Our application opens on Oct 1, and you can apply on the website: www.ausable.org/college by clicking Apply Now! After you apply, and are accepted, you also will need to fill out Registration forms (which will be sent to you via email) that tell Au Sable the courses you want to take and ask for approval from your home institution for you to study off-campus. Both our application and registration forms are all submitted electronically. If you have questions during the application and registration process, contact admissions@ausable.org. Our Admissions Manager, Ashley Rosenberger, will be happy to help!

Costs associated with the Au Sable College Program can be found here: Costs and Financial Aid — Au Sable Institute. Your total cost is dependent on what campus you are attending, how many classes you are taking, and how many sessions you are participating in. These costs do not reflect any financial aid that is available to qualified students. Your total bill includes tuition and site fees (room and board and class fees).

No, each student is responsible for providing their own transportation. However, Au Sable will communicate details surrounding when and what airport to fly into, how to get to campus, and more information regarding travel, so please do not book any transportation until Au Sable has provided this information. Au Sable also highly recommends you carpool if you can! Often times there are students from the same schools attending, so carpooling is possible!

Students apply for financial aid when they apply for to the Au Sable College Program. Questions about financial aid need are asked in the general application. Au Sable will communicate, after acceptance, an initial financial aid package that will be uploaded to your Populi account and deducted off your final bill. Au Sable also has competitive fellowships and additional need-based grants that are available. Applicaitons for our competitive fellowships and additional need-based grants are available after January 1 of each academic year. Au Sable is grateful for the generosity of our donors and alumni who make Au Sable financial aid possible.

Your tuition and site fees will be uploaded to your Au Sable Populi account. Au Sable will send your invoice to your school in the spring, and the student’s home institution will pay the invoice on the student’s behalf. The student is responsible for paying their Au Sable bill that will be put on their student account at their institution.

Once you have received your final grade, and once your invoice has been paid, Au Sable will send your official Au Sable transcript to the student’s home institution’s Registrar. Once the transcript is sent, the home institution’s Registrar will upload your Au Sable grades to your college transcripts.

Au Sable faculty will post in their Populi course page a few weeks before your course starts the required books while others provide readings. Au Sable will have a few books available in the bookstore to purchase or rent, but please check with Au Sable staff before relying on this option. Many students will purchase their textbooks and have them shipped to Au Sable before they arrive.

Great questions. Au Sable’s Great Lakes campus is in the Northwoods of Michigan. For information about what campus is like, visit Great Lakes Campus Overview.

Another great question! Pack for cool nights and mornings, warm sunny days, wet weather, and being out in the field! Laundry is available on site, and students can receive mail and packages if they forget an essential item from home. For a more detailed packing list, visit Au Sable Student Resources.

No, you do not. Once you are on campus, Au Sable will provide all transportation needed for field trips, and staff will have schedule shuttles to stores for any consumable items that may be needed throughout the student’s time at Au Sable. Many students do drive to our Great Lakes campus, so Au Sable has minimal student parking available.

Yes! Please keep in mind that during the week, students are engaged in intensive courses that start at 8am and end around 4:30pm. In the evenings, students are often studying and preparing for the next day of class. Therefore, we recommend your visitors visit on the weekends. At this time, Au Sable does not have housing available for friends and family, but there are some local places family and friends can stay or camp. If your family or friends would like to join the Au Sable community for a meal, please talk to the kitchen manager a few days before to make sure your group can be accommodated. For recommendations on local accommodations and restaurants, visit Au Sable Accommodations & Restaurants.

Yes! Students often send their books ahead of time, or have things sent to them while they are in Michigan. You will have a mailbox in the library and can pick up packages in this same location. Please send student mail to:

Student Name
c/o Au Sable Institute
7526 Sunset Trail NE
Mancelona, MI 49659

Weekends for students are available to rest, relax, study, catch up on work, and hang out with their new Au Sable friends. Many students enjoy the lake on the weekends, hit the trails and camp, or hang their hammock to enjoy a beautiful North Woods nap. There are many beautiful things to see and do in the area, and you may enjoy exploring these sights and sounds with the Au Sable community.

Au Sable Pacific Rim Summer Session II is hosted at the Camp Casey Conference Center on beautiful Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound. Camp Casey is located on the bluffs outside Coupeville, Washington and has access to a beach, trails, playing fields, a ferry to Port Townsend, and more.

For more information about the Pacific Rim Campus, visit here: Pacific Rim Overview. Please note: Rosario Beach Marine Lab is a new location for Au Sable and our website and documents will be updated shortly!

Students will receive detailed instructions with how to get to Camp Casey. Students who fly typically fly into the Seattle airport and reserve a shuttle that takes them on a ferry to Coupeville. Au Sable staff will pick you up from the shuttle stop and take you to Camp Casey. Students that drive must take a ferry or drive north of Seattle on Highway 20, and onto Whidbey Island driving through Deception Pass State Park.

Students will receive a detailed packing list for their time at our Pacific Rim campuses. In general, students need to pack layers, hiking boots, a camera, linens, a pillow, and for some courses, any camping gear they can fit! It does get cool on the island, so students are recommended to pack warm layers, hats, and light gloves for camping and any boat trips they may do for their classes. Shared laundry is available, so we highly recommend packing light but smart!

Weekends are free for you to catch up on work, study, rest and hang out with your new Au Sable friends. Au Sable staff often plan community events, such as fieldtrips or outings, and Au Sable has a Vespers service every Sunday night that students attend. Often students like to take day trips or overnight camping trips in the area as there are many beautiful places to explore. Staying on campus is also not a bad idea as it is a beautiful place to sit on the beach, look for whales and seals, or watch the sunset.

Many students at our PacRim campus fly, so Au Sable staff will provide shuttles in and out of town for students to pick up any consumables they may need during their five weeks. Additionally, Au Sable provides transportation for field trips associated with our courses.

Au Sable will provide detailed information about what airport to fly into and when. As our campus is located one hour up the mountain from San Jose, Au Sable requests you fly in on the same day as other students, around the same time, so less trips can be made to and from the airport. Please wait for this information before you purchase your flight. If you want to start looking at ticket prices, in general, students fly into San Jose International Airport the Saturday before the course begins and fly out of the San Jose airport the Saturday after the course ends. This is subject to change, so again, please wait to purchase your ticket. If you wish to come early or stay later, please talk to Au Sable staff before purchasing your tickets.

Au Sable Costa Rica is hosted by Association for Development through Education (ADE), a Costa Rican Christian non-profit focused on sustainable development and education. ADE’s campus is located a hour north of San Jose in the cloud forest. For more information regarding campus, please visit: Costa Rica Campus Overview.

Au Sable will provide a detailed packing list for you. In general, pack layers which includes a warmer jacket or fleece, a raincoat, hiking boots, a camera, and clothes you can work in. You will need to pack light, but modestly. We do ask students to follow a modest dress code so we can respect the Costa Rican culture, and the rural community in which ADE is located. Laundry is available on campus.

The Sustainable Tropical Agriculture and Development course in Costa Rica does quite a bit of traveling. This includes field trips to different farms throughout Costa Rica, and two bigger multiple day field trips to different parts of Costa Rica. Past students have loved these trips, often saying the trips are the highlights of the course.

While the weather will vary, expect a variation of warm and rain days. As ADE’s campus is located in the cloud forest, expect a damp environment which includes wet socks and shoes. As ADE’s campus is higher in elevation, insects typically do not cause an issue, although on some of the field trips, insects can be more bothersome (but never awful). Costa Rica offers a fantastic climate, and May is great time to visit.

Au Sable will purchase each student attending our Costa Rica campus an additional international medical insurance plan. This policy is secondary to the student’s primary insurance, and will be sent to the student via email a week or two before the course starts.

Yes! ADE has internships available (ADE Internships). If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact the Tomas Dozier at tomas@glocalade.org.