I desperately want to spend a year in Spain and am considering a student visa as a way to do it...

But all the schools are sooooo expensive! Anyone have any recommendations about the cheapest way to do this in Madrid?

Hi Greguito! Although I am no expert on the subject of studying abroad, I have been looking into it seriously for about a year now, so I've looked at a lot of various programs. There is a website called www.centerforstudyabroad.com. At this site, it tells about different study abroad programs. They have one at the Complutense in Madrid, and tuition for an academic year is $5995 US Dollars (the cheapest I've seen anywhere). You do, however, have to find your own housing. But, they do sign you up for classes and whatnot, and so I would assume that this would be easier than going through the Complutense directly, unless you speak fluent Spanish, and then it would be no problem! So, this is the cheapest place I have seen for studying for a whole year in Madrid. Hope this helps and good luck!

hola Greguito, good thread, i am surprised that only a few answers have been posted

i am not sure if there is a cheap way to do this "legally". i say "legally" since the cheapest way to study in madrid is to just come over on your passport as a tourist, take a course at a private spanish language school and just overstay your welcome.

quote:

But all the schools are sooooo expensive!

mind if i ask what "schools" you are referring to???

Brandy wrote...

quote:

But all the schools are sooooo expensive

you are sooooo right Brandy, it is a lot easier to enter as an "extranjero" but it is also 10X more expensive. the first year of my docotrate at the complutense cost only a fraction of that (it was 50.000 pestas = 300 Euros) for the year if my memory serves me. i entered as an eu citizen, that was why it was so inexpensive.

Brandy, i also checked out that complutense study program you mentioned and you can do it on your own (without going through the "center for study abroad" and save a small fortune. see the complutense page on the full year course for foreigners at www.filol.ucm.es/est/TitProp/est_tp5.htm . the academic year is divided into 3 courses (trimesters) and each one costs only 690 euros, well worth looking into, especially for greguito or anyone else who wants to do this the cheapest way possible.

i also found the english section for international relations at the complutense at www.ucm.es/info/vicrint/guc/gucmin2.htmand it states that credits cost only "aprox. 4.500 Pts/credit" (under 30 euros). their home page is at www.ucm.es/info/vicrint/guc/guade.htm.

you may also want to have a look at the courses offered up by the universidad de carlos III in madrid at www.uc3m.es/uc3m/serv/ORI/cursos/cursos_espa%F1ol.htm . english version at www.uc3m.es/uc3m/serv/ORI/cursos/curesp_english.htm

the course "Curso de Lengua y Cultura Espa�ola para alumnos extranjeros" at www.uc3m.es/uc3m/serv/ORI/cursos/cursos_espa%f1ol.htm#Cultura costs 2,974.99 euros for the whole year. still a lot by european standards but that is because the universidad de carlos III is a private university, unlike the complutense which is public.

i think the "center for study abroad" yuo mentioned is jacking up the course price to make a couple of thousand for themselves since even with the weak dollar and strong euro, 2,975� does nto come close to $5,995 USD.

so much info, so little time

saludos,
jer...

and to my surprise, the "centerfor study abroad" people are using my photo of the plaza mayor with the rainbow...



both flattered and pissed they did not ask my permission nor give me credit for the photo.

Legendary, jer. Thanks for the info. This is orders of magnitude cheaper than anything I had been able to find on the net (must've been typing in the wrong search keywords)...

cool Greguito, just contact them and make sure you will be able to attend.

i am not clear on the requirements for entry and all that jazz.

please let us know as the process moves along so others may follow in your footsteps

saludos,
jer...

A bit more info. Unfortunately I haven't been able to contact the university yet because of the time zone difference (I'm currently in Australia), but presuming I can get enrolled in the course (I'll need some kind of documentary evidence of enrolment) then it should be quite easy to get a visa.

The Spanish Consulate here in Australia tells me that if everything is "above board" (eg. all the paper work is in order and the enrolment is with a recognised university) then it usually only takes about two weeks to process and award the student visa.

This is quite good compared to the two months they quoted me when I asked about getting a working visa related to a job offer.

She's sending me the paperwork and forms right now, so I'll report back when I know what other documents they expect. (Hopefully the list isn't as long as for the working visa!)

Hey Jer! You're right, that is a LOT cheaper. I just didn't know if going that route was good for people who don't speak fluent Spanish. I didn't know if you'd have to try to schedule courses over the phone with someone who spoke only Spanish or something like that (since I am always looking for a way to go cheaper!) Anyways, thanks for the info, and good luck with everything Greguito!

cool Greguito!!! looks like you are at least on the right track.

quote:

(basically I just want to get to Spain and I don't care whether it's work, study, or even marriage which gets me the visa!).

i admire your determination.

just for the record, re: that marriage thang... the hand of board member "sensis" is already promised to someone back in california for the "convenient marriage" :jeje:

hey Brandy, you may be right about the language thing but since they do run the foreign study programsm i guess i always just assume they speak other languages (at least one would hope) but you never know. sometimes they have a "if you don't speak enough spanish to apply, then you should not be attending our school" attitude, which i can't say is a bad thing as it does make complete sense at the university level.

i am just the type to try and do it on my own, even if it is not gonna save me much money, i get a lot of personal satisfaction out of having set it all up and battled the red tape (insert red tape cutting graemlin here) all by myself

usually does end up saving a bundle as well which is a bug plus in anyones book :cheers:

when i started my doctorate here in madrid i applied from u.s.a. and i was pretty fluent in spanish but i had also found u.s. universities that offered to be intermediaries (eg. i pay them and they sign me up and pay the "complutense") but the cost was between 7x and 10x what it ended up costing per year by applying and registering on my own

saludos,
jer...

I'll post the results when I have some more information...

Ok... I just spoke with the "Secretar�a de los Cursos para Extranjeros" and this is what she told me.

Basically, if you want to start in a given month, you have to enrol in the previous month. So for example, the next batch of courses starts on the 14th of April, so you can rock into the office any time from the 4th of March onwards to collect the "sobre de matriculaci�n", which, I suppose, is an envelope containing everything you need to apply to the course.

You need 6 photos and a photocopy of your passport. There's also information in the pack about how to pay the course fees, which you can do at any bank.

Once they have all the forms filled out you send it/take it back to the office and they process it all, and it sounds very simple (hehe... we hope).

She made no mention of needing proof of your previous studies or your grades, which surprised me a little as reading the other sections of the UCM website made me think that entry would be competitive. Needless to say I will be bringing that proof anyway, in case I need it...

Once you've got proof of your enrolment you can then apply for a student visa (if you're going to be staying/studying more than three months). The catch here is you're supposed to go back to your home country to do this.

So sounds like it will be a lot of work, lots of steps, but hopefully there'll be no hiccups and we'll get there in the end. Should be worth it! Madrid is just too good!

Just got more detail from the Spanish Embassy in Australia about what is required to get a student visa. I imagine that the Spanish Embassies in other countries around the world have a fairly similar set of requirements:

• Passport (minimum validity, 120 days) and at least one blank page;
  
• Application form duly completed and signed with four photographs (here is a link to a PDF version of the form; it doesn't look exactly like the one mailed to me by the Spanish Embassy, but it's a close match and the content is basically the same);
  
• Flight itinerary or a copy of tickets with confirmed return flights;
  
• Minors Parental Consent (Statutory Declaration, if applicable);
  
• Letter from the Association/Institution detailing conditions of agreement (applicable to student exchange applicants);
  
• Confirmation of enrolment in course, including duration and weekly hours (minimum 20 hours per week); Name & address of centre in Spain; Name of Intermediary Organisation (if applicable); Type of studies to undertake; Level of studies to undertake; Type of studies you possess; Level of studies you possess;
  
• Details of accommodation/contract from host family;
  
• Adequate financial support (approx. AUD$1600/901,52� per month);
  
• Medical certificate stating the absence of infectious diseases, mental illnesses or addictions;
  
• Health insurance cover;
  
• For long term stay, more than 180 days, Australia wide fingerprint/national name check
  

The embassy also notes that "The long term visas are initially dated for a period of 90 days and applicants need to present themselves at local authorities within the first month of entry into Spain in order to obtain an extension/student card. At this point the above documentation may be requested and the decision for an extension is made solely by the immigration authorities."

I'm posting this information here because I've found it pretty hard to get anything like this on the web.

hey Greguito, wow!!! after having read all that i want to say two things:

1) thanks a ton for sharing the info with all of us here, it will help many in the future

2) if anyone can oull this off it is you, you have really done your homework :cheers:

saludos,
jer...

A little more information, this one will only be of interest to Australians...

The "Australia wide fingerprint/national name check" that the Spanish Embassy requests is actually known to the Police as Form PD47, the "National Police Certificate". It costs AUD$47 (payable by cheque, cash or credit card), and you can get it at any Police Station with the facilities to take finger prints (not all stations can do this, so you should call first). Make sure you bring some heavy-duty ID to the station, such as a passport or birth certificate. The processing time is 7-14 days, and you collect the form from your nominated station. If you want someone else to collect it for you (as I will have to do), you need to write a letter saying that you authorise that specific person to collect it (ie. you must refer to them by name). The certificate itself has a validity of approximately three months, which is a relief to me because I am not sure how long I am going to need to put together all the other pieces of my application!

In the spirit of documenting as much as possible...

The so-called PD47 form referred to above does indeed cost AUD$47, but it turns out that this is just the base fee, and when you get a fingerprint check done at the same time you have to pay extra, bringing the total to AUD$94.

Quite exciting too; in my case I was taken "out back", into the cells to have my prints taken, just like a real criminal!

Speaking to my airline (Qantas) on the phone today, I also learned that it is standard practice (with them at least) to go through immigration and customs at your final destination (ie. Madrid) and not at your first point of entry into the EU (ie. Frankfurt). In a way, this pleases me, because I expect to have less trouble with the Spanish officials than I would if I were to face the Germans!

greguito! we're in the same boat.. i've always wanted to "live" in spain, regardless of what im going to do there..and like you, i've looked into studying as my "excuse".

best deal ive found so far is also the complutense offering. im esp interested in the spring course for april 2004. i just wish i'd found jer's site earlier--couldve saved me hours online search! (a BIG THANK YOU to you, jer, you're doing a great service!)

as for visa requirements, im guessing they have stricter rules there in australia. im from manila and the 20 hour/week rule doesnt apply here..i suggest you look at the Intensive Spring courses at the complutense, they go for one month, 360 euros i think..then you can switch to another school after that, maybe to another city in spain (try Malaga, they offer intensive courses every first monday of the month)..

good luck!