Intensive Month - Study Abroad in Barcelona

The cost of each program depends on the type of housing you choose. All programs include pre-arrival and on-site orientations, the intensive Group Spanish Classes - 20 per week - at Expanish, university credit, free cultural activities, housing options, and 24/7 emergency services. 

The course book, flights, and optional weekend excursions are not included in the program cost. Meals are also not included unless you are staying at a homestay.  

Yes! At Expanish you only pay for the services that you need. If you would like to handle your own housing for example, or if you don’t need a university transcript, we can eliminate those costs from your program fees.

You can start the Intensive Month program the first Sunday of any month! The deadline to register is 2 months before your start date. 

Final payments must be received in full 14 days prior to the program start date. Payment instructions are provided with the invoice. The payer is responsible for all bank and transaction fees.

Expanish partially makes up group courses during weeks when the school is closed due to public holidays. For weeks with one public holiday, we make up 2 hours of missed lessons on our groups courses. For weeks with two holidays, we make up 6 hours of missed lessons on the group courses. 

Yes! You can always earn university credit with our Spanish classes and stay for any amount of time  from 1 week up to a year. For every 15 hours of Spanish lessons completed, you will earn 1 semester credit. Please make sure to always confirm with your university beforehand that the credits will be accepted. 

Intensive Month students can participate in any of the cultural activities offered at the school. There are 4 activities per week, which vary depending on the week. Click here to see the activities offered currently and in the past at our Barcelona center. 

Intensive Month students can participate in optional weekend excursions for an extra cost. Students will be notified of the weekend excursion options before the start of the program and can sign up ahead of time. Some examples of weekend excursions include a trip to the coastal town Tarragona, known for its roman ruins, visiting Vall de Nuria in the beautiful Eastern Pyrenees mountains, or a visit to the Freixenet family wineries.   

Students can choose between Student Shared Apartments or Homestay options. 

Homestays are a great option for students who want to truly immerse themselves in Spanish culture and language, whereas the shared apartments offer the opportunity to make friends with other international students and live the full student life experience. Students staying in homestays are provided with 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner), whereas students living in the shared apartments do not have meals included.

We do our best to match students with host families based on common living standards and other personal traits.

Students can choose between a shared bathroom or private bathroom in the homestay option.

Overnight guests in homestays and shared apartments with hosts are not allowed.  This is part of the agreement that Expanish has with its hosts and has to do with safety at homes. 

Students receive their housing placements 2 weeks before the start of the program. 

Students must inform the school of any dietary restrictions or allergies upon booking a homestay. Special dietary requirements may be accommodated -subject to availability  - for a fee of €40 per week. This applies to vegan, gluten-free, halal, and kosher diets only.

Homestays and student shared apartments are located in Eixample, Ciutat Vella, Sagrada Familia, Gracia, Sants -Montjuïc, Les Corts, Sarrià - Sant Gervasi y Sant Martí, with a maximum commute of 35 minutes to the school on public transport. 

Homestay- Students will live with a local Spanish family, which could be a couple or a single host, with or without children. In homestays, students will have someone at home to help them adjust to Spain, share meals, and to practice Spanish. Some families host more than one student at a time, which means students could live with one or more other students as well.

Student shared apartment -Each apartment has 2 to 8 international students, so there may be other Expanish students or living in the same place, although this is not guaranteed.

Students participate in our Group Course 20 schedule which includes 4 daily lessons either in the morning or in the afternoon.

For our Intensive Month course, you will complete 80 academic credit hours, which transfers to 5 semester credits. 

Since many universities have different course requirements, it is important for you to confirm with your home university that they will accept your credits. This can usually be done by showing them the course syllabus prior to enrolling in the program, though each university may have different requirements. You can find a copy of the syllabus on our website or by contacting hola@expanish.com.

Normally, 3 semester credits are equal to 1.5 quarter credits, and are obtained with45 academic hours at Expanish. If your home university uses the quarter system, make sure to confirm with your university beforehand what their process is and how many units you will receive.   

This should be defined and confirmed by the student’s university. Generally, however, Expanish courses are considered undergraduate level language courses.

1. A1 = SPN225 

2. A2 = SPN226

3. B1= SPN325

4. B2 = SPN326

The fee for the official transcript is $450. This will be included in your program quote that you pay before your program starts.

The final grade consists of:

Attendance & Class participation 20%

Continuous Assessment (Quizzes) 20%

Homework 15%

Midterm exercices 15%

Final exam 30%

Students’ progress will be taken into consideration and may also give a boost to their overall grade.

Expanish is proud to offer 5 US$ 1,000 scholarships to be used to help students cover costs for Expanish programs in any of our locations.

• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the start of the program.

• Applicants must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA at the time of the application.

• Applicants must be enrolled in a University or College at the time of their program, either at an undergraduate or graduate level.

• Applicants must plan to use their scholarship for an Intensive Month or longer study abroad program.

• Successful applicants will be required to write 1 to 4 guest blog posts detailing their experience, depending on program length, and as such must demonstrate a high level of proficiency with the English language.

Applications are due February 20, 2023 and decisions will be made March 15, 2024.

No, successful applicants will have until March 15, 2025 to make use of their scholarship.

Students must complete the application form and upload the following documents:

• 1 letter of recommendation

• University transcript

• CV

• 2 essays detailing their reasons for applying

  • Essay 1: Why do you want to study Spanish in Spain or Argentina?

  • Essay 2: How will studying Spanish abroad benefit your future and personal growth?

Students can get in touch with us by completing a contact form or emailing us at hola@expanish.com if they have any questions or concerns.

All scholarship applicants will also be considered for partial financial aid. We recognize that putting together an application takes time and effort, so we are willing to reward that as well on a case by case basis. Although it will not be the full scholarship amount, we can provide aid that can help cover up to 50% of the total of the program.

Students are also encouraged to check with their university to see if they qualify for any additional scholarships or financial aid. We accept all types of financial aid, grants, scholarships, or loans that they may receive to help pay for any of our academic programs. 

Starting in 2024, US citizens will need to purchase an ETIAS, a travel authorization document, in order to travel to Spain. You can read more about how to obtain the document here. Students from the US do not need a student visa to travel to Spain for less than 90 days.

Yes, all US citizens need a valid passport to travel to Spain and should not expire within the six months following your arrival date.

For cancellations received 14 days or more in advance of the program start date, Expanish will refund fees received in full, excluding non-refundable charges (registration fee). For cancellations received less than 14 days in advance of the program start date, the student will be charged a cancellation fee equivalent to one week of tuition and any non-refundable charges (registration fee).

For any cancellation received on or after the course start date, there is no refund for the course.

Expanish reserves the right to charge an administration fee of 50€ for the course and 100€ for the accommodation each time a program is modified or postponed after Expanish has confirmed the initial enrollment. Any changes should be made in writing two weeks before the requested change or postponement. This also includes requests for changes when the student is already at the school. Any postponement within two weeks of the start date will be considered a cancellation of the original program. 

In cases where the student wishes to change housing placements, Expanish reserves the right to charge an administration fee of 100€ and perform the change according to availability. The price difference between two options cannot be returned.

Changes between different services (courses, accommodation, and other services), such as substituting one service for another, are not permitted and will be considered a cancellation.

Barcelona is generally a safe city. However, pick-pocketing is common. It’s a good idea for students and faculty to write down the important information of your credit card(s) and important phone numbers on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe place. It’s also advisable to always keep a copy of your passport on you, but do not take the original out unless you need it.

While studying abroad can be a life changing experience, it often takes time for students to adjust to a new culture and social setting. It’s completely normal to feel emotionally out of sorts while experiencing these changes. 

Before starting your program we recommend talking to your current medical provider(s) to discuss how your wellbeing may be affected by traveling abroad and how to best prepare. 

During the onsite orientation, Expanish will provide a list of local mental health resources, including English speaking psychologists and 24 hour mental health services, that students can utilize throughout their time. In addition, the Expanish team is always available to assist you onsite and are well-trained in student support.  

Expanish Study Abroad has a rigorous approval process for any local provider that is contracted to assist with our programs (i.e. homestay family, hotel, private transportation company).  

• All housing options have been personally visited by Expanish Study Abroad staff and buildings have passed a risk management approval process related to fire safety and compliance with local laws and regulations.

• All adults residing in host family homes are required to pass local background checks.

• All providers are required to show proof of insurance and legal incorporation documents.

• All active providers are subject to an annual quality control review.  

Students are required to have adequate travel/medical insurance. Expanish offers an optional insurance policy that can be purchased - read more about this here. 

Public transportation in Barcelona is easy to use and very affordable! Students can take the bus, train, or metro to all parts of the city. Currently there is a special deal for people under the age of 30, where you pay 40€ for three months and have unlimited trips on all in-city public transportation. We recommend using google maps to find the quickest route to get around.

Getting a sim card is probably the easiest way to have access to all the capabilities of a smartphone and to be able to make calls. To put a local sim card into your phone your phone needs to be unlocked by your home carrier. Putting a sim card into your smartphone will give you access to a Spanish number and data, so you will be able to use apps around the city and make phone calls to local numbers. 

You will begin your stay with a student orientation, where you will have the opportunity to meet other program participants. You will also be able to meet other students in your classes, during workshops and weekly activities, in your homestay or shared apartment, and through the local Expanish staff. You will have plenty of opportunities to socialize with other students if you wish.