The Spanish courses at public universities are very popular among students between 18-30 years old and who are planning to study Spanish for a longer period.
Below you can find further information about the Spanish courses arranged by different universities in Spain, who this type of course can be recommended to and information about what to expect of this type of course.

The Spanish courses at the public universities are difficult to describe under one group, as they are very different in both standards and type of courses offered.
Some universities clearly do not spend much resources on their Spanish courses and only offer one standard long-term course, whereas other universities are almost just as professional as the private schools in both the quantity and quality of courses and services offered.
Traditionally Spanish courses at public universities have been long-term courses following the academic year in either 2 or 3 semester courses and with few options to choose from. This has today changed as many universities offer both short-term courses and courses during the summer. Some universities also offer different options regarding both the number of hours to study and the choice of to choosing between more specialized subjects like Spanish history, business Spanish or Spanish art for students with a higher level of the language.

Many of the universities offering Spanish courses have as mentioned above, improved a lot but the service is still far from perfect. To mention a few details students should be aware of before choosing this type of course, there are few free-time activities arranged, there are many students per class, lack of published information about the courses, a complicated reservation process and do not be surprised if there is no one who speaks no languages other than Spanish in the main office at the Spanish courses.
There are of course also many positive facts about choosing a university such as being part of campus life, meeting Spanish students, having access to university facilities and you will also get a diploma from a university (and not some private school that might not be known back in your home country).

Regarding the teaching method at universities, it is normally different from that offered by the private schools as there are for one, on average more students per class. This makes it necessary to concentrate on group teaching instead of more individual-based and makes it more difficult to focus on a communicative/interactive approach.

University courses can especially be recommended to students who are planning to study for a longer period of time or for whom it is important to get a diploma from a recognised university.
The main differences between the courses arranged by a university and courses arranged by a private school are:

If you are planning to study for a longer period the main advantages of a private school (service and classes) becomes less important. The reason for this is that students has more time to experience Spain and the Spanish culture on their own (they do not need so many free time activities arranged) and as they are staying a long time they will learn Spanish not only from studying in class but also from living in the country.
Below you can find further information about the University Spanish courses offered by UniSpain. If you have any doubts or just would like a personal recommendation by our Customer Support Team please Contact Us either by email, phone or by filling in the short form stating your queries.

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