 2007 International Film Festival in Valdivia.
International Relations between the US & Latin America
This course allows students to become familiar with international relations between the United States and Latin America through historical, political, and economical perspectives. Critical analyses will help students to comprehend the extensive and complex relationships between the U.S. and Latin America.
Chilean Culture Seminar
Discover contemporary Chilean culture as a reflection of historical, sociological, economic, artistic, political, and anthropological development. Examine the indigenous Mapuche culture of Valdivia and other ethnic groups of Chile.
Advanced Spanish
Develop and perfect your practical language skills and expressive capabilities. Enhance your transition to life in Valdivia and gain better access to Chilean culture through language mastery.
Spanish Composition and Conversation
Intermediate & Advanced
Increase your accuracy in both written and spoken Spanish language.
Course offerings are subject to change depending on enrollment and availability.
Multiple Term Options
Students may choose to participate in the Valdivia program during fall or spring semesters or the full academic year (with the approval of the student's enrolling institution, and the on-site director). Full-year students are eligible to enroll in regular university classes during their second semester.
Click here to select the Next tab
- Fall Semester: August 22 - December 13, 2008
- Application Deadline: June 15
- Spring Semester: March 27 - July 18, 2009
- Application Deadline: January 10
- Minimum GPA: 2.5
- Minimum Class Standing: Sophomore
- Good academic standing 2 years college-level Spanish or the equivalent
- No current disciplinary record (within the previous 12 months)
- An interview may be required
In addition to academic strength, acceptance is based on personal commitment, flexibility, and suitability for study abroad.
Before you begin your application, we highly recommend that you see a study abroad advisor at your home institution to ensure that you have all the information you need about program logistics and eligibility. CWU students can call 963-3612or drop by the International Center, Room 101 (across from L&L), to schedule an appointment.
The program fee per semester is $6,025. This includes tuition and course materials; housing and three meals per day; excursions and cultural activities; health insurance; on-site orientation; on-site and U.S.-based staff support; and airport pick-up.
Additional expenses not included in the program fee include the application fee ($50); airfare (estimated $1200); local transportation (estimated $150); and personal expenses/miscellaneous (estimated $800)
The following scholarships are available for this program:
National Security Education Program - David L. Boren
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
College Consortium for International Studies Scholarship Program
Click here to select the Next tab
Posing for a picture at Saltos de Petrohue, turquoise-colored rapids at the base of the Osorno Volcano. Located in the region known as Los Lagos, Valdivia is surrounded by natural beauty.
Opportunities to immerse yourself in Chilean life are one of the key elements of this program. A wide variety of extracurricular and service oriented activities are included to help you maximize your involvement with the local community.
Program excursions to cultural and historical sites of interest in and around Valdivia are an integral part of the course work. They are carefully planned to take advantage of the unique experiences found in and around the region. Excursions are included in the total cost of each program and are a great way to further explore Chile and its culture. Field trips may include visits to areas such as Puerto Montt, a fishing town with a strong German influence and large outdoor market; Pucón, a lakeside resort town near an active volcano; and Niebla, the ruins of an historic Spanish fort. The exact destinations vary from term to term and are determined at the beginning of each program.
Peer advisors volunteer to introduce program participants to Chilean university life. Each semester, four to six Chilean students get to know program participants and serve as cultural resources.
American Corner, a weekly conversation group at UACh, offers students the opportunity to exchange English practice for Spanish practice, and provides another avenue to meet Chilean students.
Volunteer opportunities appeal to many program participants. Students often join the "English Opens Doors" program sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Education. English Opens Doors connects students in this program with elementary school teachers in Valdivia to assist them in teaching beginning English to their students. Participants in this program receive an initial orientation, opportunities to visit a Mapuche (indigenous) school, and a certificate at the end of the program. Click here for more information on English Opens Doors (in Spanish)
Depending on interest, the program has also been able to arrange opportunities with Un Techo Para Chile, an organization that builds houses for those in need. Volunteers work together to build a house over a three-day period. Click here for more information on Un Techo Para Chile.
Extra-curricular activities at UACh include joining university sports teams or learning to dance salsa with Chilean students. Past students have played on (and traveled with) the university volleyball team (women's), the rugby team (men's), and basketball teams (men' and women's).
Click here for information on food, fun and places to hang out in Valdivia: Click here for information on food, fun and places to hang out in Valdivia.
Click here to select the Next tab
For NCSA students: please submit all materials except the online "CWU Study Abroad/Exchange Application" to your home campus's advisor. (Not sure if you're a NCSA student? Please e-mail goabroad@cwu.edu.)
Click here to apply
Click here to select the Next tab
Program Paperwork - For all students
Student Visa Information - For all students
Central Washington University
400 E. University Way
Ellensburg, WA 98926 Recommended resolution is 1024 X 768