SFS-Chile: The Patagonian Winter

The program is open to Purdue students in good standing who have completed at least two semesters of university study by the start of the program. Successful candidates will demonstrate academic success, maturity, and a desire to experience another culture.

Students interested in completing courses while abroad from Purdue colleges or departments that are not listed above should discuss this with their study abroad advisor before applying to the program.

This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Chile.

Major academic themes include:

• Interdisciplinary critical thinking
  
• Socio-ecology, conservation, and globalization
• Winter ecology
• Climate change and biodiversity loss
• Southern Hemisphere high-latitude indigenous cultures
• Conservation challenges posed by climate change and resource extraction 

You will visit locations and meet people that will help provide context to explore the implications and impacts of the coming of winter and the longest night of the year. This includes visiting Patagonian ranches (estancias) in the hills and forests of Southern Patagonia, hiking through the forests, along the rivers, and up to glaciers in Torres del Paine National Park, and learning from Kawesqar and Mapuche-Williche people living in the region.

Surrounded by the jagged peaks of Cerro Benítez and the deep blue waters of the Señoret Channel lies the port city of Puerto Natales – the gateway to the famous Torres del Paine National Park. Located in the heart of this bustling tourist hub is the Center for Climate Studies, your home base for expeditions throughout the region.

• Up to 8-person, dorm-style rooms with shared baths
• Classroom and student lounge
• Kitchen and dining room, and on-site cooking staff
• Just a few blocks from the town square, shops, and cafes of Puerto Natales
• Short walk to the Señoret Channel, a scenic fjord with views of the Andes

Students should carefully note what costs need to be paid to Purdue University or to a co-sponsor or agency, and what costs need to be paid at the overseas study location.  This will vary by program.

Purdue University financial aid may be applied to the costs of studying abroad. Students interested in receiving financial aid should

• direct financial aid inquiries to the Division of Financial Aid on the West Lafayette campus; 
• consult website Study Abroad Financial Aid Process;
• complete and submit the FAFSA by the appropriate deadline.

NOTE:  Recipients of certain tuition remission and scholarship programs should pay careful attention to the regulations for using those benefits for study abroad.  Ask your financial aid advisor about any limitations.

Click here for a list of scholarships and grants available to assist with the costs of studying overseas.

For full consideration, students must submit all supporting documents before or by the application deadline.  Popular programs fill quickly, often before the deadline.  To insure a place in a program, apply early.

As soon as a student submits an online application, a My Study Abroad account is created. Applicants should consult this page often to check on the status of the application.

Click below to search for Purdue students who have participated in this program and are willing to be contacted.  If you get no results, you can use the search form to find people who studied in the country you are interested in.

The websites listed below contain information about this program. The accuracy of information at external sites cannot be guaranteed.

• Program Sponsor's Home Page: School for Field Studies
• Program Website
• Search Google(tm)*
• Department of State Consular Information
  (You must find Chile in list)
• CDC Travel Information (You must find Chile in list)