7 Best Spanish Immersion Programs for Study Abroad Students
From Latin America to Europe, CEA Study Abroad offers some of the best Spanish immersion programs for study abroad students seeking to hone their language fluency and experience breathtaking parts of the world while living like a local.
Check out the following Spanish immersion programs -- located across five different countries -- to propel your language skills to the next level and set the stage for your future.
Top 7 Spanish Immersion Programs
Buenos Aires, Argentina
CEA Study Abroad offers multiple opportunities for you to venture over to South America, and Buenos Aires is home to several career-boosting and culturally enriching Spanish language immersion programs.
Are you pursuing a career in the medical field, and want to dive into areas of the language that would help you interact with Spanish-speaking patients and gain hands-on experience for your resume? Apply for the “Medical Spanish Immersion” summer program, held at the Universidad de Belgrano, to take your high intermediate level of Spanish even further. Traditional classroom instruction is combined with a shadowing assignment at a local hospital, where you’ll learn how to improve physician-patient relationships while practicing your language with Spanish-speaking patients. Through a unique shadowing experience, you’ll complete 60 hours of clinical rotation at a local hospital in medical areas such as Internal Medicine, ER, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Traumatology and the Intensive Care Unit.
If you’re not in the medical field but wish to expand your Spanish fluency in the charming and lively city of Buenos Aires, apply for CEA’s “Intensive Spanish Language” or “Advanced Argentine Immersion” offerings. The latter program allows you to refine and cultivate your language skills while exploring a variety of subject areas, such as business, sciences, history, nutrition, design, political science, and Latin American and Argentine culture, to name a few. An Early Start option lets you hone your Spanish proficiency before your fall or spring program starts.
Granada, Spain
Take “Intensive Spanish Language” with CEA at the University of Granada’s esteemed Centro de Lenguas Modernas. This summer or short-term program is perfect for students looking to focus on listening comprehension, oral expression, grammar, and written expression and comprehension. You can also complete an ACTFL Official Oral Proficiency Interview at the CEA office to prove your language ability, whether it be for future employers or to become a foreign language teacher. Granada is a stunning city and a favorite choice for study abroad students looking to boost their Spanish language capabilities.
Bogotá, Colombia
Venture to South America for one of the most rewarding (and budget-friendly) Spanish immersion programs that CEA Study Abroad has to offer -- in beautiful Bogotá, Colombia! Take a four-week, summer-term “Intensive Spanish Language” program, designed for students at all levels of Spanish proficiency, to delve into the oral comprehension and expression, listening comprehension, and grammar components of Spanish you are seeking to learn.
While boosting your Spanish skills, you’ll get to enjoy all that Bogotá has to offer -- from world-famous coffee to the cumbia dance, from modern skyscrapers to Spanish colonial architecture. Bogotá is a dynamic blend of the historical and the new, a place where study abroad students can attend one of the city's many art fairs, fashion weeks, and festivals or spend a night out on the town with new friends. A thriving economic center of about 8 million people, Bogotá sits at the helm of Colombia's revival and transformation, and is an exciting place to build your Spanish fluency with other international students.
San José, Costa Rica
Enjoy the scenic beauty and diverse wildlife of Costa Rica while expanding your Spanish fluency! Perhaps you gravitate toward taking “Intensive Spanish Language,” or pursuing the “Medical Spanish & Health Sciences” program if you’re looking to hone your language skills in the medical field and work with Spanish-speaking patients in the future. In San José with CEA, you have a range of options to gain fluency in one of the best Spanish immersion programs for study abroad students.
In the “Medical Spanish & Health Sciences” program, students will study medical vocabulary, learn how to describe patients' physical and mental states and learn how to communicate with patients and other medical personnel. Language courses will focus on developing the ability to effectively communicate with patients through intensive speaking and listening practice set within a medical context. Advanced students will fine-tune their language skills, discussing topics such as advantages and disadvantages of traditional vs. holistic medicine and preparing talks or presentations typically given at clinics or conferences.
Alicante, Spain
Whether for a summer, semester or short-term program, CEA’s “Intensive Spanish Language” offering in Alicante allows students to improve and refine their Spanish language skills both inside and outside the classroom. You’ll also have the option of further building your Spanish language skills while gaining valuable experience in a not-for-credit internship. Make the University of Alicante your home while you dive into the Spanish language and culture.
Valparaíso, Chile
Explore the jaw-dropping scenery of Chile while gaining Spanish fluency in one of two CEA Valparaíso programs for Spanish immersion: “Spanish Language & Latin American Studies” or “Advanced Chilean Immersion.”
“Spanish Language & Latin American Studies” offers short-term, summer and semester-long program options. Whether you’re a beginning Spanish speaker, speak at an advanced proficiency level, or are somewhere in between, you’ll take language courses that will boost your fluency. During the semester-long program, courses taught in English or Spanish provide you with insight into Latin American and Chilean culture, history, and society.
CEA’s “Advanced Chilean Immersion” semester program in Valparaíso is another budget-friendly Spanish immersion program that caters to students with high intermediate Spanish levels and above. You’ll attend classes alongside Chilean students and choose from a wide range of courses taught in Spanish. Flexible course options allow you to earn credits toward your major or fulfill additional graduation requirements. You’ll hone your Spanish language skills through interaction with your classmates, professors, and locals, on campus and off, progressing through the language immersion experience.
Barcelona, Spain
Designed for students at all levels of Spanish ability, but with a focus on honing fluency, CEA’s “Spanish Language & Culture” program in Barcelona offers an excellent option for students seeking Spanish immersion in a bucket-list-topping destination. With the option to take all your courses in Spanish and go for either a summer or semester, this program also allows students the option to enroll in the Global Career Development Seminar, an ideal way to focus on future career success. Students who opt for the full semester program will dive into local culture and history through liberal arts and social sciences electives held at the CEA Barcelona Center. Spanish immersion courses will take place at the University of Barcelona’s Estudios Hispánicos language learning center.
If you’re looking for Spanish immersion programs that will allow you to live like a local in a new city and culture, expand your fluency, meet new people and even get hands-on internship experience abroad to add to your resume, these CEA programs will set you on the path to success. Apply to study abroad today!