Language requirements at the Universidad de Zaragoza (UZ)

All exchange students are expected to have adequate Spanish language skills prior to their exchange period. Although instruction in English is offered for a limited number of courses, these are usually not enough to complete a full semester workload in credits. Moreover, please bear in mind that you will be studying and living in a Spanish-speaking environment. You will have to face the fact that many locals only speak Spanish!

 ››To see the offer of courses with instruction available in English, visit the pages linked below:
      Business Administration (LADE)   
      Economics (LE)
      Courses in English are marked in red lettering as follows: 'instruction offered in English'.

We believe that 120 hours of class or contact time is the minimum to handle the most common situations in the first days of stay in Spain. Whereas the language competence required to perform in class competently should not be lower than the B1 level of the ››D.E.L.E. Official Test in Spanish (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) or to the B1 level of the ››Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

If you do not meet this level of Spanish proficiency upon your arrival to Zaragoza, we highly recommend attending at least one of the intensive courses offered at the University before term start. All students will be expected to perform sufficiently in Spanish to follow classes at the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies.

Spanish language Courses at the UZ

The University of Zaragoza offers a wide range of Spanish courses through the ››Servicio de Cursos de Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE). There are many courses throughout the year with different duration, ranging from 3 weeks to yearly. ELE also offers instruction for specific purposes, such as Business Spanish.

• Intensive Courses (45 hours): continuous starting along the academic year. Three weeks duration. Different levels.
   ›› More information
• Special September Course (90 hours): recommended especially to students who begin their classes in the first semester. It is a three-week course, ending just before term start.
   ›› More information
• Semester and yearly courses (up to 570 hours), recommended especially to beginners.
   ›› More information
• Business Spanish (30 hours). Taking place in November 2010.
   ›› More information

On completion of a course, students will receive a certificate of attendance. Furthermore, they have the choice to:

a) Pay the exam fees in order to obtain the Diploma of Competence in the Spanish Language, issued by UZ.
b) Enrol through the University for the test of the ››D.E.L.E, the worldwide official Spanish Language Diploma issued by the ››Instituto Cervantes.

All Spanish courses by ELE take place at the main University Campus ('Ciudad Universitaria'), which is within 15-20 minutes walking distance from the Faculty.

For more information about courses and their timetables:
›› Cursos de Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE)
›› enrolment procedure
›› e-mail

All exchange students accepted by the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies will receive a 70€ discount on their first ELE Spanish course enrolled.

Important notice

At the end of an ELE Spanish course, students can obtain the diplomas or certificates mentioned above. However, please mind that Spanish courses are NOT regular subjects of the University. They are not counted in ECTS credits either. For those reasons, results of Spanish courses CANNOT be included in the transcript of records that the Faculty of Economics and Business will send to your University or School at the end of your exchange period.

Whether you receive credits for Spanish courses taken at the UZ, will depend entirely on your home University’s policy.

Spanish Courses at the Official School of Languages ('Escuela Oficial de Idiomas')

The Official School of Languages, a public body which is independent of UZ, is located next to the 'Ciudad Universitaria': c/ Domingo Miral, 23 - Tel. +34 976 357289.

Courses are offered here at a lower price but the registration period is very short, and finishes around mid-September. These courses are not intensive, they consist of 5 hours per week and are not recommended to beginners wanting to improve their skills rapidly.
›› More information

Language exchange with other students

One additional chance to enhance oral skills in Spanish is to do a language exchange with a local student. You can find ads on notice boards at many Faculties and you can also post one.

There are plenty of local students willing to practise other languages…