ϳԹ prepares first-year undergraduate students to succeed in an increasingly globalized world through our exciting program ϳԹ in Madrid.
Every year, a number of first-year students are invited to participate in the program. They will to spend the fall semester at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) in Madrid, Spain, and begin their ϳԹ experience in Cleveland the following spring semester.
A ϳԹ faculty member will be living in Madrid, bringing their expertise to an immersive study abroad experience while teaching a ϳԹ course. In collaboration with the Office of Education Abroad, this faculty mentor will provide in-person support, ensuring students thrive academically and culturally in one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.
This study abroad opportunity helps students grow their understanding of a different culture while they build the skills and knowledge they need to compete in the world’s marketplace after graduation.
Spain is a desirable location for many reasons: it is one of the top three destinations for undergraduate students studying abroad and ϳԹ has many partnerships there.
Why ϳԹ in Madrid?
- ϳԹ in Madrid students will experience their first semester of their first year in Madrid, taking in-person classes at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
- Students will explore Madrid and experience intercultural learning to immerse themselves in Spanish culture.
- Classes will be taught in English, however, students may want to use this semester as an opportunity to learn or improve their Spanish.
Your ϳԹ in Madrid Success Team and Resources
Advisors
All ϳԹ in Madrid students will be assigned a ϳԹ four-year advisor and ϳԹ study abroad advisor who will work one-on-one with each student to make sure that the courses they take will positively impact their path to graduation, setting them up for success.
Students and advisors will determine fall schedules from a pre-approved course list of humanities, social sciences, and business courses. Four-year advisors will review schedules after registration to verify accurate course selection .
Faculty
A ϳԹ faculty member will live in Madrid and teach a ϳԹ course that fulfills one of the Unified General Education Requirements for degree completion. This course will be graded, and the grade will count towards the ϳԹ GPA.
Collaborating with the Office of Education Abroad, the faculty member will serve as an in-person resource to support the students, adhering to ϳԹ in Madrid faculty expectations.
The faculty member will also serve as an in-person resource to support the students, holding meetings with the students as a group and office hours for individual support. Students are responsible for connecting with the faculty member to seek support.
Health and Safety
All ϳԹ in Madrid students will secure Spain-specific health insurance through .
Benefits include:
- Full, comprehensive, up-front coverage with an accompanying app to make finding providers easy
- English-speaking liaisons available 24/7
- Over 43,000 doctors & 1,200 medical centers in-network in Spain
- Coverage for 20 mental health sessions with a psychiatrist per year
TalkNow Mental Health Abroad - ϳԹ offers all students access to TalkNow, a mental health service of TimelyCare to support students. Students must download the app while still in the United States in order to utilize this service.
Health and Safety Education - ϳԹ will provide summer webinars on Health and Safety that include in-country and ϳԹ resources, details of ϳԹ’s insurance offerings, U.S. Government resources, and case studies on dealing with emergencies. In addition, all students will receive an emergency card with important numbers to call and instructions to follow in the event of an emergency.
Expectations
Pre-departure
Participating students and parents/guardians will sign an agreement regarding academic expectations, advising, registration, transfer credit, course format, health and safety, and other program expectations.
Students will be required to participate in a series of pre-departure orientation activities prior to leaving for Spain, a week-long orientation in Spain, and a mid-semester orientation. Students will also meet regularly with the on site ϳԹ faculty representative.
In Madrid
Academic Expectations
While students are participating in the ϳԹ in Madrid program, they are concurrent students at two universities - Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and ϳԹ. UC3M is one of the top academic institutions in the world, and their courses are rigorous. Similar to students starting their fall semester in Cleveland, ϳԹ in Madrid students are expected to prioritize their academics, studying a minimum of 6 hours per week for each class. Both ϳԹ and UC3M offer support to help students be academically successful.
Students will take most of their courses at UC3M, taught by UC3M faculty. Because these are UC3M courses, students will follow UC3M course policies, including grading, adding and dropping courses, and withdrawing from classes. Courses are graded on a scale of 1-10 at UC3M. Students must receive a grade of “5” out of “10” or higher for credit to transfer. UC3M grades will not appear on the ϳԹ transcript; therefore, transfer credit will not factor into a student’s ϳԹ GPA.
Each student participating in the ϳԹ in Madrid program has a unique path to graduation for their intended majors. While every course that students take will count toward degree requirements, students in certain majors could find themselves a semester out of sequence with their peers, specifically those studying STEM fields and pre-med. This could create a need for students to take summer classes through ϳԹ or off campus, though not always. When students meet individually with their four-year advisor in the summer, they will work together to develop an individualized path to graduation. Students should understand before participating in the program that they will be on an alternate path to graduation from their peers.
Key information for first-year students enrolling in fall 2025
Arrival in Spain
- Students should make travel arrangements to arrive in Madrid, Spain before Sunday, August 31.
- Housing opens on Saturday, August 30.
- ϳԹ in Madrid in-person student orientation will be September 1 - 4.
- UC3M hosts “Welcome Days”—required for all incoming study abroad and international students on Friday, September 5.
- UC3M classes begin on Monday, September 8.
Departure from Spain
- The ϳԹ in Madrid program will end on Friday, December 19.
- Residential housing will be available until Saturday, December 20.
Starting in Cleveland in spring
- Move-in Day for the spring 2026 semester in Cleveland is Wednesday, January 7.
- Move-in will be followed by ϳԹ’s Discover Days orientation programming. More details regarding spring move-in and orientation will be sent in the fall to student's ϳԹ email address.
Visas
- Students will secure visas independently. ϳԹ's Office of Education Abroad will provide more information and resources to get students and families started upon acceptance.
Housing
- The Office of Education Abroad and UC3M have established group housing for ϳԹ in Madrid students at a brand new, high-end facility in Getafe. Housing will most likely be in double rooms and will include half board Monday - Friday and a small kitchenette. Light housekeeping services will be included.
Cost
- Students will pay the same for the ϳԹ in Madrid program as they would for a semester at ϳԹ: tuition will be to ϳԹ, and the costs for room and board will be the same as any other first semester student would pay to ϳԹ. Students are responsible for travel expenses.