Earn College Credit with AMIGOS!
Together with the Center for Learning and Innovation of Western Colorado University (WCU), AMIGOS is offering the political science courses POLS 197: Global Citizenship and POLS 197: Global Citizenship 2.0 for college credit.
Volunteers completing three-week AMIGOS projects are eligible to register for POLS 197: Global Citizenship (2 credits).Volunteers enrolled in the four- and six-week AMIGOS summer projects may register for POLS 197: Global Citizenship 2.0 (3 credits).
Course Description
These courses offer an introduction to Global Citizenship and cover essential topics related to leadership, cultural humility, and service through a lens of social justice. Students will develop critical skills to become effective agents of change for themselves, their communities, and the world.
Credit Requirements:
To earn college credit, volunteers must successfully fulfill two mandatory components:
- Supplemental Workbook: An asynchronous assignment required prior to departure. Guided through key reflections and activities that complement the AMIGOS experience, students typically complete this workbook in 4–6 hours at their own pace anytime after registering for credit.
- Program Completion: Full participation and successful completion of the AMIGOS summer program.
Both the supplemental workbook and full completion of the summer program are strictly required to earn credit. Failure to satisfy either component will result in a failing grade on the student’s final transcript at the end of the summer
How do I sign up for this credit?
To register for college credit through Western Colorado University, please:
- Apply for your AMIGOS program. All volunteers joining AMIGOS 3+ week Summer Programs are eligible to receive college credit. Click here to apply. (If you have already been accepted to AMIGOS, skip to step #2.)
- Complete a Course Registration Form. Once you have applied to the AMIGOS program, paid your application fee/deposit, and received your acceptance into the program, complete Western Colorado University’s course registration form.
- Navigate the Registration Questions. To select the AMIGOS program, you must go through a series of questions including payment options—here is how to answer them:
- On the drop down, choose “Center for Learning & Innovation Student” at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
- From there, you can access the correct “CLI Application” for completion.
- Which program are you interested in? – Select the “Outdoor programs with credit to use 529/AmeriCorps Funding (Credit is Required)” option.
- When the program of study question comes up, the selection would be “AMIGOS International.”
Once you have submitted the Course Registration Form, the AMIGOS Admissions Team as well as the Western Colorado University team will be in touch with next steps regarding billing.
How to Pay for College Credit and the AMIGOS Program Fee/Family Fee
AMIGOS volunteers may elect to pay for their college credits through Western Colorado University using a credit card, a check, or a 529/Educational Savings Plan.
Additionally, volunteers may elect to pay for their AMIGOS Program Fees/Family fees using a 529/Educational Savings Plan when also completing this course credit. However, payments already made to AMIGOS HQ via the National Chapter or to a local AMIGOS chapter may not be refunded. Any remaining payments may be paid from a 529/Educational Savings Plan.
Application fees, deposits, and airfare payments are not eligible to be paid from a 529/Educational Savings Plan and must be paid directly to AMIGOS.
How to use College Savings Plan (529)
- Fill out the Course Registration Form as described above. On this form, you will indicate your preferred method of payment for your course credit fees and/or AMIGOS Program Fee/Family Fee.
- Once submitted, AMIGOS and Western Colorado University will use the information provided to bill you for the indicated amount and to confirm your successful registration for course credits.
Fees and Payment
WCU charges $180 per credit, with a total of $360 due to register for POLS 197: Global Citizenship and $510 due to register for POLS 197: Global Citizenship 2.0. Course fees must be paid directly to WCU. The University will charge and take out a 2% administrative fee starting on July 1, 2024.
AMIGOS volunteers may also pay for both their AMIGOS program fees and this WCU course through a 529 fund.
National and local chapter volunteers who are currently enrolled in or are in the process of applying for the 3+ week summer projects are eligible to register.
Yes, in order to use funds from your 529 savings account, you must also be enrolled to receive college credit through Western Colorado University.
For high school summer programs, payments already made cannot be refunded. However, any payment installments not yet complete can be paid from a college savings plan via Western Colorado University.
Yes! If you would like, you can simply register for course credit and remit payment directly to Western Colorado University. Please contact admissions@amigosinternational.org to get started.
No. At this time, only the college credit course registration fee and the AMIGOS program fee, less the $75 application fee and $425 deposit (for National Chapter volunteers), can be paid for using 529 accounts.
No. At this time, only the college credit course registration fee and the AMIGOS program fee, less the $75 application fee and $425 deposit (for National Chapter volunteers), can be paid for using 529 accounts.
No. At this time, only the college credit course registration fee and the AMIGOS program fee, less the $75 application fee and $425 deposit (for National Chapter volunteers), can be paid for using 529 accounts.
Volunteers who opt to receive college credit must also complete a supplemental workbook as part of the Global Citizenship course. This asynchronous assignment is required for credit eligibility and guides students through key reflections and activities that complement their AMIGOS experience. The workbook is designed to take approximately 4–6 hours to complete, depending on each volunteer’s pace, and can be completed anytime after registering for credit and before traveling to their AMIGOS program.
All 3+ week high school projects within the Summer Program have thus far received approval for these college credits. The 2-week projects are not eligible.
No, you can earn these credits through Western Colorado University without attending the school for college. These credits are transferable to many colleges and universities in the United States, please check with your current or future institution to confirm if they accept these credits and what the process for transferring them will be.
At the end of the program, all volunteers will be assigned a letter grade relating to their participation in the program.
As a general rule, full completion of the AMIGOS summer program is mandatory to earn college credit. Volunteers who leave or do not complete their program will be ineligible to receive credit, resulting in a failing grade on their transcript.
However, if an unforeseen situation prevents a volunteer from finishing their program, credit eligibility may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
If you register for academic credit but leave the program early, the university is required to record a grade for your course. In most cases, this means your transcript will show an “F.” However, Admissions carefully reviews all early returns and speaks with project staff to understand the circumstances. If you have completed the required amount of time at your project to be eligible for credit, Admissions may be able to make an exception so that you can still earn credit.
Regardless of the method of payment, AMIGOS cancellation and refund policies apply for all program fees. Please refer to your Family Financial Agreement (for local chapter volunteers) or the Finance Policy (for National Chapter volunteers) for more information. The course registration fee may be refundable according to Western Colorado University’s refund policies. More information can be found on Western Colorado University’s FAQ section on this webpage.
Visit www.getmytranscript.com and follow the instructions. Select “Western Colorado University” as the school and reference your invoice from Western Colorado University to retrieve your Student ID.
Yes, these college credits are generally transferrable to other colleges or universities. Please contact your current or future institution Transfer Evaluator to determine if your Western Colorado University credits will be transferrable.