Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain

Program Information

Salamanca, population 185,000, is located in the heart of Castilla and Leon. Central Spain has long been known for the battles that ensued here among the Spanish nobility. As a result, the landscape is strewn with battlefields and castles. The area in and around Salamanca was where the kingdoms of Castilla and Aragon first unified the country of Spain, in 1492. From these roots, the language of "Castellano," or "Spanish," became dominant throughout the country.

Salamanca is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Plaza Mayor, a plaza in the center of town, exhibiting sandstone architecture dating from its beginning in 1729 under the command of King Phillip V. Said to be the most beautiful plaza in Spain, today you will find it filled with people stopping in a cafe to visit, to study, or to simply watch others go by.

Curriculum

The University of Salamanca, founded in 1218, is the oldest university in Spain. The University offers several programs. Pacific students will most likely enroll in the Hispanic Studies Program or the Integrated Studies with Spaniards Program.

The Hispanic Studies Program provides advanced grammar and language instruction, while allowing students to choose from a variety of electives. Students will take a placement exam upon arrival and be placed into a level based on the results of this exam.

The Integrated Studies with Spaniards Program offers fluent (or near fluent) Spanish speakers the opportunity to enroll directly in classes with Spaniards. This program is a great opportunity for the motivated, superior level Spanish speaker. This program is unique in that it allows students to create their own program of study by selecting among many of the classes offered by the University of Salamanca. Students will take classes taught at a native level with Spanish students, which will offer a more challenging and authentic classroom atmosphere.

Housing and Meals

Students will live with host families. Host family living provides a unique opportunity to interact with Spaniards on a daily basis, to live in a home environment, to experience Spanish culture firsthand, and to eat traditional cuisine. Host families may consist of a single senora (with or without children) or may be a traditional two-parent household. Host families provide students with 2-3 meals a day, laundry service, linens, and a key to come and go. Families are carefully screened by API to ensure the best reception in your new country. Most students will be housed with another API student.

Excursions and Social Activities

The Salamanca Program includes excursions to Madrid (4 nights), El Escorial, Toledo, Barcelona (Fall), Galicia/Santiago de Compostela (Spring), Granada (Spring), Lisbon (Spring), Paris (Fall); Rome (Winter or Spring); Santander/ Cuevas de Altamira (Fall), Segovia (Winter or Spring), and Seville (Winter or Spring).

Requirements

Minimum GPA : 2.75

Language : Must have completed level 102* of college Spanish.

*For students fulfilling the requirements of a language major or minor, or the International Studies major, the completion of 202 or equivalent in the appropriate language is required prior to beginning the program. 

Must have attended Pacific University full-time for at least one semester.

Important Dates

  • Advising Appointment : During Fall Semester
  • Application Deadline : February 10

Program Dates :

  • Fall: Late August/mid-September until mid-December
  • Spring: January until May

More Information

Salamanca Program ・video

API information for Pacific students