CIS Abroad Semester Programs in Barcelona, Spain

Name: CIS Abroad Semester Programs in Barcelona, Spain
Brand: CIS Abroad
SKU: 269314
Rating: 4.89 (27 reviews)

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4.89 Rating

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Location

Spain
- Barcelona

Term

Academic Year, Fall, Spring

Subject Areas

Advertising Architecture Art History Arts Business Communications Cultural Studies Design Economics Education Entrepreneurship Environmental Studies European Studies Film Finance Gender Studies Global Studies Hispanic Studies History Hospitality Humanities International Business International Relations Journalism Language Studies Liberal Arts Literature Marketing Political Science Public Relations Religious Studies Social Sciences Sports Science Tourism Visual Arts +25

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Program Details

Program Type

Provider

Degree Level

Bachelors

Housing

Apartment Host Family

Language

Spanish

Pricing

Starting Price

12990

Price Details

Price may be an estimate, accurate for just one program listed here, the lower end of a range, or from a previous term. Please see our website and specific program pages accurate costs.

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Classes Some Meals Wifi

What's Included (Extra)

Please visit our website for all that's included.

Last Updated: May 01, 2023

Last Reviewed: Feb 13, 2024

Wish List

6 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

A top study abroad destination, Spain is beloved for its fascinating history, vibrant culture, and beautiful landscapes. Our diverse programs, with options for all majors, will show you the best of beautiful Barcelona. Marvel at world-renowned architecture, devour delicious cuisine, and cheer on the local fútbol team. In Barcelona, choose which university has the best courses for your academic career. Each program offers quality coursework, personable professors, excursions throughout Spain, proximity to a coastline of white-sand beaches, and life in an exciting, cosmopolitan city.

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Program Highlights

Cultural activities and day trips to explore the region
Spanish language courses available at all levels
Variety of courses in English and Spanish for a wide range of majors
Centrally located housing and campuses
Study and socialize alongside students from both near and far

Popular Programs

Semester in Barcelona - Universitat Autonoma

Our Semester in Barcelona – Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) is hosted by a young, entrepreneurial university. The campus where study abroad programs are based also happens to be a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site! The UAB is a top-ranked university, renowned for business, international relations, and economics, but with a variety of other courses instructed in English. Or, if you speak Spanish, you can choose from a variety of subject area courses instructed in Spanish.

study abroad in barcelona spain at universitat de barcelona with cis abroad

Semester in Barcelona - Universitat de Barcelona

Looking for the perfect blend of history and progress? Spend a semester at renowned Universitat de Barcelona, a 500-year-old institution and consistently ranked #1 in all of Spain. You'll enjoy an excellent mix of local Spanish, European, and other international students in your classes and around campus. Choose from a nice range of courses taught in English, most with a local focus; or, study Spanish language at any level.

Semester study abroad in Barcelona - Business & Creative studies

Semester in Barcelona - Business & Creative

Between its impressive architecture, inspiring art, vibrant culture, and wondrous landscapes, Barcelona can feel like a dream. Add to the mix an academic program that encourages creativity and innovation, and you can quite easily make your dreams come true! Choose from an abundance of courses taught in English across art, business, communications, design, and more. Enjoy attentive and interactive instruction in a relatively small campus setting.

Program Reviews

4.89 Rating

based on 27 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Study

5 rating 88.89%
4 rating 11.11%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Academics 4.05
Support 4.7
Fun 4.7
Housing 4.55
Safety 4.9

Good for Students, Solo Travelers, Foodies

Showing 17 - 24 of 27 reviews

Barcelona is an incredible city. The program made me feel safe and included. They set up many incredible trips, events, etc. that made me more comfortable in the city, highlighted the Spanish and Catalan culture, and made my experience so much more incredible. The classes are incredibly easy compared to my home college. You can make the experience what you want. You can club everyday, you can travel every weekend, you can hike in the mountains in the morning, sit on the beach during the afternoon and grab tapas and a beer at night. The world is your oyster in Barcelona and I encourage everyone to take advantage of this program and all that they offer. It was incredible!

What would you improve about this program?

I think the host families need to be screened more thoroughly. At many times I felt alienated by my family. I felt like I shouldn't leave my room, my home wasn't my home, and I was a burden to the family. My fellow students and myself felt at many times that the families were just trying to make a profit off of us, so cutting corners at all parts.

The most important part of my studying abroad was the people I met, I still talk to them all the time and were meeting up in January for New Years. Barcelona was an amazing place and there was always something to do.

Barcelona is the most magical city I've ever visited. Depending on where you're standing, you can see mountains to your left and the Mediterranean Sea to your right, which is what makes this city so unique. There's so much to do and such a wide variety of activities available throughout the city that I never even had time to be homesick.

While living in Barcelona, some of my favorite places to visit were Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter, Park Guell, Montserrat and Tibidabo. One of my biggest concerns of studying abroad was missing home and feeling uncomfortable in a new country, however CIS made sure that I was the "good kind of busy" for the duration of my stay. CIS also went above and beyond to accommodate the needs of all students and make sure that we always felt comfortable in our new home. Each week neighborhood tours were offered so that we could continue to get to know the city better. Barcelona is big, so knowing my way around different parts made me feel much safer than I ever could have imagined. Another way that CIS assured our comfort was by taking us on weekend trips to other cities in Spain, which included Madrid, Zaragoza and Besula in Girona. This allowed us to get to know everyone in our program on a family-like basis, which in turn made everything more fun.

While I was studying in Barcelona I had the opportunity to travel to 10 countries. My absolute favorite trip that I went on was my trip to Morocco, which was organized by CIS just for our program. My favorite thing about CIS is how organized they are with everything and how willing they are to work with students no matter what the issue may be.

Lastly, on top of all of the traveling and fun, CIS made my education a priority. Before arriving, I was nervous about moving to a Spanish speaking country and only knowing basic Spanish. I took 12 credits total during my Barcelona semester, and my teachers were some of the best I've ever had. I learned so much about Spanish culture and with the help of my teacher, became conversational in Spanish which guided me through my four months there. I would recommend the Barcelona semester to absolutely anyone looking to expand their cultural horizon and grow immensely as an individual. You will undoubtedly have the best four months of your life!

What would you improve about this program?

The only thing that I think CIS could work to improve would be its housing accommodations. I lived in an apartment with five other American girls and we had a perfect location, however prior to our arrival the apartment itself was kind of dirty and could have been better maintained. Our wifi was very on and off, which was a big deal while abroad since it was our only connection to our family and friends at home.

On a daily basis, I learned new things about Barcelona. I tried new foods, met new people, and saw new buildings produced by amazing architects and artists. I was constantly amazed that I was living in the most beautiful city in the world.

What would you improve about this program?

The school did not have an adequate number of computers.

This past semester in Barcelona was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Being able to experience and live in a beautiful new city, meet great people and travel around Europe really opened my eyes to what I want out of life and how much I love to travel and take on new challenges. I am so happy I chose CIS because they made all of the pre departure requirements really easy but more importantly the incredible staff in Barcelona were always willing to help and worked hard to make our time in Spain memorable. Barcelona is the best city in the world and I would not change a thing about my time there. From the beach to the lively culture to the incredible night life, I will look back on this amazing time for the rest of my life. Thanks CIS!!

What would you improve about this program?

I think it would be helpful to the people living in the apartments to be given new sheets and blankets upon arrival that we could pay for. It was a little difficult at first figuring out where to buy these kind of essentials for cheap prices. Also I would suggest allowing students to remain in the apartments for a little longer after the end of finals to be able to pack-up stress free and say final goodbyes to the city.

The abroad staff is absolutely amazing! You can tell that they all really love their jobs and the city and they work so hard everyday to get you to love it too!

What would you improve about this program?

Being able to attend school with natives and not just all study abroad students. I feel like the information when we joined the group didn't make it clear that you would not be attending school with any natives.

Studying abroad in Barcelona was the best four months of my life and it hasn't stopped there. By having the opportunity to study abroad for so long, I can take those experiences and positively apply them to my future career and networking.

What would you improve about this program?

I would suggest for the students without home stays be granted an opportunity to stay with a family for a week or weekend. A rotational basis, basically where a family could meet everyone in the program or where a different family would do it each time.

I had a really great experience in my study abroad program with BIC in Barcelona. The staff was super helpful and supportive with whatever we needed, and also engaged us outside of class. I had a spectacular host family, the Gil Figueria house. I loved the city and the people, and there was never a lack of things to do. I did encounter difficulty meeting locals other than the people that ran my favorite restaurants. But overall, it was the best experience of my life.

What would you improve about this program?

I would let students know exactly how small the college is, that there are not Spanish students that attend the college, and that there are not classes offered in Spanish.

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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose CISabroad's Barcelona Semester because it was the most cost-effective, and I knew I would get more value for what I was paying for. I was originally interested in going to Spain since I had an ache to -really- learn Spanish and I have a few family members in the south, and once I began to look into costs I found that a semester in Barcelona was the cheapest option. As I learned more about BCN I realized it would also be the most fun option! The city is so alive and there is so much to do! So between the cost and the potential fun to be had in Barcelona, I decided it was the perfect place for me.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

The program planned multiple dinner get-togethers and program excursions. They planned trips to Sevilla, Zaragoza, Morocco and many more! We even took day trips to places like the Dali Museum! The also brought us to some of the nicest restaurants in Barcelona and paid for us to try all of the typical Catalan cuisines.

I planned all of my own trips that I wanted to take outside of Spain (other than the Morocco exchange) and I planned all of my own typical day trips and night adventures. The program helped with every step of the process for getting to Spain and even recommended a travel agency to book the flights. CIS made it very easy to get there and get adjusted. They also set up my housing arrangement, which was so much easier.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

I wish I had known what type of American students Barcelona attracts! A lot of what I found was that people were only in Barcelona to party with other Americans. They didn't want to go to Spanish clubs or meet Spanish people. I found that my semester goals were very different than the goals of others, and I wish someone had been able to warn me about what type of people want to study there.

I also was surprised by how many people knew each other in the program! I wanted to travel solo, and also wanted to jump into a semester in a new city not knowing anyone, so when I arrived at my program orientation I was sad to see how many people already knew each other! That being said, people still wanted to make friends and branch out, but not as much as I had hoped. If you are planning to go alone (which you absolutely should, it was the best decision I made, just make sure you're going to a place that attracts the type of people you want to meet.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Classes are very light in this program, so I only had 2 a day, so 4 total hours of class. My week looked like this: Every day (Monday through Thursday- no Friday classes!!) I had class 9-11, and then a break and then 11:30-1:30. So I was done with school by 1:30 and had the whole rest of the day to explore Barcelona! I usually took this time to grab a subway going in a direction I had never been and would wander around that part until I felt like going home!

Sometimes I would meet up with other people in my program and we'd explore together, but sometimes you find the best places by yourself! This is how I found the Gracia neighborhood, and that ended up being my favorite spot in the city.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear was going abroad alone and feeling LONELY! Since I was traveling alone I was really worried I wouldn't meet anyone I liked and would spend the whole semester alone and talking to my friends at home too much and feeling sad for myself. I overcame this by actually being alone!! I realized that exploring a new city alone is the best way to learn because you can always do exactly what YOU want to do! You don't have to worry about anyone except yourself!! And when you're having amazing experiences and seeing cool unique Gaudi architecture and accidentally stumbling into a parade on the street, you'll realize there is no one better to share the experience with than yourself!

Going abroad should be about doing what you want and learning about yourself and what you're capable of!

What city would you recommend people to go to, and where should they stay?

If you get a chance, (which you absolutely will) GO TO PRAGUE!!!!! This is the best city maybe in the world, and if you need a hostel to stay at, stay at Hostel One Home!!! Prague is the best city in the world and that hostel showed me all the best bars, sights and fun places to be! Prague is such a unique city that feels so beautifully Eastern European. It was one of the most unique cities I visited and I met the best group of people there.

I traveled alone after my semester for 1.5 months and never met as many great people as I did in Prague. I found that the city has SO MUCH character and also the best gelato at this place called gelato! I cannot express how much I loved this city and how much fun it was! If you can go to any place in Europe, it should be in this city!

Carlee Fields

Rachel Solino

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Location

Location:

Barcelona

Currency:

Euro

Weather:

Jan-Mar

61 F / 41 F

Apr-Jun

77 F / 48 F

Jul-Sep

84 F / 57 F

Oct-Dec

72 F / 43 F

Airports:

Barcelona–El Prat

( BCN )

Whether you prefer beaches, buildings, or history, Barcelona is the place to be. Spend your time admiring Gaudi's work at La Sagrada Familia, walking down the Mar Bella beach, or learning about the history in Catalonia.

About CIS Abroad

We provide innovative education programs that broaden academic perspectives, promote global awareness, and encourage personal development while laying the foundation for participants to become engaged world citizens. Our lives were transformed by international experiences. Every day we create a more connected and compassionate world, one person at...