UGalapagos Biology is a semester-long study abroad program run by the Department of Biology at the University of Miami (UM). Students spend a semester in Ecuador, taking field-based biology courses in Quito, the Amazon and the Galápagos Islands, and live with host families. This guide covers how the program works, who can apply and what international students at UM should check before going.
How the program works
- Partner and locations: courses are run with Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), which has a campus in Quito and an extension in the Galápagos. Students live with host families in Quito and on the islands (UM News, February 25, 2025).
- Term: the program runs from August to December.
- Courses: the semester is made up of five modules taught one after another, for a total of 16 credits, enough for a minor in biology. UM faculty lead two of the modules: Reef Ecology, taught in the islands by assistant professor Juan Pablo Quimbayo, and Tropical Biodiversity, taught by assistant professor Neil Rosser. USFQ faculty teach the other three. The biology department describes the coursework as focused on terrestrial ecosystems (UM Department of Biology: Opportunities Abroad).
- Field trips: the 2023 cohort spent about two months in Quito, took trips to a cloud forest and the northern Andean páramo, spent a week in the Amazon and finished in the Galápagos. In all, they spent 15 weeks in Ecuador.
Who can apply
- The program is open to University of Miami undergraduates of all majors, not only biology majors (UGalapagosBio program site).
- Deadline: applications are due March 1 through UM’s Office of Study Abroad for the following fall semester.
- Contacts: the co-directors are Dr. Neil Rosser ([email protected]) and Dr. Juan Pablo Quimbayo ([email protected]); the program office phone is (305) 284-3013.
- Marine science option: a separate UGalapagos marine science program, run by UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, is offered in fall and spring but is open only to Rosenstiel undergraduates, who stay in the Galápagos for the whole semester.
What past students say
UM’s 2025 article profiled two members of the 2023 cohort. Isabella Arosemena, an ecosystem science and policy major in the College of Arts and Sciences, went on to add minors in anthropology and motion pictures and planned to go to graduate school to make nature documentaries. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime but also helped me develop within my career field,” she said. Scott Pollowitz, who graduated in May 2024 and joined a local environmental consulting firm, said, “I don’t think there’s any other study abroad experience like it.” Rosser called a semester abroad “a life-changing experience” (UM News).
Tips for international students at UM
- Talk to the international office first. A semester abroad is a trip outside the United States. Before you apply, ask UM’s international student office how the program affects your I-20 and SEVIS record. To return for spring, you will need a valid passport, a valid F-1 visa and a recent travel signature on your I-20 (Study in the States: Traveling as an international student).
- Check Ecuador’s entry rules for your nationality. Whether you need a visa for a semester in Ecuador depends on your passport. Ask UM Study Abroad and USFQ which visa students in the program use.
- Plan your degree. The 16 credits count toward a biology minor; ask your academic advisor early how the modules fit your major so that the semester does not delay graduation.
- Cost: UM tuition and fees were $62,616 in 2025–26 (IPEDS). Ask Study Abroad for the program budget, including host-family housing and travel within Ecuador.
- About UM: the University of Miami is No. 55 among national universities in the 2027 U.S. News rankings (Forward Pathway ranking database). In fall 2025 it enrolled 13,250 undergraduates, including 1,042 international students (IPEDS). Our University of Miami school page (linked above) has admissions and cost data.