Location
  • Spain
    • Granada
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Dormitory Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Price Details
Contact IES Abroad or see website for details.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Classes Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Visa
Dec 05, 2024
Oct 28, 2024
43 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Many travelers who visit Granada insist it's the must-see city in all of Spain. With one of the clearest windows into Spain's unique historical symbiosis of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, the IES Abroad curriculum takes full advantage of Andalusia and all southern Spain has to offer including cultural excursions

Two semesters of college-level Spanish are required to enroll in the Intermediate Program and four semesters are required to enroll in the Advanced Program. Both Intermediate and Advanced students are required to take a Spanish language course alongside English taught area studies courses. All majors are welcome to apply. Students can immerse themselves in Spanish language and culture by living with a local family in a homestay, or meet other international and local students in a residence hall and Colegios Mayores.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

At IES Abroad, we believe that studying and interning abroad is not just for a specific type of student, it is for everyone, no matter how they identify. We're excited that you've already taken the first step and started looking into your study abroad options, but we know that as a student of color, or as a non-American student, you may have a few other concerns. What is it like being a Black student Abroad? An Asian student abroad? A Latinx student abroad? A non-American student on a majority-American student program? We've got you!
Today, and every day, we celebrate who you are and who you will become. We take pride in simply getting to know you, and look forward to adventuring through this incredible world with you.

Studying abroad as part of the LGBTQIA+ community can present unique opportunities and challenges in exploring a new culture, so we have compiled resources to help prepare you and support you along the way.
Going abroad, whether this is your first time or your umpteenth, can be a trip both literally and figuratively. Seeing something new or being someplace unfamiliar has its own challenges, especially when it comes to mental health. With IES Abroad, you won't handle these concerns on your own.

We have not only compiled resources on mental health and self-care to help prepare you and support you along the way, but we also have a dedicated Student Affairs staff that are available for you to contact from the United States and once in your host country.
We understand the complexities of navigating a new city when physical accessibility feels uncertain. With IES Abroad, you won't handle these concerns on your own—we have a dedicated Student Affairs staff that are available for you to contact from the United States and once in your host country so you can prepare for the adventure of a lifetime and live it to the fullest once you’re abroad.

Impact 🌎

As part of IES Abroad's Global Good Commitment, IES Abroad employs sustainability measures in the following ways:
- Moving toward more sustainable Headquarters and Centers abroad
- Producing printed materials on 100% recycled paper with soy-based ink and in fewer quantities
- Hosting events and conferences in LEED-certified buildings
- Purchasing carbon offsets for staff air travel
- The formation of the IES Abroad Sustainability Team—a dedicated group of volunteers responsible for implementing sustainable practices across our organization. The team comprises of members across our Centers, departments, teams. It is truly a global effort, and we are better for it.

Program Highlights

  • The IES Abroad Center gives students the space to study on the terrace or in the library with high speed internet and printer access
  • IES Abroad offers students the chance to expand their study abroad experience by taking an internship
  • All elective courses center around Spanish culture, heritage, arts, and society
  • Students that stay in Colegios Mayores in the fall semester will spend their first month of the program staying with a local host family
  • Past cultural excursions have been to Morocco, Gibraltar, Seville, and Cabo de Gata, among other locations

Popular Programs

three students smiling with stone buildings and palm trees behind them
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Program Reviews

4.93 Rating
based on 84 reviews
  • 5 rating 92.86%
  • 4 rating 7.14%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.4
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.85
  • Housing 4.9
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 25 - 32 of 84 reviews
Default avatar
Marissa
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Granada la Fantástica

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What would you improve about this program?
By encouraging more students to study there! The program itself needs no improvement.
97 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Liza
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The best place for a student

Granada is the ideal city for anyone looking for a study abroad experience in which they can immerse themselves as much as possible in Spanish culture. Granada is known to be one of the safest cities in Spain and even Europe, and I definitely felt even safer there than I do in many cities in the U.S.
I chose the host family option for housing, and was placed with a single 64 year-old woman who was so loving and welcoming to me. I had a roommate but we each had our own room. My host mom was an amazing chef (some of the best food I had in Granada was made by her!), very clean, and extremely caring. I had bronchitis during the semester, and she insisted on coming to the doctors and pharmacy with me, and took special care of me while I was healing.
The program staff struck the perfect balance of helping us when we needed and providing activities and trips, while also letting us be independent and make our experiences our own.

What would you improve about this program?
I personally felt that there might have been too much homework, but it also depended on the classes you chose. At the same time, the work was manageable.
106 people found this review helpful.
Kati
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Semester Yet!

IES Granada was a phenomenal experience. The city of Granada is so culturally diverse and has such a rich history that I was never bored and happened on a new experience almost every single day. I enjoyed immersing myself in the culture through a homestay, and eating out with friends in the evenings. The IES program provided a wealth of opportunities for travel and learning, which I was happy to take advantage of! I recommend this program to anyone looking to study in an incredible city with amazing people.

What would you improve about this program?
Honestly I did not find any flaws with this program. My homestay was great and I enjoyed the classes. Love it!
107 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Savannah
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Granada: full of beautiful sunshine

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105 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Eli
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Friends, Family, Fun

The IES abroad study in Granada program was amazing! I ended the semester with incredibly advanced Spanish speaking skills. The courses offered are fun and immersive. The program sponsored organized travel excursions, and local activities almost every weekend. Open mic nights, soccer games, and hikes in the mountains are just a few examples of the many activities offered to the students over the course of the semester. The students and staff really became like a big family. I wish the semester went by more slowly! I recommend this program to everyone!

104 people found this review helpful.
Lina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Granada will steal a place in your heart

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107 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Eve
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Granada my new second home

Looking back as I sit in my spanish seminar class there at Whitman College, I am constantly reminded of the incredible semester I just had. IES abroad Granada was an incredible experience that I will cherish forever. I had an unforgettable 4 months, met fascinating people from Spain and on my program, really enhanced my spanish through my homestay family, orientadores on the program and taking classes in only spanish. The IES Granada program was very organized, with incredible teachers, student leaders and director. I was able to explore Europe on the weekends if I wanted to, but I loved staying in Granada and exploring what the city has to offer. The program offered trips (Sevilla, Córdoba, Rhonda, even Morocco). I was so fortunate to go on all of the program trips, and will remember them always. I still have flashbacks to specific moments I had abroad, and am already to go back to my beautiful new second home.

103 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Nick
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

IES Abroad Granada

I had a fantastic time during my study abroad trip to Granada with IES Abroad. I am very happy with my overall experience and there is not much that I would change about it. My Spanish wildly improved after living there for an entire semester and I made great friends who I was heartbroken to leave. I had many great experiences both traveling around Spain and in Granada, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. My classes were interesting and informative and I was able to greatly refine the focus of my major during my time studying there. I would definitely recommend IES Abroad, with its great teachers and directors, to anyone looking to have a great experience abroad.

What would you improve about this program?
I don't have much to improve. It was a great experience.
92 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Hi Giselle, I think they can. However, I would not recommend it actually. Classes at the university are taught completely in Spanish and also at the level for native speakers and would be very difficult to keep up with if you are not near fluency. Regarding what section you are placed in, I know with my program, IES, you take one placement test before you arrive and two more after you get there...

Most people walk to the IES Center from their homestays, and most people's commutes were under 30 minutes. Only a few more around 40 minutes, and a lucky few were less than 10 minutes away. As far as public transit, Granada only has a bus system, and while it can be helpful (especially for getting to the larger bus station or the University of Granada, if you decide to take a class there), a lot...

There are many ways that you can meet Spanish people without taking classes at the University. IES sets each student up with an "intercambio", a Spanish student that also wants American friends. You can get in touch with each other and hang out as much as you want. You will also meet many Spanish people when you go out to tapas, bars, salsa clubs, etc... I would definitely recommend living with a...