General information
General information for first semester students
We congratulate you once more for having chosen USFQ to be part of your life and professional training. We are honored and proud that you have entrusted us with your future and that your family entrusts us with your education. We hope this stage is full of successes and achievements.
We have identified that you have successfully completed your admission process and that you have covered the partial or total cost for the educational services of USFQ, which makes you an active student in our Community.
It is very important that you take into account the following instructions that are part of the USFQ Orientation Program:
1. Institutional USFQ account and Official Student Email
Every member of the USFQ community has access to a personal account that has various services, including institutional email. To do this, you must create a USFQ account following the instructions in attachment 1.
Remember the following:
- Any official communication from USFQ will be sent to your institutional email with the following format: nombreestudiante@estud.usfq.edu.ec
- The instructions to access the Banner Academic System, where you can review the class schedule for your first semester of studies, will be sent to this email account.
- All the information sent by this means will be considered officially notified.
2. Course registration and Student Schedule*
*Does not apply to students from another university who transfer courses to USFQ.
To optimize your experience at the USFQ, the subjects of your first semester of studies will be assigned to you according to the curricular planning of your career. Once you have created your institutional email account, within five business days, you will receive instructions to access the Banner Academic System, where you can review your class schedule and the corresponding classrooms. From your second semester of studies, it will be your responsibility to register the classes through the Banner Academic System to generate your schedule.
Please note the following:
- For new students, the schedules will be generated as of Monday, August 17th, 2020.
- Classes begin on Monday, August 31st, 2020, so we suggest you complete your payment process well in advance, through the different payment methods offered by USFQ, so that you can create your institutional account and review your schedule on time and before the start of classes.
- Starting Monday, August 17th, 2020, your schedule will take five business days, as long as you have made the payment for educational services.
- If you only made the payment of a portion of the fees, the schedule generated will be provisional. Once you complete the outstanding amounts, this schedule will be confirmed. If you have completed the registration and a subscription or the full values of fees and, it has been 5 business days since August 17th and you still have not received an email indicating the instructions to check your schedule, please contact us by email at soporteacademico@usfq.edu.ec
- If you complete your payment within the extraordinary payment period for new students, set in the USFQ Academic Calendar, you will be assigned a schedule based on the availability of places in the subjects of the career you chose. The calendar is available at the following link
If you have not completed the payment process, your schedule will be automatically removed by the Banner Academic System.
3. New Student Orientation Days
It is very important that you attend the orientation for new students on the dates established under the heading Orientation for new students of the USFQ Academic Calendar available at the following link. You will receive an email confirming the day you must attend your orientation. The date assigned to you is not subject to change.
4. Classes begin: Monday, August 31st, 2020.
5. Student Handbook and USFQ Code of Honor and Coexistence
The Student Handbook is a source of information about the University, its mission, vision, people, campus, careers, rules, and procedures and is generally applicable to all students of all USFQ programs.
The USFQ Code of Honor and Coexistence contains the University's disciplinary regime, its rules on learning ethics, research ethics and behavioral ethics. These rules apply to every member of the USFQ Community, without exception.
To improve your experience at USFQ, you should familiarize yourself with this information and take into account the current regulations, which are constantly updated. It is your responsibility to know and follow them.
Puedes acceder a estos documentos a través del siguiente link.
6. Student Well-Being
USFQ cares about your well-being! Upon admission to USFQ, the your program coordinator will assign you a tutor. Additionally, you can go to several areas to receive advice and guidance during your studiess:
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- Student Support Team; consejeriaacademica@usfq.edu.ec
- Dean of Students; decanatoestudiantes@usfq.edu.ec
- Psychological Department of the Dean of Students; request your appointment through the following link. The counseling team will contact you immediately.
- OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services; oasa@usfq.edu.ec
- OCAA Academic Affairs Committee Office; comiteacademico@usfq.edu.ec
- Ombudsman ombudsman@usfq.edu.ec
- Learning Center learningcenter@usfq.edu.ec
If your School has not notified you who your assigned tutor is by the Friday the week before classes begin, contact consejeriaacademica@usfq.edu.ec
It is a pleasure for USFQ to have you join its Community. Your intellectual, creative, and leadership contribution will be very valuable to us and will continue to grow over time. USFQ is an academic, professional, and social adventure that you will enjoy.
We wish you all the success in this new stage of your life!
Admissions Department
Students with validations
Instructions for the creation of schedules for transfer students from other universities with validation of studies and USFQ students with a program change
This manual applies to the preparation of schedules for USFQ students who make a career change and to students transferred from other universities who wish to homologate subjects.
The USFQ student who has applied for a career change or who has been admitted to the USFQ in transfer from another university and who intends to homologate subjects, must follow the homologation process specified in the Student manual available in the following link
FOR IN-PERSON STUDENTS WHO HAVE TRANSFERRED FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSITY
Students who declared the intention of validating subjects in their admission process should immediately approach the OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services to start the process of validation of subjects. It is the student's responsibility to present all the documents required for the validation procedure, such as, among others, transcripts of official grades and syllabus up to thirty days after the start of classes for the semester for which the student was admitted. In general, the validation process takes an extra time because there are several instances involved. Admission to USFQ does not guarantee the validation of credit hours taken at other universities, which will be subject to verification of compliance with the requirements established in the APPROVALS section of the USFQ Student Handbook, available at the following link.
If the student declared that they will not transfer courses to USFQ in their admissions process, they will not be able to demand and/or request the validation of courses later.
If you are a transfer student, a pre-established schedule will be generated for you, as if you were a student beginning their university studies for the first time.
Therefore, once your course validation process is completed, if there are changes to make in your schedule due to this process, you should approach your Academic College immediately and you will receive support to make the pertinent modifications. The changes of courses can only be made before the date stipulated under the title "Periods to add, change, and/or leave courses via WEB for the First Semester of 2018-2019" of the USFQ Academic Calendar, according to your plan of study.
OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services: Einstein Building, Ground Floor, Office E104.
VALIDATION PROCESS
- The student must start their validation process in the OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services, which will work together with the Transfer Department of the Registration Office. If the student comes from another university, and declared in their admission process their intention to transfer subjects, they must present the Official Record of Qualifications (Transcript) and the official syllabus of the university of origin of the subjects that will be reviewed, until maximum thirty days after the beginning of the semester classes for which the student was admitted.
- OASA will verify that the requirements of the parameters indicated in the APPROVAL PARAMETERS section are met and will determine the applicable approval mechanisms according to the current rules.
- In case the knowledge validation mechanism is applicable, OASA will contact the student to indicate the steps to follow and the fees to pay. OASA will send the file to the Academic College, which will inform the student of the submission date of the validation exams.
- In case the content comparison mechanism is applicable, OASA will send the student's documentation to the Transfer Department. The subjects requested for transfer will be sent to the Academic Colleges and the Undergraduate Dean for their analysis and resolution. If there are subjects from another university accepted for validation at USFQ, the Transfer Department will inform the student of the fees to pay.
- Once the process is finished, the Transfer Department will notify the student, by email, of the completion of the validation process. The student must access their academic transcript to verify the results of the process. If the student considers that an inconsistency exists, they must approach OASA within the term specified in the notification.
PLEASE NOTE: The subjects approved through knowledge validation exams will be recorded in the student's transcript with the grade obtained on the exam. If it were a validation of subjects taken at USFQ, the validated subjects will appear as included (I) in the transcript, therefore, they will affect the average and will be valid to meet academic graduation requirements, as long as their grade meets the minimum grade required for approval, otherwise they must be repeated up to the maximum limit of repetitions allowed. The subjects that are not validated will continue to appear in the transcript but will be excluded (E), so they will not affect the average nor can they be used to fulfill graduation requirements. The student must start their validation process in the OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services, which will work together with the Transfer Department of the Registration Office. If the student comes from another university, they must present the Official Report Card (Transcript) and the official syllabus of the university of origin of the subjects that will be submitted for review.
The OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services is located in the Einstein Building, Ground Floor, Office E104, contact by phone (+593 2) 297-1700 ext. 1136 or via email at oasa@usfq.edu.ec
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I am a new student transferred from another University and I have approved subjects. How am I assigned my class schedule? Is it a predetermined schedule?
If you were admitted as a transfer student from another university and wish to validate courses, in accordance with USFQ's current validation rules, you must immediately start your validation process in the OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services. For transfer students, pre-established times will be generated just as for a student who begins their university studies for the first time. Once your validation process is finished, if there are changes to be made in your schedule due to validated courses, you should approach your Academic College immediately to receive support to make the pertinent modifications. Course changes can only be made before the deadline established under the heading "Periods to increase, change, and/or withdraw from courses via WEB" in the USFQ Academic Calendar available at the following link according to your type of study.
OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services: Einstein Building, Ground Floor, Office E104A - E104B. You can also call (+593 2) 297-1700 ext. 1136 or email oasa@usfq.edu.ec
For more information about the validation process, please review the USFQ Student Handbook VALIDATIONS section. The Handbook is available at the following link.
2. My plan of study says that I have to take English, but my schedule doesn't include that course. What do I have to do to take the English course?
USFQ requires that students from all their programs demonstrate proficiency in the English language equivalent to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which corresponds to level 6 of English, ESL code course, of the Department of Foreign Languages DLE of the College.
The mechanisms to demonstrate sufficiency are as follows:
A. Take a proficiency/placement test at USFQ on your assigned Orientation day. We recommend that you use this method, which is the simplest. To take the exam, it is essential that you bring your ID and some standard 3.5mm jack headphones (they cannot be wireless or for iPhone or Apple devices).
B. Present, within the first semester of study, the International Baccalaureate diploma or certificates of English courses or Advanced Placement courses, at the USFQ OASA Office, located in the Einstein E104A/B Building. This option is only valid if you present notarized or stamped copies of your school that guarantees having completed and passed these studies, plus a copy of your ID.
C. Present the results of international IELTS, TOEFL iBT, or Cambridge English exams in the USFQ's OASA Office, located in the Einstein Building E104A/B. Only exams taken up to two years prior will be accepted. This option is only valid if the notarized copies of the results are presented, plus a copy of your ID.
For options A and B, according to the result obtained, the corresponding level of English will be validated according to the Table of equivalence for the location of levels of English that is handled by the Office of Academic Affairs and Services OASA. The process requires payment and the start of an approval process in accordance with current regulations.
*PLEASE NOTE: If you were admitted to the International Relations degree, it is essential that you take the proficiency exam at USFQ on your assigned orientation day, or present the documents required to demonstrate your proficiency level during the orientation week. This way, you can be enrolled in the University at the level of English that corresponds to you to take in your first semester of studies. Otherwise, your registration at this level cannot be processed and you will not be able to take other courses offered in English for this degree after your second semester of studies. If you do not meet this requirement, you could extend the duration of your studies.
3. My program's plan of study includes a course that is not on my schedule. What do I have to do to take this class? Should I take this class?
Please email soporteacademico@usfq.edu.ec with information about this course.
4. I want to change my major, what should I do?
Contact your coordinator for advice and to be put in touch with the coordinator of the program you want to change to. If you have already paid your tuition and want to change your program, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs and Services (OASA). If you have not completed the payment you can make the change in Admissions.
The OASA Office of Academic Affairs and Services is located in the Einstein Building, Ground Floor, Office E104A - E104B. You can call (+593 2) 297-1700 ext. 1136 or email oasa@usfq.edu.ec
5. Can I change my class schedule?
No, the schedules are generated guaranteeing that all new students have space in the courses that they must take according to their program's plan of study. Only if you are a transfer student from another university and the validation of a subject that is equivalent to one of your first semester courses has been approved, you must request the change to your coordinator immediately within the dates indicated in the USFQ Academic Calendar available in the Next link under the heading "Periods to increase, change, and/or withdraw from courses via WEB" according to your type of study.
6. Can I change only one class in my schedule?
No, the schedules are generated guaranteeing that all new students have space in the courses that they must take according to their program's plan of study. Review the information in the previous question if you are a transfer student from another university.
7. How many credits am I paying for?
You are not paying for credits. The degree is paid per semester or per academic year in order for you to take the subjects that are in your plan of study. The authorized plans of study can be found on the USFQ website, at the following link you can download your plan of study. Once you enter the link, you must choose the Academic College to which your degree belongs and display the corresponding plan of study.
8. Can I modify my schedule in Banner?
In your first semester of studies you will not have access to modify any class in the Banner Academic System. The schedule cannot be modified. If you wish to withdraw from a subject, you can do so up to a maximum of 30 days after the start of classes, which is the maximum date for withdrawal from courses indicated in the Academic Calendar. To withdraw you must present the “Subject withdrawal form” at the Registration Office Desk. This form is available at the following link.
Check the USFQ Student Handbook, where you will find all the information related to withdrawals and other academic processes. Remember that to be considered a regular in-person student of USFQ and, therefore, to be a candidate for a third level degree, you must maintain the minimum academic load detailed in the Handbook.
The USFQ Student Handbook is available at the following link.
9. My friend is in the same program I am in and has another schedule. Can I have the same schedule?
No, the generated times cannot be modified. The schedules are generated guaranteeing that all new students have a place in the courses that they must take in accordance with their program's plan of study.
10. Why do I have less credits for my first semester than for the following semesters?
The first semester's academic load has been planned in such a way that it ensures your success in this first stage of your life, allowing you to adapt to the rhythm of university studies. The courses that appear in your schedule correspond to the first semester of studies of your program and will allow you to fulfill the prerequisites of the courses that follow in the sequence of the program's plan of study. Therefore, the generated schedule does not allow modifications to the course registration.
11. I cannot begin so early or finish so late! I don't like this schedule. How can I change it?
You will not be able to make changes or modifications to your assigned schedule. As of your second semester of studies, you will plan your schedule at your convenience, according to the courses that are available in USFQ's academic catalog, and according to your program's plan of study.
Support
Student welfare
Code of Honor and Coexistence
The student must be careful with plagiarism, improper collaboration, and any act of academic dishonesty. In addition, it is your duty to review the rules of behavior for university coexistence.
More information about the Code of Honor and Coexistence in the Code of Honor.
Nathan Digby
Dean of Students
Office: Hayek 100 K
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1087
Ombudsman's Office
The Office of the Ombudsman handles all complaints or concerns of students, parents, or members of the university community in a confidential and impartial manner. This office also provides advice on University policies, processes and regulations.
Student Handbook
The Student Handbook is the Student Regulations and constitutes a source of information about the University, its mission, vision, people, activities on campus, rules and procedures.
For more information on the Student Manual visit the Student Handbook
Academic Counseling
Qualified team ready to answer questions and exclusively advise students, carrying out individualized monitoring during the first semester and when a student is in a period of academic condition.
María Isabel Karolys
Office: Galileo 112
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 2063
E-mail: mikarolysc@usfq.edu.ec
Andrea Vivas
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 2064
Office: Galileo 113
E-mail: avivas@usfq.edu.ec
Laura Puerta
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 2123
Office: Galileo 106
E-mail: lpuerta@usfq.edu.ec
Psychological Counseling
The Dean of Students offers individual psychological counseling to any student who needs it.
Estefania Sevilla
Coordinator of Counseling and Tutoring
Office: Hayek 100 C
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1456
E-mail: aesevilla@usfq.edu.ec
Learning Center
Students can access a free personalized tutoring service to support them improve their academic level.
Flavio Carrera
Learning Center Coordinator
Office: Hayek 100 I
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1927
E-mail: learningcenter@usfq.edu.ec
Services for Students with Disabilities
USFQ can support students to meet special educational needs of a physical, visual, auditory, intellectual, or specific learning difficulty through reasonable accommodations.
Estefania Sevilla
Service Coordinator for Students with Disabilities
Office: Hayek 100 C
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1456
E-mail: aesevilla@usfq.edu.ec
Campus Life
Campus Life has clubs that carry out both academic and non-academic activities. For example: Tango Club, Hiking Club, Economy Club, among others. Students can participate in any of them. For more information, visit http://www.usfq.edu.ec/estudiantes/clubs_campus_life/Paginas/default.aspx
Flavio Carrera
Project Coordinator, Dean of Students
Office: Hayek 100 I
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1927
E-mail: fcarrerav@usfq.edu.ec
Academic Services
OCAA- Office of the Academic Affairs Committee
OCAA - Office of the Academic Affairs Committee OCAA provides information and advice to students on topics about; on academic status, withdrawals from courses and USFQ, declaring a second major, third enrollment, grade changes, and those requests that require authorization from the Committee or the Dean of the Program.
Montserrat Pazmiño
OCAA Coordinator
Office: Einstein 104 D
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1810
E-mail: mmpazmino@usfq.edu.ec
OASA- Office of Academic Affairs and Services
OASA guides students in re-entry, program changes, receipt of return applications, approval and transfer of subjects.
Dely Jaramillo
OASA Coordinator
Office: Einstein 104 A
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1136
E-mail: djaramillo@usfq.edu.ec
Academic Tutor
The student should contact their assigned tutor as soon as possible to coordinate a mandatory meeting during the first weeks of the semester. To know who is the assigned tutor, it is necessary to approach the respective Academic College that the student belongs to.
Financial services
Financial Aid and Scholarships
The Financial Aid program provides scholarships and/or loans that allow the student to finance their studies. For more information, enter the Scholarships and Financial Aid website.
Paulina Cruz
Financial Aid Director
Office: Galileo 109
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 1861
E-mail: pcruz@usfq.edu.ec
Finance Department
The student has different options to make monthly payments for their semester. For more information, enter the website of Tariffs, Enrollment and Payment Methods.
For more information, enter Fees, Registration, and Payment Methods.
Marjorie Acosta
Finance Coordinator
Phone: (+593) 2 297-1700 ext. 2022
E-mail: macostap@usfq.edu.ec
Ombudsperson
Valentina Lucio Paredes
Office: N301
vlucioparedes@usfq.edu.ec