Summer in Santiago DR
Unique Experiences
Explore the diverse environments
of a tropical island by hiking and cycling by beautiful beaches, rivers, and mountains
Get captivated by the local lifestyle
by immersing yourself in Dominican traditions and exploring street art in the “Heart City.”
Enjoy local Dominican cuisine
from street food like savory empanadas, fresh tropical fruit juices, yun-yun, and yaroas to the most elaborate dishes in fine restaurants and welcoming homes.
11%
major league baseball players who are Dominican
1,000
miles of tropical paradisiac coastline in the country
10,161 FT
highest peak of the Caribbean, Pico Duarte
Your Destination
Find yourself surrounded by mountains in the lush valley of the Cibao region in the center of the island of Hispaniola. Here lies Santiago De Los Caballeros, the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic, which puts you steps away from places of historical, cultural, and ecological interest – not to mention about an hour’s drive to the Atlantic Coast with crystal-clear warm water and white sand. Santiago is the commercial and cultural center of the fertile Cibao Valley region, housing the León Jimenez cultural center and the commercial street of Calle del Sol.
Founded in 1495 by 30 caballeros from Columbus’ early expeditions, Santiago boasts a fascinating history, exciting museums, and endless cultural experiences, including music, art, and festivals. This growing, modern city is home to 800,000 people and many Dominican specialties, such as cigars, rum, chocolate, coffee, amber, and larimar. Despite its sprawling size, Santiago retains many small-town features. Traditional merchants call out their wares in a musical chant, and street vendors balance large baskets of fruit and vegetables on their heads.
With the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the South, Santiago offers endless sports options, including baseball, kitesurfing, and golf, along with ample cultural and artistic entertainment and recreation. Here you can dance to the contagious rhythm of merengue and bachata and enjoy the best Dominican gastronomy.
Come and enjoy a vibrant and growing city in the Caribbean with everything the tropics offer, from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world to the highest peak of the Caribbean.
The Culture
Excursions & Activities
- Explore the historic and cultural charms of Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic and one of the Caribbean’s oldest cities. Walk the cobblestone paths around the historic colonial zone and dive into the culturally rich Parque Colon, while enjoying a freshly brewed coffee or a savory snack from one of the many cafes surrounding El Conde Street. Indulge your history-enthused and art-loving mind by visiting some of the museums or even spending a few minutes at the park while street artists play different instruments, pose as living statues, and entertain you with their juggling abilities.
- Visit nearby cities and places of historical, social, or ecological relevance, such as Puerto Plata, Jarabacoa, or Rio Blanco, which offer further opportunities to enrich your experience in the D.R.
- Walk around the historic city of Puerto Plata before heading down for a quick swim in the turquoise waters and white sand on one of the best beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. If you’re in search of an adventurous place to hike and bathe in cold river waters, Jarabacoa city is the place for you. Enjoy a nature walk, visit one of the many vegetable crops, flower fields, and plantations, then freshen up while having a traditional Dominican ice cream at the “umbrella street.”
Projects
You’ll participate in a range of field experiences that lend practical context to your classroom-based learning. Unique opportunities to hear from and engage with people at the center and forefront of the country’s issues complement and enhance your experience, and improve your understanding of the culture, history, and literature in the Dominican Republic, and their impact on people’s means of life.
Program Blogs
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Housing & Meals
Housing
CIEE Santiago de los Caballeros offers various housing options to ensure you're comfortable in your home away from home. From homestays to independent studios attached to a family house, your accommodation preferences will be met. Additionally, all housing options are located in neighborhoods with convenient access to the CIEE office and PUCMM campus (under 20 minutes).
Standard Housing: Includes a single or shared room in a homestay. Homestays feature a kitchen, living room, and bathroom shared with a host family, along with weekly laundry service. Although families may be able to communicate in English, most speak only Spanish.
Select Housing: Includes a studio with an independent entrance attached to a family house. Independent studios are usually medium-sized and boast a private room, living area, and a small kitchenette or access to a shared kitchen. Laundry is not included. Select housing requires an additional fee.
A note: The default criterion to assign housing is first-come, first-served; however, other factors may also be considered. If we cannot accommodate your first housing choice, we'll let you know before you arrive.
Meals
- Homestays: Include three meals per day.
- Independent Studios: Meals are not included.
Academics
Summer in Santiago is a holistic 4-week or 8-week academic experience that offers students participatory in-class instruction enhanced with experiential learning. Students immerse themselves in the language, history, and culture of the Dominican Republic and gain in-depth insight into the community and people. In-class work is augmented with co-curricular visits to the city’s rich variety of cultural institutions and organizations relevant to the course offering. Content courses are taught in English, and students can elect to enroll in an optional 1-credit Communicative Spanish course.
CIEE Santiago DR is conveniently located on the PUCMM (Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra) where participants meet local students and take advantage of its magnificent botanical campus. The university was founded in 1962, it is dedicated to serving the social and economic development of all Dominicans, and it is ranked as the best academic institution of higher learning in the Dominican Republic.
Course Information
Students may enroll in the elective Communicative Spanish Language class during one session.
Summer Session I 2025
Summer Session II 2025
Note: This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to change as a result of ongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be canceled due to insufficient enrollment.
"(GI)" denotes courses that originated at CIEE's Global Institutes and that are offered at multiple CIEE sites.
Scholarships & Grants
CIEE offers scholarships and grants annually to help students like you make your study abroad dream a reality.
Students who apply to this program are eligible for the following scholarships and grants:
- Wollitzer Merit Scholarships in Area or Comparative Studies
- Ping Scholarships for Academic Excellence
- Global Access Initiative (GAIN) Grants
- CIEE Gilman Go Global Grant
- MSI Grant
- CIEE STEM Scholarship
To be considered, submit the CIEE Scholarships & Grants application within your CIEE program application.
Dates & Fees
You get more for every dollar when you study abroad with CIEE, because our high-quality programs include everything from excursions to insurance. There are no hidden charges, and no disappointing surprises when you arrive.
Program |
Application Due |
Start Date |
End Date |
Fees & Housing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Summer Session I 2025 4 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Fees & Housing $4,750 | |
| Program Summer Session II 2025 4 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Fees & Housing $4,750 | |
| Program Summer Session I and II 2025 8 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Fees & Housing $8,550 |
To help you budget, keep in mind that students are responsible for the cost of international airfare, local transportation, books and supplies, visas, and personal expenses. In addition, your college or university may charge additional fees for study abroad, or may require you to receive a transcript via CIEE's School of Record, which carries an additional fee of $500.
Program Fees
CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.
Participation Confirmation = $300*
Educational Costs = $3,620**
Housing = $630***
Insurance = $200
Total Fees = $4,750Estimated Costs
Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.
Meals not included in program fee = $0†
International Airfare = $600††
Local Transportation = $30†††
Books & Supplies = $15††††
Personal expenses = $135†††††
Total Costs = $780Financial Aid
CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.
*non-refundable
**direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students
***Housing fees listed are for financial aid purposes only and should not be considered a basis for calculation of refunds.
†For students in homestays, families provide all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). For students in apartments, you should budget approx. $290 per month for groceries if you plan on making your own meals, and more if you plan on eating out regularly.
††Average round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure (Newark-STI)
†††Airport transfer at the end of the program. Participants stay within walking distance from Host University and CIEE Center. Uber transportation to move around the city is NOT being considered (3.00-3.50 USD per ride).
††††Books are available for participants at the library and supplies are minimal.
†††††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries
Program Fees
CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.
Participation Confirmation = $300*
Educational Costs = $3,620**
Housing = $630***
Insurance = $200
Total Fees = $4,750Estimated Costs
Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.
Meals not included in program fee = $0†
International Airfare = $600††
Local Transportation = $30†††
Books & Supplies = $15††††
Personal expenses = $135†††††
Total Costs = $780Financial Aid
CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.
*non-refundable
**direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students
***Housing fees listed are for financial aid purposes only and should not be considered a basis for calculation of refunds.
†For students in homestays, families provide all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). For students in apartments, you should budget approx. $290 per month for groceries if you plan on making your own meals, and more if you plan on eating out regularly.
††Average round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure (Newark-STI)
†††Airport transfer at the end of the program. Participants stay within walking distance from Host University and CIEE Center. Uber transportation to move around the city is NOT being considered (3.00-3.50 USD per ride).
††††Books are available at the library for participants and supplies are minimal.
†††††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries
Program Fees
CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.
Participation Confirmation = $300*
Educational Costs = $6,790**
Housing = $1,260***
Insurance = $200
Total Fees = $8,550Estimated Costs
Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.
Meals not included in program fee = $0†
International Airfare = $600††
Local Transportation = $60†††
Books & Supplies = $30††††
Visa Fees = $75†††††
Personal expenses = $270††††††
Total Costs = $1,035Financial Aid
CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.
*non-refundable
**direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students
***Housing fees listed are for financial aid purposes only and should not be considered a basis for calculation of refunds.
†For students in homestays, families provide all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). For students in apartments, you should budget approx. $290 per month for groceries if you plan on making your own meals, and more if you plan on eating out regularly.
††Average round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure (Newark-STI)
†††Airport transfer at the end of the program. Participants stay within walking distance from Host University and CIEE Center. Uber transportation to move around the city is NOT being considered (3.00-3.50 USD per ride).
††††Books are available for participants at the library and supplies are minimal.
†††††Paid upon departure at the airport.
††††††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries
What's Included
Tuition
Housing
Pre-departure Advising
Advising before you depart to set goals and answer questions
Optional on-site airport meet-and-greet
Orientation
Introduction to your program plus practical information about living in your host city
On-site Staff
Full-time program leadership and support in your city
Excursions and/or Study Tours
Travel Protection
CIEE iNext travel protection
24/7 emergency on-site support
Meals
Our Staff
Lucía Agüero
Center Director
Lucía Agüero is a passionate educator and lifelong learner with over fifteen years of professional experience.
Dorka Tejada
Custom & College Senior Program Coordinator
Dorka Tejada earned her technical degree in Agronomy at Loyola Dajabón, Dominican Republic, and has taken numerous business administration, tourism, and hotel management courses.
Randolp Valenzuela
HSSA & College Program Coordinator
Randolp Valenzuela has a degree in electrical technics and has taken numerous courses in business administration and media communication. He has more than a decade of experience coordinating youth camps...
Get Started
1
2
Connect With Your Campus Study Abroad Office
Share your plans and confirm you're on track to meet all required steps to go abroad.
3
Contact Us
Send us an email if you still have questions or need information about applying to this program.
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