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 Current Conditions: Cloudy, 59 F Forecast: Fri - Partly Cloudy. High: 61 Low: 57 Sat - Partly Cloudy. High: 62 Low: 56 Sun - Partly Cloudy. High: 61 Low: 56 Mon - Partly Cloudy. High: 61 Low: 56 Tue - Mostly Sunny. High: 62 Low: 56
Distance to Cedar Falls: 4448 miles
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Given its great extension, one of Chile's main characteristics is its astonishing variety of landscapes.
Not surprisingly, legend has it that when God finished the Creation, he took leftovers of desert, pampa, jungle and mountains, and with them he created the patchwork that is Chile.
Arica is located in the northernmost part of Chile, right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The area has a number of anthropological research sites of ancient societies of the Aymara and the Atacama people. The university is the custodian of the rich remains of mummies, pottery, textiles and religious evidence of these cultures. Often called the city of everlasting spring, Arica has mild winters and hot summers. People enjoy water sports like surfing, wind surfing, water skiing, diving, and other outdoor recreational activities. Because of its excellent location near Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil and Peru, Arica is a very good place to start traveling in the region. The Machu-Pichu in Peru, Tiwanaku in Bolivia, the jungles of Brazil, and the northern steppes of Argentina are all within the traveler's reach.
The university is located in Arica, Chile, and was established in 1982 by merging the local branches of the University of Chile and the Catholic University. It has five faculties: Agriculture; Business and Social Sciences; Natural Sciences (Nursing, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical Technology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology); Engineering, and Education & Humanities (Physical Education, History, English, Geography). The Agronomy Institute, located in the Azapa Valley, carries out research on desert agriculture. The language of instruction is Spanish with the exception of the English department.
Students with a sufficient level of Spanish are able to enroll in regular university classes. The usual semester load is four or five classes (total of 28 direct contact hours) a week. Exchange students wishing to improve their Spanish may take special courses about the literatures, geography and business aspects of Chile, offered on a semester basis through the English department. The Spanish department is undergoing restructuring and only occasional tutoring is available by individual professors. Academic year begins in March and ends in December. Spring semester runs from mid-March until mid-July; fall semester runs from mid-August until mid-December.
Spring 2012 semester: February 26 - July 20
Fall 2012 Semester: August 13 - December 21
Visit the International Office's webpage for more information.
Subsidized university housing is only available to Chilean students. Exchange students usually rent a furnished room with a family close to the university. Students can negotiate the price depending on how many meals a day they would like to include or students can choose to prepare their own meals. The International Relations Office assists with finding suitable accommodation and airport pick-up.
UNI students pay UNI tuition and fees (in-state or out-of-state) plus the study abroad fee to participate. The program cost does not include housing, food, books and supplies, round-trip air transportation, international health insurance, and personal expenses.
Participants should budget about $150 per month for rent and about $130 per month for food.
