University of St Andrews

At a glance

Alcalá is situated 30km from the Spanish capital. Alcalá’s proximity to Madrid provides students with easy access to surrounding Spanish cities such as Toledo, Salamanca, Barcelona and Valencia. Founded in 1499 by Cardinal Cisneros, it is one of the oldest universities in Spain and boasts among its former alumni some of the major figures of Spanish history and culture. Today, the university is located in downtown Alcalà with separate campuses in Alcalà and Guadalajara.

Established : 1499
Student Population : 28300
History : The University of Alcalá was founded in 1499 as a completely new educational project by Cardinal Cisneros, the Regent of Spain. It combined the best models of the traditions of that era - Paris and Salamanca - with other more innovative models such as the universities of Bologna and Louvain. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the University of Alcalá became the major centre of academic excellence: great masters such as Nebrija, Tomás de Villanueva, Ginés de Sepúlveda, Ignacio de Loyola, Domingo de Soto, Ambrosio de Morales, Arias Montano, Juan de Mariana, Francisco Valles de Covarrubias, Juan de la Cruz, Lope de Vega and Quevedo taught and studied in its classrooms. The prestige of its courses and of its teachers, and its founding constitutions, provided the model for the establishment of the new universities in America.
Rankings : #=538 in QS World University Rankings 2024

Overview of Facilities and campus : Alcalá has three campuses, the Historic Campus, that of Science and Technology and that of Guadalajara. The Historic Campus is in the centre of the town, and the other two are easily reachable by bus or train.

Website and links

Website : Alcala Homepage

Who can go

Students on degree programmes in the following subject areas may apply to study abroad during their Junior Honours year at Universidad de Alcalá (University of Alcala):

• Spanish

Semesters Available

• Second Semester
• Full Year

Note: Joint Honours students may only apply for a full year abroad if BOTH subjects are listed above. Joint Honours students applying for one semester must seek permission from both Schools.

Study abroad coordinator

Each School has a designated Study Abroad Coordinator.

Semester dates

Semester dates are as follows

2023/4
Semester 1 Sep 2023 to Feb 2024
Semester 2 Feb 2024 to Jun 2024
2024/5
Semester 1 Sep 2024 to Feb 2025
Semester 2 Feb 2025 to Jun 2025

Your studies abroad

St Andrews academic requirements

• Minimum Credit in Academic year : 48
• Minimum Credit in Semester : 24
• Maximum Credit in Academic year : 60
• Maximum Credit in Semester: 30
• Module Weighting : 3,5,8

Partner Course Catalogue : Please see the Course Catalogue for full information. The language of instruction is Spanish.

Students should expect to spend approximately 50 hours in lectures and tutorials, and to contribute approximately 50 hours of personal study for a 6 credit module.

Students may be assessed on:

participation in lectures and workshops

exercises, written assignments and tests

oral presentations

final exams (exam periods are held in January, May & June). Language course fees

Spanish language courses offered by Alcalingua are fee-paying for exchange students.

See our Credits and Modules Abroad webpage for information on the number of credits we expect students to take at our partner institutions. St Andrews expects students to attend all classes as part of their programme abroad. Assessment methods may vary across partners and could include class participation, continuous assessment in the form of homework and final exams. All courses must be agreed with your Study Abroad Coordinator. See our academic information webpage for further details, as well as information about credit and grade conversion.

Application and selection

This is a School Abroad programme.

Places available

Places available : 4 semester places.

Places available may vary from year to year depending on the exchange balance. Numbers for the following academic year will be confirmed at the information meeting.

Getting there and getting around

The nearest airport is Barajas Madrid. The airport is linked to the city by metro and train. There are frequent services and tickets are cheap. By taxi, the journey takes around 30 minutes and is likely to cost significantly more.

The different Faculties are in the centre of Alcalá, very close to the railway station and the intercity bus station, making it easy to get around the campus.

Accommodation

Alcalá has different accommodation options available. The Residencia Universitaria Lope de Vega is right in the heart of the Historic Campus, including full board, top quality services and the latest safety and security technology. There is also the Cardenal Cisneros University Residence, located on the Cardinal Cisneros University Centre campus, with extensive green and sports areas 10 minutes from all the UAH faculties.

If looking for private accommodation, useful websites may be: Idealista.com or Uniplaces.com

Please note that St Andrews is unable to guarantee housing at any of our partner institutions. Guidance on finding accommodation abroad is available on the Global Office webpage.

Student services and orientation

Alcalá offers a range of Student Services for exchange students.

Please be aware that student support services will be different across all of our partner universities.