UMW in Guatemala

March 1 – 9, 2025

Program Fee: $2,525
Registration and $500 non-refundable deposit due: November 1, 2024
Final Balance ($2,025) due: December 15, 2024

Use the Make a Standard Payment button below to pay your deposit and regular program balance payment. Use the Make a Flexible Payment option to pay an alternate amount (such as additional insurance or payment in a different amount as a result of a scholarship award).

Online payees have the choice of either credit card or eCheck (ACH) payment. ACH transactions will be charged a flat fee of $0.50 per transaction. All credit card payments will incur a 2.95% service fee. For credit card payments, a minimum convenience fee of $3.00 will be applied to transactions over $20.00 and under $102.00.

Students can avoid fees by paying in-person at the UMW Cashier’s office by cash or check (made out to “UMW”). The Cashier’s office is located on the 2nd floor of Lee Hall.

Students will earn 3 credits for GEOG 361. The course focuses on:

• Demonstrating efforts in community cloud forest conservation;
• Developing ecological understanding;
• Reviving Maya ecological practices;
• Experimenting with innovative agro-ecological techniques that can address social needs and build food security.

Class will meet weekly throughout the spring semester. Students will discuss relevant readings on community development, food security, deforestation, agroecology, and health. Four short papers are due prior to departure, with a journal during the trip, a final paper, and an oral presentation following the trip. This course satisfies the Beyond the Classroom general education requirement. This course also carries Honors program designation.

For most of the trip, students will stay in rooms with bunk beds and a shared bathroom at the agroecology center. Meals and snacks will be provided at the center or out in the community. Students will also experience a two-night home-stay with a Maya family.

There are no prerequisites for this program, but students must contact Dr. Bowen for an application to participate (do not make your deposit until you have received notice of acceptance). Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA in order to participate. This program is open to all UMW students regardless of major or year of study.

Included in the program fee:

• Accommodations
• In-country transportation
• UMW Education Abroad Fee
• International medical insurance

• International airfare
• Breakfast, lunches, and dinners (except in airport on travel days)

Excluded in the program fee:

• UMW Tuition (may be included in your spring term course load)
• Passport and/or visa fees
• Souvenirs and other personal expenses
• Personal health costs (ex. vaccination fees, COVID-19 testing, etc.)

This program includes moderate hiking through uneven terrain and a two-night stay in a rural homestay.

International travel may require immunizations or preventative medicines. Please refer to the US Center for Disease Control’s Traveler’s Health Information Page for recommendations. The UMW Health Center provides free travel consultations by appointment, as well as travel information for UMW students. The Center for International Education recommends that each student have a personalized medical consultation prior to international travel.

Visit CIE’s Scholarships & Funding webpage to learn more about financial options as it relates to education abroad including Financial Aid, 529 Plans, etc.