The Toledo Program
Please note:
Study abroad programs sponsored by the undergraduate College of the University of Chicago are normally open to University of Chicago students only. The Toledo Program is an exception to this general rule in that, by special arrangement with Northwestern University, students from that institution may participate in the Program as visiting students. Apart then from this special case, applications from outside the University of Chicago are not accepted.
The University of Chicago's autumn-quarter Toledo Program is designed
for students who want to study Spanish intensively in a completely Spanish-speaking
environment. Instruction in the Toledo Program is pitched at the intermediate
level, making it a natural extension of first-year Spanish at Chicago.
In keeping with the immersion nature of the Program, students live with
local families, receive daily Spanish language instruction by the staff
of the Fundacion José Ortega
y Gasset, and observe a no-English rule. They also take a course
in Spanish art, taught in Spanish at the appropriate level and itself
constituting a language exercise. The Program features excursions within
Toledo and to near-by areas of interest. A primary asset of this program
is its location in the celebrated, historically rich city of Toledo
in central Spain. Home to a succession of peoples (Visigoths, Moslems,
Jews, Christians), its striking profile made familiar by the paintings
of El Greco, this 2000-year-old city has played a central role in the
history of the Spanish people, who prize it as living museum of their
art and culture. The proximity of Madrid, a fast-paced, modern metropolis,
adds to Toledo's allure and its value as a site for a Spanish language
program.
As a participant in the Toledo Program, you live with and take most of your meals with a local family. This arrangement is an essential element in the mission of the Toledo Program, providing daily language practice and an experience of Spanish domestic life.
You receive credit for second-year Spanish (Spanish 20100-20200-20300) as well as the fourth course on Spanish art. These courses, along with grades, are placed on your Chicago transcript. If you successfully complete the Toledo Program, you may qualify for the Chicago Language Proficiency Certificate by taking, in the wake of the Program, an advanced Spanish language or literature course and passing a special Spanish language certification examination.
You remain registered full-time in the College and pay regular College tuition, the Toledo program fee and the non-refundable study abroad administrative fee required of all participants in Chicago's programs abroad. For precise figures, see Study Abroad Program Fees.
You retain your financial aid eligibility. However, two expenses--the study abroad administrative fee and the round-trip air transportation to Spain--are not underwritten by College Financial Aid. On the other hand, since you cannot be expected to work part-time while in Spain, the self-help component of your financial aid package does not include a term-time employment factor.
The Toledo Program is designed for students beyond their first year in the College who have completed Spanish 10100-10200-10300 or who demonstrate, by examination, a comparable competence in Spanish. Students who have taken Spanish 12100-10300-20100 are also eligible for the Program. Naturally the chief criterion for judging your application will be the quality of your work in Spanish. Apart from this you should present a solid academic record in general and demonstrate the kind of maturity that is necessary to participate successfully in an overseas study program.
Applications are available on the study abroad website. To apply to the Toledo program, a student submits a general study abroad application electronically, then downloads the supplementary application specific to this program and submits it on paper, normally in mid-winter quarter of the previous academic year.
A student accepting an offer of admission is expected to secure his or her place with a $500 non-refundable study abroad administrative fee. (To begin the application process, click on the Study Abroad General Application.)
If you would like to discuss the Toledo Program
and the possibility of participating in it, please contact Lewis
Fortner (Harper 213; 702-4858; fortner@uchicago.edu).
Statements contained on this site are subject
to change without notice.
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