Toledo: Intermediate or Advanced Spanish

The eleven-week language and cultural immersion program in Toledo offers students an opportunity to study Spanish at an intermediate or an advanced level.

Students enrolled in the Intermediate Spanish track take the following courses: Grammar and Composition, Conversation, Phonetics, Art of Reading Texts, Spanish and Cinema, and Spanish Art and Culture. Students will earn UChicago credits for SPAN 20100-20200-20300 and ARTH 17105 (Arts Core).

Students enrolled in the Advanced Spanish track have the option to choose four courses from the following list: 20th Century Spanish Literature; Spanish Film; Master Painters of Spain; Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Art in Toledo; Spain and the European Union; Spain since 1936; Ethnology and Folklore of the Iberian Peninsula; The Cultural Heritage of Spain; The Camino de Santiago, then and now; Marketing in European Business; Comparative Public Health; and Medical Spanish. All courses will count as general elective credits, similar to courses taken on a direct enrollment program. However, the literature, culture, and history courses may be used for credit toward the Spanish major or minor with prior approval by the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies (HLBS) undergraduate advisor.

Throughout the program, Toledo itself plays an important role in the student’s venture to improve their language skills and gain an understanding of Spanish culture. It is expected that students will devote some free time to exploring Toledo, especially those corners of it lying beyond the usual tourist haunts. Indeed, 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, Muslims, Jews, Christians), its striking profile made familiar by the paintings of El Greco, this 2,000-year-old city has played a central role in the history of the Spanish people, who prize it as a 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.

The Toledo program is operated in cooperation with the Fundación José Ortega y Gasset – Gregorio Marañón (aka Fundación Ortega-Marañón), a private research institute jointly named after Spain’s most famous philosopher, José Ortega y Gasset, and one of the country’s most renowned scientists/humanists, Gregorio Marañón. With its main facilities in Madrid, the Toledo branch of the Fundación occupies the converted San Juan de la Penitencia convent, a modernized 16th-century building in the heart of the city. In keeping with the immersion nature of the program, students live with local families, receive daily Spanish language instruction from the staff at the Fundación and observe a no-English rule. The program features excursions within Toledo and to nearby areas of interest.

Program participants are housed with host families, allowing students an intimate view of Spanish domestic life. Appropriate families are selected based on a detailed Housing Questionnaire. During their stay, students are expected to function as a full member of the household, eating meals with the family and participating in the normal social activities of the home.

It is important to recognize the cultural context of student housing in Spain and understand that the amenities of the homes may vary. Although some of these differences may take some getting used to, remember that cultural differences extend to all aspects of your experience abroad. Having realistic expectations for your term in Toledo will help you approach the study abroad experience with a positive attitude.

Participants in the Toledo program remain registered as full-time students in the College. Students enrolled in the Intermediate Track receive four course credits total: three for the Spanish language courses and one for the Spanish Art course. The Spanish Art course may count toward the College’s Arts Core requirement. If a student has already met this requirement, they may use the course as an elective. The language courses will count as the College’s intermediate Spanish language sequence: 20100, 20200, and 20300. Spanish 20300 is the prerequisite for most Spanish literature and advanced Spanish language classes at Chicago. Upon completion of at least one such course, the student is eligible to take the examination for the Advanced Foreign Language Proficiency Certificate, an official recognition of language and culture study beyond what is required for a Chicago degree.

Students enrolled in the Advanced Track receive 400 units of credit for four courses of their choosing. Course credits earned in the Advanced Track are similar to the credits earned on a direct enrollment program. All courses will count as general elective credits. The literature, culture, and history courses may be used for credit toward the Spanish major or minor with prior approval by the HLBS undergraduate advisor. The use of courses in any other program of study must be approved by the undergraduate chair of the student’s respective major/minor.

Grades earned in the Toledo: Advanced Track will appear on the student’s University of Chicago transcript, but they will not count toward the student’s University of Chicago GPA. Because grades do not factor into the GPA, the student will not be eligible for the Dean’s List for the quarter(s) they participate in the study abroad program.

Study abroad students pay regular College tuition, a program fee, and a nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee. The tuition and program fee are paid in conformity with the home campus payment schedule, and a deposit toward the nonrefundable study abroad administrative fee is submitted when accepting a place in a program. Precise figures for the Toledo program during the 2024-2025 year are listed below:

Autumn tuition: as set by the Bursar’s Office

Study abroad administrative fee: $675

Toledo program fee: $5,960

Study abroad students retain their financial aid eligibility. For more information about financial aid resources, please see our Tuition, Fees, and Funding section.

The Toledo program is open to University of Chicago undergraduate students only. Applications from outside the University are not accepted.

The Intermediate track is designed for students in good academic and disciplinary standing 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.

The Advanced track is designed for students in good academic and disciplinary standing who have completed two full years of Spanish (through Spanish 20300) or who demonstrate, by examination, a comparable competence in Spanish.

While the program stipulates no minimum grade-point average, an applicant’s transcript should demonstrate that they are a serious student who will make the most of this opportunity.

Each application is examined on the basis of the student’s scholastic record and personal statement. If you are interested in applying for this program please fill out an online application.

To discuss the Toledo program and the possibility of participating, please contact Naira Ovsepyan.