Description
Founded in 1917, the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) is the oldest private higher educational institution in Peru. The university’s 18,000 students and 500 international students have access to on-campus services such as banks, computer labs, cafeterias, 3D printers, sports complexes, library and cultural activities such as dance class. Challenge yourself by taking all courses with Peruvians and international students at Peru’s top rated university.
Designed for students at a high advanced Spanish level, this program offers course options in the following areas: archaeology, art, business, communication, environmental science, geography, history, information science, linguistics, literature, philosophy and social sciences.
Quick Facts
Partner Program Type – International Studies Abroad (ISA)
ISA by WorldStrides is an organization that UCSC has partnered with to provide students with this opportunity. ISA stands for International Studies Abroad which is an organization that was founded in 1987 to connect US college students to the world. ISA has staff in the United States and abroad in each location to support students with every step of their journey.
Minimum GPA – 2.85
Prerequisites -Proof that you are fluent/advanced in Spanish: Students must have completed or tested out of Spanish 6 at UCSC, and additionally need to have completed one of the courses listed in item 3 on this website.
If you have any questions about this prerequisite, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Eligibility – Good academic and disciplinary standing, Min Age: 18, Open to All Majors, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior Standing by the time of departure
Term Options
Fall Semester: early August- mid-December
Spring Semester: early March – mid-July
- students must miss both winter and spring quarters at UCSC to participate in this session
Cost
Location
City & University
One of the largest cities in Latin America, the Peruvian capital offers just about everything. You can go paragliding above cliffs overlooking the Pacific coastline, visit Museo Larco to observe pre-Columbian artifacts, spend the day at the beach and enjoy big city nightlife. Often hailed as the world’s best food city, Lima is home to three of the world’s top 50 restaurants. Once you try the ceviche, ají de gallina and rocoto peppers, you’ll understand why. Lima’s parks along the”malecón”, or pier, provide the perfect place to walk in nature and gaze upon the Pacific Ocean’s stunning beauty.
Accommodations
Students have three choices for housing. No matter which option you choose it will be coordinated by ISA.
Pension
While similar to a homestay, pensions are larger homes that provide housing to multiple students. This option includes two meals per day/seven days per week (excluding excursion days) and laundry service at least once per week. You will also be expected to coordinate meals with the meal schedule of the pensión. This is a great option for students who are more independent and would like to live with a larger number of students in a homestay.
Homestay
Host families are best if you are seeking full linguistic and cultural immersion during your time abroad. Each host family has been carefully selected by ISA’s resident staff in order to best accommodate your needs and to ensure a comfortable living situation. Homestays will provide two meals daily and laundry service once a week. While students typically have their own room and share a homestay with another ISA student, you might share a room with another ISA student of the same gender.
Residencia
Residencias are occupied by international students. At the residencia, you may or may not have your own bedroom and you will share bathrooms and common living areas. Residencias do not include meals, but you will have access to the kitchen and storage area at the residencia. All residencias include wi-fi and some include a computer lab.
Excursions
Included excursions for this program are:
- Ica, Paracas and Chincha
- Lima City Tour
- Playas del Sur
If you would like more detailed information about the excursions, please reach out to globallearning@ucsc.edu.
Student Support
The ISA team works with you from start to finish through the study abroad process. ISA staff will help guide you through the final phases of the application process after you have been nominated by UCSC, then upon arrival in Peru, you will meet the ISA team who will provide assistance during your time in-country. Throughout your semester you will meet with the Lima team for informal discussions and excursions. ISA staff is readily available and able to assist you with any academic, social, or cultural questions or issues that you may face during your time abroad.
Country Information Resources
- U.S. Department of State Country Information Page
- CDC Travelers’ Health
- OSAC Country Security Report
Students with Disabilities
If you need support services abroad, notify your UCSC Disability Resource Center (DRC) Coordinator.
Students can work with their ISA program manager or directly contact accessibilityteam@worldstrides.org once they have narrowed down where they’d like to go.
Identities Abroad and Away
UC Santa Cruz Global Learning is committed to inclusion and equity in our various program options as well as striving to make everyone’s experiences abroad enriching, positive, and safe.
Learn more on our Identities Abroad and Away webpage.
Academics
Host University Courses
As a PUCP exchange student, enroll full-time in courses alongside other local and international students.
- Language of Instruction: Spanish
Course Search
- To find a list of courses, go to the “busquedor de cursos” and look at previous semesters to obtain pre-approval. For example, for Spring 2023, students need to search for Spring 2022 (2022-1) and for Fall 2023 (use 2021-2).
- ISA students can find a list of “Schools” on this webpage, and then look within each school to see which courses are offered. From this link, students can choose a specific “School” and then see the Plan de Estudios.
- The Plan de Estudios will show the courses that are taught for that major each semester, divided by Spring and Fall semesters, and by year of study (1st year, 2nd year and so on). For example, the Faculty of “Letters and Human Sciences” includes Majors in Archeology, Informational Sciences, Philosophy, Geography and Environment, Linguistics and Literature, History and Humanities. If a student clicks on the Humanities link, they will see a list of courses with codes. Another popular “school” among international students is the School of General Studies (Facultad de Generales Letras).
- On any of the “School” links, students should also see a list of Sumillas or short descriptions of each course, as well as updates on what courses are new courses or course closings. Common codes that students look for include HIS (History), LIT (Literature), LIN (Linguistics), POL (Political Science), SOC (Sociology), ANT (Anthropology), HUM (Humanities)
- Here is the “Course Search” link. Students can search by course code (Codigo de Curso) and type in just the first three letters. For example, students interested in Geology courses would type GEO in the Codigo de Curso and then select 2021-1 to see a list of courses that were taught during the Spring semester of 2021, and are likely to be offered in Spring of 2022.
- If you have any questions or need to request syllabi please contact us at globallearning@ucsc.edu.
Satisfying Requirements
It may be possible to satisfy major, minor, GE, and/or electives on this program.
Learn more about:
- How to request major or minor credit
- How to request GE credit
Course Load Requirements
You are required to enroll in a full-time course load while abroad as defined by your host institution:
- 3-4 courses (18 – 24 quarter credits) is a typical course load
As a UCSC student, you must also continue to meet UCSC Satisfactory Academic Progress, which requires students to enroll in a minimum of 12 UCSC quarter credits per quarter. At Pontificia, you are required to ensure you meet this requirement by enrolling in the equivalent of at least 12 UCSC quarter credits in fall semester and at least 24 UCSC quarter credits in spring semester after conversion (see below).
If you are not enrolled in the minimum number of quarter credits required, then you will fall out of Satisfactory Academic Progress. This could lead to financial aid and academic repercussions.
If you are unable to enroll in the minimum number of quarter credits through courses at your host university, you may be able to fill in the gap by enrolling in one remote course through UCSC or UC online.
Credit Conversion
Pontificia uses semester credits. These will be converted to UCSC quarter credits when added to your UC transcript.
- 2 semester credits = 3 UCSC quarter credits
- 3 semester credits = 5 UCSC quarter credits
- 4 semester credits = 6 UCSC quarter credits
- 5 semester credits = 8 UCSC quarter credits
Academic Restrictions
Note that some courses may require prerequisites. In rare cases, some courses abroad may have enrollment limitations and/or restrictions, and there may also be courses that are not available for study abroad students. Your ISA program advisor will be able to help you determine whether any such restrictions apply.
If you are unsure about your eligibility to enroll, please contact UCSC Global Learning at globallearning@ucsc.edu before applying to this program.
Academic Differences
Please note that the academic system, such as assignments, exams, course structure, grading system, etc., at your host institution may be different from what you are used to at UCSC. We highly recommend researching the academic system at your host university in advance to best prepare for your experience abroad.
Academic Calendar
We recommend comparing the host university academic calendar to the UCSC academic calendar to see how the academic calendars, holidays, and breaks differ.