American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS)

Salamanca, Spain
Salamanca’s golden medieval buildings, Renaissance palaces and soaring cathedrals nestle in the northwest corner of old Castile, far from the tourist crowds that overrun the rest of Spain. Just two and a half hours from Madrid, Salamanca retains the romantic charm of a medieval university town. Known as the “Oxford of the Spanish world,” the University’s elegant buildings draw visitors and students from around the world. Its narrow cobbled streets and rich facades, domes and spires, large and small squares buzz with a thriving community of students who make Salamanca home. Town and student life centers around the Plaza Mayor, justly called the most beautiful square in Spain. Market center of the province, Salamanca has a rich cultural life of theater, cinemas and music.

University of Salamanca  

Founded in 1218, the University of Salamanca is the oldest university in Spain. Its status is so great that the history of Salamanca itself is inevitably tied up in its story. The prestige of the University reached its peak in the 16th century when Pope Alexander IV declared the University to be one of the principal seats of learning of Christendom ranking with Paris, Oxford and Bologna. Christopher Columbus consulted its faculty before embarking on his famous voyage.

Today the University has Colleges of Law, Liberal Arts, Science and Medicine with a student population of 30,000. Having been designated by the Spanish government to create an innovative educational program for foreigners to learn Spanish, the University of Salamanca is Spain’s leading national institution in the teaching of Spanish as a second language. Salamanca is in the region of Spain where the purest Castilian Spanish is spoken.

AIFS students matriculate in the University, which issues transcripts. Students fluent in Spanish who wish to participate in the superior level may enroll in the many courses offered within the University alongside Spanish students. Other students take courses designed exclusively for AIFS students taught by University professors in Spanish and validated by the University of Salamanca. Unless students take superior level courses, they will not be in class with Spanish students.

Included in AIFS program fee:

• Tuition, housing and meals
• Round trip flight from New York *
• Cultural activities
• 3-day London stopover before program
• 6-day trip to Andalucia visiting Seville, Granada, Córdoba and the Costa del Sol 
• E-mail account at the University and access to computers
• Services of a pre-departure Student Advisory Center and an on-site Resident Director
• Phone card on arrival to call theU.S.

*Supplement applies from 26 U.S. cities

Academics

• Academic year, fall or spring semester, summer
• Open to college freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors
• Three levels of instruction taught in Spanish by University professors: Elementary (little or no previous Spanish knowledge, fall only); Intermediate and Advanced (two years high school or one year college Spanish); and Superior (excellent command needed to integrate into classes with Spanish students)
• 3-week orientation and Spanish language preparation in Salamanca (Four semester credits
• Students are matriculated in the Facultad de Filología of the University of Salamanca and fully integrated into University social and cultural life
• Transcripts issued by the University of Salamanca
• Student visa must be obtained from the Spanish consulate before departure

Housing and meals

• Housing and three meals a day in a Spanish home

Cultural activities

• Escorted, professionally guided day trips to Segovia, Avila or Toledo

www.aifsabroad.com

*Source:  American Institute for Foreign Study 2005-6 Academic Year/Semester catalog