I did the other way around: studying in the US as Spanish. And I used to spend some Summer evenings playing American soccer with my friends to prove that I am a pretty awful player. But that is another topic…
I want to focus on this other topic: Studying in Spain as an American. There might be some questions that pop into your head: Should I learn Spanish before enrolling in a Spanish University? Or even Catalan if I want to study at one of the universities in Barcelona? Also you might be wondering about the cost of studying in Spain. Let’s clear up all these questions which are crucial for you to make the move.
International students in Spain
This is something that you might be aware of if you have been doing some research about the city. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city which hosts people from all over the world, and that also includes international students. So you won’t find yourself isolated, there are many international students in Barcelona. After school you can join activities to get to know either local or expat communities. Be aware that you also have a lot to offer as an international student in Spain. Which leads us to the next point…
Barcelona American soccer teams
When homesickness comes into play, having people that make you feel home might be really comforting. So here is a suggestion: joining activities which teleport you home. For instance, American soccer (in case you like practising the sport).
Did you know that in Barcelona and nearby there are many teams? Some of them:
- Barcelona Búfals.
- Pioneers l’Hospitalet.
- Barcelona pagesos.
- Badalona Dracs.
- Mollet Panthers.
- Granollers Fenix.
The language used in grad schools
When it comes to specific master degrees, they might be conducted in English. For instance, education for grad students offered by business schools is usually based in English. There are also international private colleges which classes are also in English (these schools usually have a higher percentage of foreign students).
So before enrolling in the university you have in mind, we highly recommend you to check this question directly with the school to clear up any doubt you might have, and enrolling in specific language lessons.
Taking Spanish classes before moving to Spain: an excellent idea
Here is my recommendation regarding Spanish: if you have it clear to cross the Atlantic to study at any university in Spain, I highly recommend you to take Spanish lessons before moving to Spain. This will help you a lot, specially while attending classes but also beyond classes: to rent a flat, to do some paperwork (have a little patience here) and basically to start diving into the Spanish culture.
Since Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city, you won’t find in general any problems when communicating in English, but knowing some Spanish and Catalan might help you a lot in many ways (getting to know local people in Barcelona who don’t speak English, visiting remote places where almost nobody speaks English, understanding better the paperwork you might have to fill out, etc.).
Catalan language lessons
Also learning Catalan might be a good idea to get to know the Catalan culture better or even to make friends. The Catalan government offers Catalan free classes for those who want to learn the language, here you will find the information: https://web.gencat.cat/en/tramits/que-cal-fer-si/vull-aprendre-catala/cursos-de-catala/index.html
Cost of studying in Spain
One of the most important questions to take into account before taking the decision: cost of studying in Spain. From our experience of having studied in both American and Spanish universities, we can state that studying in Barcelona (and Spain) is, in general, cheaper than in the United States.
Public universities are in general the most recognized and families usually don’t have to get into debt to be able to afford their children’s education. Not even students have to ask for loans to be able to get their degrees. But we are talking about public education: degrees and official masters, education which is covered by the government. *A personal appreciation: education in public universities is pretty good, and here are some examples: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona o Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Colleges which are not “Ivy league of schools” colleges but among the most recognized in the country.
There is also “private education”, for those who prefer studying in a private school or they just didn’t get the grade to access the studies they wanted in public universities (the EBAU exam determines the grade). There are also “masters propis” (beyond official masters degrees) whose costs might have nothing to do with official masters covered by the government: their cost can be between what we could call “affordable”(more or less) to really really high. If we talk about masters degrees offered by some business schools (MBAs) then the cost might be really (really) expensive.
Agreements for exchange students
That is the general scenario, but probably you are planning to land here as an exchange student right? In that case as you might know, universities have official student exchange agreements which in general don’t imply any extra cost for international students in Spain.
And that would be it, my personal perspective having studied in both universities (American/Spanish). Do you have any other specific questions about how is it studying in Spain as an American? Let us know!
