High School Summer Abroad in Costa Rica

Can’t miss part of your semester or a full academic year? No te preocupes! (Psst – that means “don’t worry”) 

During North American summers, Costa Rican schools are still in session! You can still attend a local high school and live with a local host family and get the full exchange experience without missing your school year. 

This program is perfect for you if:  

• You love sustainability and green tourism and want to experience it firsthand from the experts  
• You’re looking to learn Spanish in a non-intimidating environment  
• You want to spend your weekends embracing the tico lifestyle – bring on the family dinners! 

2024 Program Dates

Students can begin on almost any day except major holidays! We recommend students start in the beginning of June or mid-July as most schools are on holiday at the end of June into early July. If you have further questions, please schedule a call.

We will accepting applications on a rolling basis depending on availability until May 2024. 

Arrival and Departure 

All students are required to book flights on their own. An airport transfer upon arrival is included in the cost of the program. We will provide your exact arrival and departure dates after acceptance, as well as the exact timeframes you should arrive/depart, so that you can start to search for possible flights. We require prior approval of a proposed itinerary before you purchase any flights.

Nervous about flying on your own? We recommend students and parents sitting down together to review the following resources:

• How to navigate an international airport blog
• Flying internationally video
• Webinar with tips on flying internationally

For many Greenheart Travel students their first time flying is across the world to start their exchange program! You can read our alumni experiences on our blog, such as Emily’s or Madison’s blogs on their experiences flying to Japan or Rachel’s tips on what you actually need to know about flying.

Summer 2024 Program Costs:

• 1-month program: $5,440
• 2-month program: $6,670

Packaged into the Price:

• On-site orientation upon arrival
• Airport pickup upon arrival
• Host family accommodation and 3 meals per day
• School placement in a local Costa Rican High School
• Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
• Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program for use on college applications.
• Access to Greenheart Travel Facebook groups to connect with alumni and others on your start date ahead of your program.
• Greenheart Atlas Program 
• Greenheart Travel T-shirt & other Greenheart swag

Our Support and Services: 

• Extensive pre-departure advice and support from your US-based program coordinators! They will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in Costa Rica.
• Support from in-country staff upon arrival to Costa Rica.
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave.
• 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.
• Opportunity to apply for a Greenheart Grant to give back to your community at home or abroad

Additional Expenses to Budget For:

• Flights to/from Costa Rica
• Any school supplies, notebooks, pens, calculator etc.
• Local transportation
• Pocket money
• Personal hygiene articles (deodorant, tampons, perfume, shampoo)
• Specialty food items
  • If there is something you want or enjoy that your host family does not typically buy. Students with intolerances have to buy (for example): gluten-free items, lactose intolerance milk, vegan options etc. if this is not part of their host family’s diet.

Payment Details

• $1,500 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply 
• $5,000 Commitment Payment due within 14 days of acceptance
• Remaining Balance due 8 weeks prior to your start date

Worried about the program fee?

Our goal is to help make travel accessible to everyone and we are here to help when you are deciding if this experience is financially do-able. Each year we offer scholarships for high school study abroad students! We also have a guide to fundraising your program fee, and many high school students fundraise in their hometown ahead of their program.

We also offer discounts for applying early (plus there are many other benefits to applying early!) for each start date and for US families that have hosted an exchange student with Greenheart Exchange.

Please inquire here if you have questions about the program fee, scholarships, or fundraising for your program.

Classes typically run 7:00am-4:00pm, and the main subjects are Math, Science, Geography and Spanish, but your schedule will depend on the school you’re placed in.  

Interested in learning more? Access your High School Curriculum Guidelines for Costa Rica here! 

• Be between 15 and 18 at the time of travel (recent graduates welcome!) 
• U.S. or Canadian citizen  
• High school cumulative GPA of at least 2.75/4.0  
• Great mental and physical health* 
• Have a genuine interest in becoming part of your host family and community  
• Previous Spanish a plus, not required  

*What does it mean to be in good mental health? 

Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, we may not be able to accept students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition. Each student will be addressed on a case by case basis and ultimately it is Greenheart Travel’s in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Chronic debilitating migraines
• Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.

Please note that students who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD will not be guaranteed any academic accommodations plans by the host school abroad.

The best way to learn about a new culture and language is to be fully immersed in it which is why all Greenheart Travel high school abroad students live with local host families. All of our host families are volunteers and will treat you as a member of their family. By being a part of your family’s daily life, you will learn to live and speak like a local.

As a summer student you are guaranteed a host family with a host sibling who attends the same high school.

Prospective host families undergo a rigorous screening process. Participants can rest assured that only suitable host families will be selected. In fact, many of our current host families have hosted students in the past, showing what an impactful experience it was.

In order to qualify as a host family, the prospective hosts must:

• Successfully pass a criminal background check
• Undergo and pass an in-person interview with program staff
• Agree to and pass a home inspection

We will connect you with your host family prior to your arrival in your host country. By e-mailing and speaking with them before arriving, it will help break the ice when you finally meet in person. It will also show that you are as excited to live with them as they are to host you!

Host families have many reasons why they want to welcome you! Our host families are volunteers, meaning they don’t receive compensation for housing and feeding students during their program. Many host families love the experience of cultural exchange – they learn just as much about your country as you do theirs. Many are also former exchange students and want to return the favor, or they have children who have gone or will go to study in the U.S. Having an exchange student exposes their children to new languages and cultures.

For summer (1-2 months) programs, we place most of our students 1-2 hours outside of San Jose in small to medium-sized towns. Close to the rainforest, but also to the city, this part of Costa Rica is a great place to call home. Our most common placements are in the following towns: San Ramon, Palmares, and Zarcero. We work with several public (and private, upon request) high schools in these areas.

Regardless of your program length, we make it a priority to place students with host families that closely match your interests and personality, for example, if you like soccer, we’ll do our best to find a family that also loves soccer! The best time to talk about your interests and preferences is during the application interview and in your host family questionnaire.

Greenheart Travel has been working with high schoolers for many years, and there are advantages of applying for this program through us:

Committing to studying abroad can feel daunting, but we are here every step of the way to make the application process as simple as possible! Below are the various steps you’ll need to take to be accepted on a high school abroad program.

1. Start Your Application Here. You will be sent more information as well as the link to our application portal to begin your formal application. Once the initial form is complete, you will be connected to a High School Abroad program manager who will speak with you and a parent to go over the details of the program.

2. Submit Basic Program Information: The first step in our application portal will be basic things like your chosen start date, etc.

3. Submit your application fee: A $1,500 application fee is required in order to apply for the program. This is subtracted from your total program fee, it’s not additional. 

4. Complete Application & Documents: Provide more detailed information about yourself in Part 2 of the application. In this section, you’ll tell us more information like your work history, motivations for joining the program, travel history, and emergency contacts. You will also submit your documents (below) within your portal account.

5. Interview: After submitting your application fee, you will schedule an interview with us.  During this interview, we will ask you questions about living with a host family, adjusting to new situations and homesickness, among other things. You will also receive an overview of the next few months and what you can expect. This is done via Zoom, and at least one parent should also be in attendance.

6. You’re Accepted! Once you’ve completed all the steps, Greenheart Travel will thoroughly review your application and will contact you within 2-3 weeks about your acceptance. Then, you’ll get more information about preparation, and placement.

7. Commitment Payment: Once you are accepted to the program, you will need to submit a $5,000 commitment payment within 14 days to confirm your spot on the program. We cannot start the host family matching process until we have this payment. Once you submit your commitment payment you will unlock the acceptance portion of your portal, which includes things like pre-departure videos, travel and arrival information, the Greenheart Travel Atlas, and more.

7. Book your flights, and get ready for your adventure! 

Required Documents

In addition to completing an application, you will also be required to submit documents. You can be collecting the documents during the application process, but all documents will be due 14 days after you submit your application fee.

The following documents will be required for all destinations:

• Letter of Recommendation (from a teacher, coach or guidance counselor) – does not need to be sealed, should be scanned and uploaded to the document portal
• Transcripts from the last 3 years (unofficial transcripts accepted)
• Student Dear Family Letter
• Parent Questionnaire & Letter
• Photo Album (5-7 photos of you on a Word document with captions in English and Spanish)
• Medical Form (including immunizations)
• Copy of your passport
• 60-90 second self-introduction video sent via YouTube link
• Secondary rules & expectations document signed by both parents and students

You’ve Been Accepted, Now What?

Start getting ready for your adventure! Your program manager will be in regular communication with you to make sure that you are on track in your preparations to go abroad.

• Upon acceptance, you will receive a student handbook (parents – you get one, too!) and access to the Greenheart Travel Atlas, as well as the Greenheart Club.
• You will receive your host family and school placement roughly 2-3 month after acceptance.
• After receiving your host family and school placement, you will receive further instructions on applying for you student visa (if applicable for your program length)
• We will also schedule an online pre-orientation with other Greenheart students a few weeks before your departure!