Spain Study Abroad Fall

Dotted with castles and cathedrals, Spain has a cuisine that rivals France's and a people that descend from the Basques, Celts, Iberians, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. Few cultures can boast a past, or present, as exotic and diverse. Such is the nature of the land we shall explore together. From our base in Alcalá de Henares, we shall travel extensively, with Toledo, Seville, Granada, Burgos, and Barcelona among our likely destinations. Join us to enhance your understanding of this unique country, where Europe and Africa are so often said to meet.

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Courses

Students will enroll in the following courses while on this program:

REL C 350*—History of the Church in Spain (2 credit hours) *Fulfills a university core requirement.
IAS 201R—Madrid Walks (1 credit hour) or SPAN 395R—Contemporary Culture (3 credit hours)
SPAN 345—Iberian Civilization (3 credit hours)

Students must also take 6 credits from the following courses while on this program:

SPAN 321—Third Year Spanish Reading, Grammar, and Culture (3 credit hours)
SPAN 330—Intro to Spanish Literature (3 credit hours)
SPAN 341—Survey of Spanish Literature (3 credit hours)

Students may not take any other courses on this program, including BYU Online courses, without approval by the program director and ISP.

Cost

$12,000–12,500

Includes Latter-day Saint undergraduate full tuition (increased cost for graduate and non–Latter-day Saint students), housing, meals at the student residence, a transportation pass to trains, buses and subway, museum and other admissions, excursions, hotels with continental breakfast while away from Alcalá, and international health insurance.

Does not include airfare, meals on excursions, or personal expenses.

Funding Sources

Regular BYU tuition scholarships, Pell Grants, and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to study abroad programs.

Students who submit the financial aid section of the ISP application and who have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid Office (A-41 ASB) will be considered for a Study Abroad scholarship.

Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants.

The College of Humanities will offer scholarship funding of up to $3,500 to majors within the college and up to $1,750 for minors based on financial need.

Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also assist (see kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships).

Preparation

Students are required to take the following prerequisite courses prior to departure or demonstrate equivalent proficiency:

SPAN 205—University Spanish 3
SPAN 206—Intensive Spanish Skills Development

Accepted students are required to participate in an international cross-cultural preparation course (IAS 201R, 1 credit hour). This course will be held during the second block of winter semester 2026.

Part-time and non-BYU students will need to pay an additional tuition fee for enrolling in the prep class.

To apply for a Spanish student visa, students must acquire a current passport by the beginning of March 2026; the passport must be valid 1 year past the start date of the program (3 September). Students’ physical passport book and visa application will be submitted to the Spanish consulate in Los Angeles, California. Students will not have access to their passport from April to August 2025.

Students with concerns regarding these requirements should contact botto_assistant@byu.edu.

Students should plan to be in Madrid from 3 September to 10 December and refrain from scheduling late arrivals or early departures.

Students must meet all country- and program-specific COVID and health requirements for travel.

International study programs are physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing and you must be in good health to participate. These programs often take place in international locations that do not have the same level of safety and services in terms of transportation, living conditions, residential accommodations, food, public behavior, and policing that you may be used to on campus. If you have further questions or concerns on this, please see our travel policy.

Housing

Students will be housed in university housing at Residencia Lope de Vega and in hotels for program excursions.

Travel

Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from the program sites. Airline reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent.

BYU Travel
280 HRCB
(801) 422-6293
travel@byu.edu

Application Process

Students must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

Complete the online application here. A nonrefundable $35 application fee is required; applicants will be interviewed once the application is complete.

Students will be notified via e-mail of their acceptance into the program. The first payment is due upon acceptance; please refer to the Payment Information page.

Application Deadline: 21 November 2025

Program Adjustments

International Study Programs (ISP) reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost.

If it becomes necessary for ISP to cancel a program, all program payments made to BYU ISP will be refunded to the student’s BYU Financial account.

ISP is the only office authorized to cancel any of its programs.

Faculty

The program will be directed by Nieves Pérez Knapp, a native of Spain, who received her PhD in 2003 and is a teaching professor of Spanish language and culture. Nieves has presented at numerous professional conferences at the state, regional and national level; has published several articles in professional journals; and co-authored textbooks to teach Spanish and Portuguese for Spanish speakers. Dr. Knapp has also received teaching excellence awards at the university, state, and regional levels.

3171 JFSB
(801) 422-3196
nieves_knapp@byu.edu

Contact Us

International Study Programs
101 HRCB
(801) 422-3686
isp@byu.edu

ISP Student Handbook

To see the student handbook, click here.

Payment Schedule

To see the payment schedule, click here.

Spain Study Abroad Fall

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More Information

Courses

Cost

Funding Sources

Preparation

Housing

Travel

Application Process

Program Adjustments

Faculty

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ISP Student Handbook

Payment Schedule