ON THIS PAGE Requirements Selection Application Documentation Acceptance Health Insurance Payment Departure Prep's

General Requirements
Successful acceptance and participation in EEI offerings is dependent upon many variables, the most important of which are personal in nature. These factors affect the entire group, as well as the individual participant. Personal qualities that influence the probability of a successful experience for all include a high level of adaptability, desire to engage in the host culture, personal commitment to the program, tolerance of personal and cultural differences, aptitude in maintaining positive group dynamics, and an ability to accept unfamiliar or vague situations. There are also academic prerequisites of a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 (4 point scale). Other academic prerequisites vary, depending upon the specific course or program offering. All participants will also be required to: a) Possess a valid passport that does not expire earlier than four months after the end of the program (see 'Preparation' page); and b) Read and agree to all program policies posted on this web site. See Acceptance below for details.

Participant Selection
Participant selection is based upon a thorough evaluation of application materials to determine strengths and weaknesses regarding both personal characteristics and academic prerequisites. Other factors that may influence acceptance of an application include the applicants' present standing in college (if a student, seniors and graduate students receive preference over freshmen and sophomores), and the date the application was submitted (if candidates are equally qualified, earlier applications receive preference). Please note that an e-mail or phone interview may also be required before a final decision is made regarding your application.

Application & Instructions
Application will be made either directly to EEI as indicated on this page (e.g., Spring semester program), or through our partner institution (e.g., Summer or Winter courses) as indicated on the appropriate page for that course or program (where you will also find necessary links). For application to EEI, the primary document required is the application form, which also includes detailed instructions on how to apply. The form and instructions are available as a Microsoft Word document, which should be filled out, saved, and e-mailed to us as an attachment. If you do not have Word, you may download and install a trial version of Office 2003, which includes Microsoft Word. Alternatively, a free Word Viewer program is available which will allow you to view, print, or copy the information to another program. However, it will NOT allow you to save the document in its current format. If you cannot e-mail the form as an attachment, it may also be printed, filled-in, and faxed. Please contact us if you need assistance.

Required Documentation
For direct application to EEI, the following items must be received by the deadline, which is a minimum of 90 days prior to the start of the course or program:
1. A completed application form*
2. A recent full-face picture*
3. Two references
4. A signed paper copy of the participation agreement (page 5 of the application form)**
5. A current official or unofficial academic transcript (current students and recent graduates)**
6. An application fee of $25 for short courses or $50 for semester programs. Please note that this fee is non-refundable unless the program is cancelled by us. Payment must be made online at the time of application through PayPal as indicated in the 'payment' section below. Please contact us in advance if an alternate payment method is requested.
NOTE: DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SUBMIT EACH OF THESE DOCUMENTS ARE INCLUDED WITH THE APPLICATION FORM. PLEASE REVIEW THOSE CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING MATERIALS.

Acceptance
Applicants will be notified whether or not they have been accepted into the program within four weeks of the deadline. Upon notification of acceptance, payment of the minimum deposit or the entire program fee is required (see 'payment' below). Once payment has been made, forward the appropriate documents to us via e-mail as necessary so that we may complete your file. Please include payment details (amount & when/how processed your payment). Forward all documents to:

Health Insurance
Once the minimum deposit has been paid, applicants will be enrolled in the California State University (CSU) system 'value' insurance plan offered by Wells Fargo Insurance Services. This will be processed by us on your behalf (the cost is included in the comprehensive program fee). Once you have been enrolled, you will be sent relevant information via the e-mail address you provided us on the application form. Please note, however, that this coverage is limited, and has a $100 deductible. We thus strongly encourage applicants to consider acquiring additional insurance or upgrade their plan as appropriate. For a current brochure, visit the CSU Healthlink web page, where you must select 'U.S. citizen' & 'Humboldt State University' before being routed to the appropriate page where you will find a coverage brochure & appropriate forms for download. Also, please note that THE PLAN YOU WILL BE PROVIDED WITH WILL ONLY BE VALID FOR PROGRAM DATES. If you plan to arrive early or stay longer after the program has ended, you will need to extend your coverage as necessary by contacting Wells Fargo directly after you have been enrolled. They may be reached by e-mail at studentinsurance@wellsfargois.com, or by phone in the U.S. at: (800) 853-5899 or (916) 231-3405.

Payment
Payment for courses or programs in which application is made directly to EEI is as follows:

	Pay Short Course Application fee ($25)     Pay Semester Program Application fee ($50)

Application Fee
An application fee in the amount of $25 for short courses or $50 for semester programs MUST be received in order for your application to be considered complete. Please note that this fee is NON-REFUNDABLE, unless the program is cancelled by EEI. This fee indicates your seriousness about participating.
Application fee payment should be made via PayPal* by clicking on the appropriate link to the right.

Minimum Deposit A minimum deposit in the amount of $750 for short courses or $2,000 for semester programs MUST BE RECEIVED WITHIN TEN BUSINESS DAYS OF BEING NOTIFIED OF ACCEPTANCE. If the minimum depsoit is not received by that time, applicants will risk loosing their acceptance status. Full payment may also be made at this time if so desired (see below). The amount of the deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE, except in the event that the program is cancelled by EEI. However, if full payment is made upon notification of acceptance, but for any reason the applicant must withdraw at a later date before the start of the program, EEI will refund all fees EXCEPT the minimum deposit. The deposit serves as a guarantee of participation so we can commit to planning for you arrival, and will be applied to offset the total program fee. Minimum deposit payment should be made via PayPal* by clicking on the appropriate link to the right, or by mailing a check as outlined below under 'remaining program fee'.

Pay Short Course Deposit ($750)   Pay Semester Program Deposit ($2,000)

Remaining Program Fee
Remaining program fees MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE START OF THE PROGRAM (e.g., January 15 for spring semester). Payments which are received after that date will incur a late fee of $100. For total course or program costs, see the appropriate page for the offering you are interested in.
Because of the larger amount of funds involved (which typically exceed PayPal limits & add excessive processing costs), the remaining (or full) program fee SHOULD BE PAID BY CHECK MAILED TO THE EEI BANK ACCOUNT IN THE U.S.A. at least one week prior to the deadline as indicated below. IMPORTANT: If alternative payment is made via PayPal (below, right), an additional 3% processing fee MUST be added to offset excessive credit processing costs.

Paying by Check: Make checks or money orders out to 'Earth Education International" and mail them to the following address in the U.S.A.: American National Bank, P.O. Box 7749, St. Cloud, MN, 56302. Please allow sufficient time for the check to be received and processed prior to the application deadline. NOTE: Please indicate participant's name if it is not printed on the check so that we may correctly identify the payment. DO NOT SEND ANY OTHER APPLICATION MATERIALS TO THIS ADDRESS.

Alternate Payment: Full or Remaining Payment (variable amount) (ADD 3 PERCENT TO THE AMOUNT DUE. See above)

*A note about PayPal: Credit/debit/ATM card payments can be made online with any card that had a 'Visa' or 'Mastercard' logo (no account required), or from you PayPal account (if you have one). When you click on the appropriate button above, you will be routed to a secure server for Earth Education International on the PayPal web site. An e-mail confirmation of your payment will be sent to you following the transaction. For more information, visit the PayPal web site.

Refund Policy
As indicated above, the application fee and minimum deposit (which will be applied to offset the program fee) are NON-REFUNDABLE, except in the event that the program is cancelled by EEI. The following refund policy applies to participants who withdraw or are expelled from the program for not maintaining a minimum academic performance, or for violation of program policies or Costa Rican law:
1) Half (50%) of the total course or program fees will be refunded if within the first five days of a short course, or first week of a semester program.
2) All program fees (and academic credit) will be forfeited if beyond the time frame indicated in #1 above. For additional information, see the 'financial policies' section of the 'Policies' page, and the application form.

Departure Preparations
Once you have been accepted, paid the program fee (or deposit), and submitted proof of sufficient health insurance, you will be notified by e-mail that your file is complete. At that point you may proceed with making final preparations for departure as indicated on the 'Preparation' page.

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