Seek education. Find adventure. Study abroad at Saint Louis University's international campus in Madrid.
SLU-Madrid has been educating global Billikens since 1967. At SLU-Madrid, studying abroad goes beyond discovering a new culture. With students from more than 50 countries on campus, SLU-Madrid students gain a truly international experience by connecting with peers — and faculty — from different cultures, while they live and study in Spain.
Average class size
U.S. college recognized in Madrid
nationalities represented
SLU-Madrid founded
Apply to Study Abroad at SLU-Madrid
Advantages to Studying Abroad at SLU-Madrid
Academics
At SLU-Madrid, we strive to provide students in every discipline — including fields such as business, engineering, and health sciences — the opportunity to study abroad. In addition, we offer courses that students expect from a study-abroad program in Spain: Spanish language, history and culture classes. SLU-Madrid has a full range of liberal arts offerings that fulfill degree requirements at universities and colleges across the U.S. and around the world.
Study abroad during the summer, for a semester or for the entire academic year. Each semester you can choose from more than 200 courses, taught in English or Spanish, and nearly 50 during the summer sessions.
Culture
Stroll through the leafy Buen Retiro park or catch a theatre production on Gran Vía. Whatever your interests, Madrid offers something for you. Take advantage of Madrid's world-class museums, street festivals and athletic offerings and immerse yourself in Spain's lively culture.
Travel
Whether on your own or with SLU-Madrid, you will be able to experience Spain, the rest of Europe, and beyond with Spain as your home base.
Madrid in the center of Spain and just a short trip away from some of the most emblematic cities in Europe. Take the high-speed train to Barcelona and stand in awe at the Sagrada Familia church in just three hours or catch a plane and be in Paris in just two. Spain is the gateway to both Europe and Northern Africa.
Many academic courses incorporate study trips to take your learning beyond the classroom. Shakespeare students tour the bard's childhood home and watch the Royal Shakespeare Company perform in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. Earth science students study coastal ecology in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Office of Student Life also sponsors day and weekend excursions. Staff can provide you with insider tips if you'd prefer to travel on your own.
Service
Service is a core value at Saint Louis University. If you'd like your experience to leave a lasting impact on the community, we have staff who will help identify organizations that match your passions. You'll leave Madrid changed in countless ways.
Health and Safety
SLU-Madrid places your safety as our highest priority. All students enrolled in at least one credit will be provided with Multi Sanitas health insurance during the term of registration, which gives them access to English-speaking physicians. We operate our own 24-hour emergency number as well as a 24-hour crisis counseling number.
FAQs
The requirements for application consideration for the SLU-Madrid Campus are a 2.5 GPA and a positive academic track, being in good standing with your home institution, and submitting a thoughtful study abroad reflection essay.
SLU-Madrid offers the same caliber of classes as its U.S. campus, and all classes are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC); we also have accreditation via the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for business courses, and engineering courses are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commissions of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Choose from more than 200 courses – some of which are offered in Spanish – each semester. Our distinguished faculty hail from dozens of countries, so you'll have an added global perspective in the classroom.
Complete course descriptions, along with syllabi, are available online for students to review with their advisers at their home institutions prior to coming to Madrid.
Our academic calendar follows the American model of two 16-week semesters, and we also offer two intensive summer courses of four weeks each.
SLU-Madrid students who are not legal residents of the European Union must apply for a visa to enter Spain and study at Saint Louis University's Madrid Campus for a semester or an academic year. Be sure to leave enough time for the complete visa application process.
SLU-Madrid requires students to provide evidence of their legal residency in Spain. Failure to present the appropriate student visa upon arrival or to maintain legal residency as a student will result in immediate withdrawal from classes and expulsion from university housing.
As a SLU-Madrid student, you are free to choose the living arrangement that best fits your needs, unless your university requires you to fulfill a housing requirement. The University arranges accommodation with host families. If you choose to live on your own, there are a lot of student accommodation options in Madrid including apartments and residence halls.
Information about billing and tuition payment depends on your home university. For more specific information, please contact your SLU-Madrid Study Abroad Counselor.
The Amy King Scholarship provides a tuition scholarship to a select number of students visiting from SLU's St. Louis campus who have been accepted for study abroad at the Madrid Campus. The scholarship has an award value of $500 in the fall and $300 in the spring. This award was established by the family of Amy King, a former student of SLU-Madrid.
The Robert Tieken and Cristina Acosta Scholarship provides a tuition scholarship to a select number of students visiting from SLU's St. Louis campus who have been accepted for study abroad at the Madrid Campus. The scholarship has an award value of $500 in the fall and $300 in the spring. This award was established by the family of Robert Tieken, a former SLU-Madrid faculty member, in memory of Tieken and his wife, Cristina Acosta, a SLU alumnus.
Attend a pre-departure session, visit our Arrival Information page and pay attention to your email. As your arrival approaches, the Office of Student Life will be sending information about important dates and news related to campus. Once in Madrid the team will help you get acclimated, learn about University systems and find ways to get involved on and off campus.
Plan your travel according to the housing arrival date if you'll be in SLU-sponsored housing and let us know how and when you plan to arrive via the Arrival Form. That way, if there is inclement weather that prohibits you from catching a plane or your visa appointment is close to the arrival date, we'll be sure to get you caught up.
Start your adventure in Spain with our mandatory welcome session for all study abroad students. The Office of Student Life team, along with our orange-clad campus ambassadors, will lead you in activities that will enrich your first few weeks, as well as give you a crash-course in Madrid and the University.
Your education goes outside of the classroom at SLU-Madrid. Take advantage of everything that the Spanish capital has to offer, from culture to gastronomy to sports, or use your weekends to explore Spain and Europe.
Once you finish your coursework at SLU-Madrid and you have received your final grades, you must request a copy of your transcript to be sent to your home institution. This does not happen automatically.
Please check with your home institution to see which office should receive the transcript (i.e., study abroad office, academic department or directly to the registrar's office). Each university works differently.
Do not request your transcript to be sent before your final grades are posted!