About us

UGA en España is a study abroad program within the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Georgia. Since its inception in 2001, the program has expanded to offer a variety of study abroad opportunities of different lengths and formats. Primarily based in Spain, UGA en España has also extended its reach to South America through the Peru Medical Spanish program. The program benefits from formal partnerships with several foreign universities, enhancing the academic quality and authenticity of its offerings. International Cooperative Agreements with the Universitat de València and the Universidad de Cádiz in Spain, as well as with the Universidad César Vallejo in Peru, foster collaboration with faculty and provide valuable connections to the campuses and student bodies of these institutions. In Sevilla and Madrid, we partner with well-established private academic institutions, which not only provide skilled university instructors but also enrich the experience with local excursions and guided tours. UGA en España offers a spring semester program in Valencia, where students study at UValència and live alongside Spanish students in university residence halls. In the summer, we offer three 7-week programs in Cádiz, Sevilla, and Valencia, as well as two 4-week programs: the Madrid-Barcelona Maymester and Peru Medical Spanish in Trujillo, Peru. The Madrid-Barcelona program immerses students in Spanish culture through a dynamic series of activities and excursions in Madrid before continuing to Barcelona for the final week. The Peru Medical Spanish program is designed for students pursuing careers in healthcare, offering the opportunity to shadow Peruvian medical professionals and study Spanish for medical purposes. With the exception of the Valencia spring and summer programs, all of our offerings include homestays with local families, providing students with an authentic cultural experience and deeper language immersion. For more information about each program’s locations and features, please click on the individual program links.

Founding Director, Jose B. Alvarez

With deepest gratitude, we honor Dr. Jose B. Alvarez, founder and former director of the UGA en España study abroad program. Dr. Alvarez’s visionary leadership created unique and meaningful academic experiences that have grown into one of UGA’s largest and most transformative study abroad programs. Since 2001, it has enriched students’ education and broadened their global perspectives.

We are eternally grateful for his dedication, passion, and commitment to personalized global education—grounded in linguistic and cultural immersion in Spanish and strengthened by the networks he built for our students. His creativity and vision live on in the spirit and ethos of UGA en España, having profoundly shaped the lives of generations of participants.