Nazareth Students

• Students of any major may apply to this program. Non-Spanish majors must complete at least one intermediate level Spanish course.
• Spanish majors at Nazareth are expected to have a GPA of 3.0 (non-majors a minimum of 2.5). Exceptions may be made in some cases, based on a student's overall capabilities.
• All Nazareth College Spanish majors are required to study abroad for at least one semester.

Students from Other Institutions

• Students from other institutions are welcome to apply to the program but must acquire formal approval from their home campus.
• For more information, please contact the Program Director.

Classes are held at the Universidad Católica de Valencia. Participants take classes with students from all over the world. Students use Spanish as their common language and benefit from learning about many cultures.

Students typically take 15 credits in Spanish or English (on a semester calendar). Nazareth students can take courses to fulfill their major/minor requirements as well as core curriculum requirements. Students will prearrange their course schedules together with the director of the Valencia Program and need approval from their academic advisor and the Chair of their department for courses in their major.

All courses taken in Spanish will also receive Spanish credit regardless of the subject.

Visit www.ucv.es and click on "Grados" to view individual programs. For courses offered, click on any "Grado" and go to "Plan de Estudios" and click on "Plan." Contact the program director for any questions or concerns regarding course selection. 

Students may choose to attend either the entire academic year or the one-semester program. The fall academic calendar for the Spanish Residential Program roughly follows the Nazareth academic semester calendar while the spring academic calendar runs through the beginning of June.

Program Costs

Nazareth students who register for the entire academic year will pay the on-campus cost for the Valencia Program and will continue to use their financial package and payment plan. For students who register for one semester only, the cost is equivalent to one semester at Nazareth College.

The program cost covers:

• Tuition for 15-17 credit hours per semester.
• Room and board in Valencia. Students will stay with a host family. Students can choose to stay in Valencia for additional time but will need to make their own arrangements and should expect to pay an additional daily fee. Three meals a day are included.
• Scheduled weekly activities and excursions organized by the International House of Valencia, as well as a weekly 2-hour seminar.
• Traveler's medical insurance

Financial Aid:

U.S. students matriculated at Nazareth College participating in the study abroad program in Valencia are eligible for all financial resources for which they would qualify when studying on the Nazareth College campus, except for the Room Grant which is only available toward on-campus housing. Detailed information is available in the College Catalog or in the Financial Aid Office. Students from other institutions are normally eligible for all guaranteed loans that they would receive through their home institutions. They are advised to consult with their home campus Financial Aid Office for any other support they may receive from their institution. There is no opportunity for students to receive "work study" funding while studying in Valencia.

Refund Policy

In accordance with the Student Accounts Office of Nazareth College.

Students will be encouraged to live with host families in private homes in Valencia. The rooms, as well as the families, are carefully reviewed and approved by the Resident Assistant Director in Valencia as well as the International House of Valencia. The families regularly receive foreign students as boarders in their homes. Most families live in apartments or flats, not individual houses. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided. Host families are located in different areas of the city with a maximum distance of 20 minutes by public transport (bus or metro) from the university area.

Families in Valencia hosting international students agree:

• To integrate the student in their daily social life and activities
• To share meals with the student
• To encourage the student to learn Spanish
• To ensure a mutual respect of cultural differences
• To notify the program director and the International House of Valencia in case of illness or injury, and/or take them to a medical facility
• To notify the program director and the International House of Valencia if there are any other problems with the student

Founded during the Roman Empire in 138 A.D., Valencia is one of Spain's oldest and largest cities. Today, the city of 750,000 people is a vibrant European metropolis and the capital city of the state called Comunidad Valenciana. Valencia lies on the eastern cost of the Iberian Peninsula, directly on the Mediterranean Sea, ensuring warm weather year-round and providing miles of beaches just 15 minutes from downtown. Valencia has both a major train station and an airport, allowing access to the rest of Spain and Europe. Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga, among other destinations, are each about two hours away by train. Additionally, there are daily ferries to Mallorca, the large island off the coast that is one of Europe's hottest tourist spots.

Valencia has a colorful, interesting history. The most famous event was the recapture of the city by El Cid, a Spanish general in the 11th century. The Poema de Mio Cid, a medieval epic poem, tells of his adventures. Valencia's literary connection doesn't end there. Blasco Ibanez, one of Spain's most famous playwrights, was born and spent his entire life in Valencia, and his house is a major tourist attraction. The city is also home to numerous museums, including the Museo de las Ciencias in an ultra-modern building with interactive exhibits. Hispania is a short distance from the city center. Most students live within a 20-minute bus ride of the school. The Valencian bus system is very efficient, and most major lines come every five minutes. Calle Colon, one of Valencia's main streets, is easily accessible from Hispania. Many shops are located here, in the tradition of many large European cities. Not far away, CF Valencia, a top European soccer club, has its stadium.

One of the largest universities in Spain is located here, the Universidad Valencia. The metropolitan area is the home of the Spanish textile industry, and students have completed internships at several of the city's businesses, including a local speech clinic.

The most important festival in Valencia is Las Fallas, celebrated for a week every March when the streets fill with gigantic paper mache statues that are satires on the problems facing modern society. The last night of the festival, March 19, the statues are lit on fire in symbolic destruction of life's difficulties during the year.

For questions related to studying and living in Valencia, contact the Program Director.

The Universidad Catolica de Valencia is a private, Catholic university that was founded by the Church in Valencia in December 2003. The primary goal of the university is to provide students with an academically rigorous and personally enriching education in the humanities and sciences as well as within their major. Seen as a center of creativity and knowledge, the university emphasizes the importance of preparing students for their future careers and lives by providing a state of the art learning environment.