Cuernavaca, Mexico
Program Features
- Study Spanish and Mexican history and culture at a first-rate language school.
- Earn seventeen course credits that may be applied directly to your Texas State degree (upon approval).
- Visit social service agencies, orphanages and shelter homes.
- Learn about social services in Mexico to help you work with Hispanic populations in the U.S.
- Enhance your knowledge, values, and skills for bilingual and bicultural practice.
- Immerse yourself in Mexican culture for eight weeks in a beautiful, traditional colonial town.
- Enjoy half-day and full-day excursions to surrounding cultural and historical areas.
- Live with a Mexican family for eight weeks.
- Have a great time!
Course Offerings
| SPAN 2310 | Intermediate Spanish I |
| SPAN 2320 | Intermediate Spanish II |
| SOWK 3339 | Selected Topics in Social Work |
Students may elect to take Beginning Spanish I and II (1410 and 1420) at no additional cost while participating in this program; however, this will not be considered part of the Texas State program. Students must complete the process required by the Texas State Admissions Office in order to transfer the Spanish credits from Kukulcan to Texas State.
| SPAN 1410 | Beginning Spanish I |
| SPAN 1420 | Beginning Spanish II |
Cost: $4,706 (cost subject to change)
Cost includes the following:
- Kukulcan registration
- Texas State $180 non-refundable application fee
- Course materials
- Daily classes in Spanish and Mexican cluture
- Accommodations with a host family in double-room occupancy
- Three meals a day
- Daily transportation to and from school
- Weekly half-day excursions in Cuernavaca and full-day weekend excursions
- Wireless internet access at Kukulcan (when the student brings a laptop)
- Group transfer from the Mexico City airport to and from Cuernavaca
- The optional eight hours of Spanish are transferred at no additional cost
Items not included are as follows:
- Round trip transportation to Mexico City
- Medical insurance
- Personal expenses (laundry, entertainment, shopping, etc.)
Payment Schedule
| First Payment | $400.00 | March 17, 2008 (extended) |
| Second Payment | $500.00 | March 7, 2008 |
| Final Payment | $3,806.00 | April 25, 2008 |
Participants may lose all or part of the deposit or total payment made if cancellation occurs.
All study abroad registrations and first payments must be made in the Study Abroad Office located at 302 ASB North
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALREADY ENROLLED STUDY ABROAD STUDENTS!
All subsequent Study Abroad Program payments can be made using either of the following two options:A) Online payments: Go to http://uweb.txstate.edu/gao/study_abroad/
B) Cash and check payments are accepted at the Cashier's Office,
located on the first floor of the JC Kellam Administration Building. Be sure
to bring your Texas State ID number with you, and indicate to the cashier
that you are paying for a Study Abroad Program. Please pay the amount
indicated on the payment schedule for your program.
Financial Assistance
For detailed information on financial aid, visit our Financial Assistance page or contact the Texas State Office of Financial Aid, located in JCK 220.
For information and application materials for the International Education Fee Scholarship, download 
IEFS Information and Application. The IEFS application deadline is February 15, 2008.
See What Students Thought of This Program
1. My living accommodations were:
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 4%
Good 44%
Very good 52%
2. The excursion(s) included as part of the program met my expectations.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 28%
Good 48%
Very good 24%
3. The host institution met my needs.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 16%
Good 28%
Very good 56%
4.How much spending money would you recommend to future participants?
a) Less than $500: 0%
b) $500-$750: 16%
c) $750-$1000: 16%
d) $1000-$1500: 25%
e) $1500-$2000: 29%
d) More than $2000: 14%
5. Do you think you learned more by participating in this program than what you would have learned on campus?
Yes 96%
No 4%
6. This program met the learning objectives.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 8%
Good 52%
Very good 40%
7. I was challenged by this program.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 12%
Good 24%
Very good 64%
8. This program was cost effective.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 16%
Less than expected 20%
Good 40%
Very good 24%
9. Do you consider this place a safe destination for TxState students?
Yes 100%
No 0%
If your answer was no, please explain why:
10. Would you recommend this program to other students?
Yes 92%
No 8% (Please explain)
Problem with host.
It was too disorganized. I liked my teachers at the school but I did not like the school so I would recommend another school.
11. Briefly describe your best experience in this program:
Meeting different students and learning from my host family.
Meeting with the residents at the orphanage.
Getting to know Cuernavaca.
Acapulco
Getting two years of Spanish done in eight weeks.
Meeting locals and dancing salsa with my host sister at Los Arcos!
Meeting a lot of great people.
Great.
Meeting new people from Texas State and people from other schools across the U.S.
Learning the language and meeting new people.
My trip to Mexico City apart from the program was amazing.
Best experience was being amused within the culture and speaking with the host family every day.
The school experience and host family.
The excursions.
Having a great time with my classmates.
I could go to some cool places, like the pyramids.
Seeing the sights that we went to.
The people and excursions.
Acapulco.
Meeting people.
Going to all the different cities and seeing the culture.
12. Briefly describe your worst experience in this program:
Not having the same food that we are used to in the states.
My worst experience was the way the school works. I don't like that everyone was so focused on following the schedule and not on actually making sure that the students were learning.
Getting here late when we first arrived because our bus broke down!
The frustration of trying to get help when I was having trouble understanding the classes.
Disorganized.
Waiting on the excursions.
Money.
Social work-waste of time.
Some excursions were a waste of time (ex. water park, some of the pyramids), getting sick from my host families cooking.
Getting sick from some of the food, I think it was undercooked.
Food is hard to get used to. You get sick often but go to a vitamin shop before you leave and ask for medication you can take to help.
The time I could not find guacamole in the cafeteria.
Acapulco, wow!!!
What the school did which relates to the evaluation sheet.
The extra class was not in my scope of classes.
It being so unorganized and not knowing what was going on and not being told things.
Losing my backpack.
Some of the museums.
The excursions were very long.
13. List information that you did not receive that you think is important for future students to have:
Know the money currency.
Let students know that they are responsible for paying for taxis from excursions on the weekend.
Study, bring more money than you expect to spend and interact with your family and locals!
How much money gets used that you do not expect. No English is spoken in class so you understand the instructor.
Bring a lot of money.
Taxis, money, exchange rate.
Bring something for your stomach (alka seltzer, pepto, Tylenol). People (students) drink too much and go to the same places every night. I would suggest staying away from the crowd.
The amount they will have to spend on cab fares to get everywhere in Cuernavaca. Also try not to get sucked into going out with classmates but go out with some locals.
Budget your money, expect to get sick, bring extra money for taxi rides because you take them everywhere.
Passports take a long time.
How much money is needed.
Taxis were a pain, bring a laptop.
Studying abroad independently is possible.
Lost a lot of money.
The taxis.
Comments or suggestions:
I feel that this school was not concerned with what we learned that is was more concerned with following a schedule at the cost of actually teaching.
Let us pay for the excursions we go on, not the ones we do not go on.
This trip was an interesting but very fun experience that taught me a lot about how Mexican culture is and how I enjoyed it, but it did lack information and organization. And in the classes students should be somewhat informed about phrases that can be useful in everyday life. For instance, How to get from A to B, how to use taxis, how to ask for something, etc. Overall, I have learned and remembered much more Spanish than I had ever from taking classes in high school!
Overall, really great experience!
Had a lot of fun but eight weeks is a very long time. Four to six weeks would be better.
Spending money. First week needs to be spent on common Spanish phrases to assist in getting around Mexico. Students should be kept better informed of what to expect for the upcoming week. How to use taxis so we dont get screwed over.
Many students don't take the program seriously because they think they can dish out the money and get a good grade in return without the effort Tests are rushed-teachers are great though.
Some background in Spanish.
I think that even though I needed the social work program, and would have taken it anyway, it should not be required for all students. This has been commented on before and someone needs to take action instead of overlooking it again.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 4%
Good 44%
Very good 52%
2. The excursion(s) included as part of the program met my expectations.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 28%
Good 48%
Very good 24%
3. The host institution met my needs.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 16%
Good 28%
Very good 56%
4.How much spending money would you recommend to future participants?
a) Less than $500: 0%
b) $500-$750: 16%
c) $750-$1000: 16%
d) $1000-$1500: 25%
e) $1500-$2000: 29%
d) More than $2000: 14%
5. Do you think you learned more by participating in this program than what you would have learned on campus?
Yes 96%
No 4%
6. This program met the learning objectives.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 8%
Good 52%
Very good 40%
7. I was challenged by this program.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 0%
Less than expected 12%
Good 24%
Very good 64%
8. This program was cost effective.
NA 0%
Unsatisfactory 16%
Less than expected 20%
Good 40%
Very good 24%
9. Do you consider this place a safe destination for TxState students?
Yes 100%
No 0%
If your answer was no, please explain why:
10. Would you recommend this program to other students?
Yes 92%
No 8% (Please explain)
Problem with host.
It was too disorganized. I liked my teachers at the school but I did not like the school so I would recommend another school.
11. Briefly describe your best experience in this program:
Meeting different students and learning from my host family.
Meeting with the residents at the orphanage.
Getting to know Cuernavaca.
Acapulco
Getting two years of Spanish done in eight weeks.
Meeting locals and dancing salsa with my host sister at Los Arcos!
Meeting a lot of great people.
Great.
Meeting new people from Texas State and people from other schools across the U.S.
Learning the language and meeting new people.
My trip to Mexico City apart from the program was amazing.
Best experience was being amused within the culture and speaking with the host family every day.
The school experience and host family.
The excursions.
Having a great time with my classmates.
I could go to some cool places, like the pyramids.
Seeing the sights that we went to.
The people and excursions.
Acapulco.
Meeting people.
Going to all the different cities and seeing the culture.
12. Briefly describe your worst experience in this program:
Not having the same food that we are used to in the states.
My worst experience was the way the school works. I don't like that everyone was so focused on following the schedule and not on actually making sure that the students were learning.
Getting here late when we first arrived because our bus broke down!
The frustration of trying to get help when I was having trouble understanding the classes.
Disorganized.
Waiting on the excursions.
Money.
Social work-waste of time.
Some excursions were a waste of time (ex. water park, some of the pyramids), getting sick from my host families cooking.
Getting sick from some of the food, I think it was undercooked.
Food is hard to get used to. You get sick often but go to a vitamin shop before you leave and ask for medication you can take to help.
The time I could not find guacamole in the cafeteria.
Acapulco, wow!!!
What the school did which relates to the evaluation sheet.
The extra class was not in my scope of classes.
It being so unorganized and not knowing what was going on and not being told things.
Losing my backpack.
Some of the museums.
The excursions were very long.
13. List information that you did not receive that you think is important for future students to have:
Know the money currency.
Let students know that they are responsible for paying for taxis from excursions on the weekend.
Study, bring more money than you expect to spend and interact with your family and locals!
How much money gets used that you do not expect. No English is spoken in class so you understand the instructor.
Bring a lot of money.
Taxis, money, exchange rate.
Bring something for your stomach (alka seltzer, pepto, Tylenol). People (students) drink too much and go to the same places every night. I would suggest staying away from the crowd.
The amount they will have to spend on cab fares to get everywhere in Cuernavaca. Also try not to get sucked into going out with classmates but go out with some locals.
Budget your money, expect to get sick, bring extra money for taxi rides because you take them everywhere.
Passports take a long time.
How much money is needed.
Taxis were a pain, bring a laptop.
Studying abroad independently is possible.
Lost a lot of money.
The taxis.
Comments or suggestions:
I feel that this school was not concerned with what we learned that is was more concerned with following a schedule at the cost of actually teaching.
Let us pay for the excursions we go on, not the ones we do not go on.
This trip was an interesting but very fun experience that taught me a lot about how Mexican culture is and how I enjoyed it, but it did lack information and organization. And in the classes students should be somewhat informed about phrases that can be useful in everyday life. For instance, How to get from A to B, how to use taxis, how to ask for something, etc. Overall, I have learned and remembered much more Spanish than I had ever from taking classes in high school!
Overall, really great experience!
Had a lot of fun but eight weeks is a very long time. Four to six weeks would be better.
Spending money. First week needs to be spent on common Spanish phrases to assist in getting around Mexico. Students should be kept better informed of what to expect for the upcoming week. How to use taxis so we dont get screwed over.
Many students don't take the program seriously because they think they can dish out the money and get a good grade in return without the effort Tests are rushed-teachers are great though.
Some background in Spanish.
I think that even though I needed the social work program, and would have taken it anyway, it should not be required for all students. This has been commented on before and someone needs to take action instead of overlooking it again.