The Student Visa Process: Cheap Programs in Spain for North Americans.

On Tuesday I finished handing my paperwork for my student visa in Spain, I will be studying in Salamanca, Spain for the upcoming year at their international school. A lot of people at my university in the US have asked me how I am affording all of this, since I am not rich. Courses in Spain that are conducted by institutes, academies, and universities in Spain are surprisingly cheap in comparison to programs conducted by American schools. I have compiled a list of various programs in Spain here and will be following this article with the steps involved in obtaining a student visa.

Short Courses: 2 weeks- 2 months

There are a number of schools in Spain and Spanish courses for foreigners is a huge business. In Salamanca alone there are 12 different schools. If you just walk down Gran Via and Plaza Mayor or a few other major streets you will definitely see a language school with a sign that says “Curso de Español para Extranjeros”. Most credible schools will have a web page with a variety of courses including their prices and duration.

Many schools only offer 1-3 month intensive courses in Spanish. These courses are great if that is all the time you have and really economical compared to courses sponsored by American Schools, but keep in mind they wont be accredited by North American universities.

If you are looking for a short course look at The Instituto Cervantes website for accredited centers. Here they list all of the centers that have language courses that this Spanish Language learning Authority deems worthy.

Long Courses (6 months- Academic Year)

• If you are looking for more than just a month in Spain there are a number of Spanish Universities that have international courses in Spain. Three of which I have placed here since those are the ones I am familiar with. I am sure there are more and the list will continue to grow:

University of Salamanca

University of Granada

University of Barcelona

For any amount of time you wish to spend dedicated to learning Spanish there are going to be courses that will help you do that. This list will be on going and if you know of more programs that are not listed I would be glad to add them.