Spend a Semester in Cáceres

• Spring 2025: January 30 – May 8
• Fall 2025: TBD

General Program Itinerary

• Arrival: Plan to arrive at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (Madrid, Spain) on the first program day indicated above no later than 2 p.m. This means you will probably need to leave the U.S. one day before arrival, due to travel time. NOTE: if you arrive after the shuttle leaves (at 2 p.m.), you will have to take a bus or train to get to Cáceres.
• Orientation: first two days of the program
• First day of class: First Monday after arrival
• Last day of class: One day before final program date
• Vacation days: TBA
• Departure: Program ends in Cáceres on the final program date indicated above. Students should leave their home stay on the same day. You will be responsible for your own transportation to the airport.

The program fee is expected to be $7,000. This covers the following:

• 12 credits of tuition (Note that students may take 15 credits, or 5 classes, at a higher fee. See the note on transfer credits in the coursework section.)
• Housing with a host family thoroughly vetted by the University of Extremadura. See the housing section for more.
• University of Extremadura instruction and class space, use of ALL UEX facilities including libraries, technological labs, and the like. You can also access sports facilities, but some fees may apply.
• University of Extremadura coordination and management
• Emergency medical insurance
• Three different excursions
  1. A three-day guided tour of select cities in Andalucía (room, meals and travel covered)
  2. Day trip to Mérida to see the most impressive Roman ruins in the world
  3. Day trip to Salamanca to tour the University of Salamanca and nearby Cathedrals
• Museum visits and city tour in Cáceres
• Orientation with a tour and materials
• Airport pickup: Bus transportation from Madrid to Cáceres upon arrival. If you miss the scheduled shuttle, you will need to foot this bill on your own.
• Some books, course packs, photocopied materials. Personal expenses for books can be around $100.
• Pre-departure orientation and materials.

Other Expenses

• Airfare to Madrid, incidentals, individual travel. It is recommended that students do not fly with Iberia or associated airlines due to increased problems with baggage arrivals. More on travel hints and tips for booking and traveling will be shared at the pre-departure orientations.
• Visa Application-$160
• City bus pass-$30/month
• Personal spending money
• There is an additional $395 fee for students participating in an internship during the program.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Study abroad just sounds expensive, doesn’t it? The great news is, there are a lot of ways to make it more affordable.

Did you know that this program is the least expensive study abroad program at ISU? See how it compares to a semester on campus here.

Most financial aid and scholarships can be applied to study abroad. In fact, the Office of Financial Aid has someone who can talk you through the whole process once you’ve been accepted into the program. Contact them today or head to their website for more in-depth information and resources.

There are scholarships that you can apply for through WLC. Depending on your home college (where your primary major comes from), you can also apply for study abroad scholarships with Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Sciences, and Design. There are also scholarships from The Study Abroad Center and some that are University-wide. Please note that many of these applications require acceptance into the program and have early deadlines. Not to worry though, applications are approved on a rolling basis.

To experience Spanish life firsthand, students live with Spanish host families. Families are carefully vetted by a team in Spain to ensure the complete immersion of each student within the language, culture, and traditional social environment.

Students take daily meals (three per day) in their homes. Home stays include full board: laundry, cleaning, all utilities and other amenities.

Students can request individual housing or choose to live with another ISU student of their choice.

This program requires a language proficiency of 300 level or higher. This can be met by completing Spanish 2020 or 2970 or placing at the 3000 level or higher on our placement exam. Students are required to take at least 4 courses (12 credits) while you’re abroad for the semester. If you want to take one more class, it will raise the program fee. Talk with your advisor to see which courses would be right for you. Course offerings may vary, depending on enrollment, but no matter what, the program directors will ensure that you get your credits from the program. Courses that are typically offered include:

• SPAN 3030A: Conversation and Composition: through Culture
• SPAN 3040: Spanish for Global Professionals (if this one interests you, check out our LCP Program!)
• SPAN 3140: Textual and Media Analyses
• SPAN 3210: Spanish Civilization
• SPAN 3230: Spain Today
• SPAN 3300: Studies in Spanish Literature
• SPAN 3510: Introduction to Spanish-English Translation
• SPAN 3520: Introduction to Spanish Phonology
• SPAN 4630: 21st Century Spanish
• SPAN 4990: Internship in Spanish*

See program director for specific course information. *SPAN 4990 requires director approval.

Internships (SPAN 4990)

You can participate in an internship for credit while you are in Cáceres! We can accommodate general areas of interest (like business, education, engineering, health, etc.), but we can’t guarantee an exact fit. If you’re interested in an internship abroad, talk with a program director and get more information on internships here.

Transfer Credits

Credits earned in Cáceres return to ISU as transfer credits in residence. This means that transfer credit earned in Cáceres as part of this program does not count in the overall number of credits a student transfers to ISU and, therefore, the limits on non-residential credit or transfer credit in the final 32 credits before graduation DO NOT APPLY.

The University

The Universidad de Extremadura has two locations, one in the parte antigua of Cáceres, and a new, American-style campus just outside the city. Near both locations of the university there are numerous cafes and bars serving inexpensive meals where students can eat tapas, chat, dance or listen to music. In the city center, there are several shops, cafes, restaurants and cinemas that cater to the city’s student population. Students may wish to invest in a bus pass for transportation to the university.

Classes at the newer campus are designed to coordinate exactly with courses offered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures but will be taught by faculty members from the University of Extremadura. These courses are organized for and attended only by ISU students.

Check out the University’s Information for International Students.

Applications are due October 1 (for Spring Semester) and March 1 (for Fall Semester). Numerous scholarships are available to students. Apply to your next global adventure today!