The W offers an exchange program with La Universidad de Alicante (UofA), which is located in a suburb of Alicante, Spain. This exchange program allows W students to attend UofA, and UofA students to attend The W, for one or two semesters at the cost of their home institution’s tuition and at the cost of the host institution’s room and board. W students will take Spanish language courses and other courses, if desired, in Spanish or English 12-15 hours per semester.

La Universidad de Alicante is a large university (25,000 students) that offers courses in more than fifty degrees and is part of a European consortium of 850 universities. It is also one of the leading Spanish universities to offer Spanish language courses for foreign students throughout the year and during the summer. The University is located in San Vicente de Raspeig just north of the city of Alicante.

The city of Alicante, Spain lies on the beautiful Costa Blanca coastline adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. The population of the town is around 350,000. It is located about 2 hours from Madrid in high speed train; 5 hours from Barcelona by regular train travel; and 1 hour and 35 minutes from Valencia by regular train travel.

Some notable features of the city are the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which sits high on Mount Benacantil overlooking the city. The Explanada de España, lined by palm trees, consists of 6.5 million marble stones and is one of the loveliest promenades in Spain. For the people of Alicante, it is a meeting point in the evenings and a location for many outdoor concerts. El Palmeral Park is one of the best and most used parks in Alicante. It includes walking trails, children’s playgrounds, lakes and brooks, picnic tables and an auditorium for concerts.  Alicante has numerous art and historical museums, as well as a famous archeological museum with artifacts from the Roman, Greek and Carthaginian eras.

To learn more about this program, click on the following site: Alicante, Spain

If you are interested in this exchange program, please follow this recommended timetable:

1. Make an appointment with Professor Erinn Holloway, Coordinator of Study Abroad Programs, early in the semester prior to the semester in which you plan to attend the program. You should also consult with your academic advisor and your financial aid advisor about the academic and financial feasibility of the program. If the program seems like a good fit for your goals, submit the on-campus study abroad application. To qualify for the exchange program, you must be a full-time sophomore, junior, or senior with a minimum GPA of 2.75. Preference will be given to juniors and seniors with a 3.0 or higher. The study abroad scholarship committee will review the application and typically will select one or two students to attend UofA each academic year.

2. Once your on-campus application has been approved, get program materials from Professor Holloway and make an appointment with your academic advisor.  At that meeting, review course descriptions, and ask your advisor to fill out course transfer forms for the courses that you plan to take and to send those forms through the proper academic channels.

3. Make an appointment with your financial aid advisor if you plan to use federal financial aid.  At that meeting, review the cost breakdown, and ask your advisor to help you plan for an increased financial aid package. Also, make plans with your advisor for filling out federal financial aid forms for the next academic year because you may be out of the country when they are due. Finally, ask Professor Holloway about the availability of study abroad scholarships or consult the Financial Assistance link on the Study Abroad homepage.

4. Fill out the UofA application in consultation with Professor Holloway.

5. At pre-registration for the semester in which you plan to attend, sign up for UN 390: Study Abroad for the appropriate number of hours.  This course will serve as a placeholder for you in the MUW computer system for federal financial aid and enrollment purposes.

6. Finalize fees as you normally would do so.  

7. Before departure, you must sign a liability waiver.

8. If you make any changes to your schedule while in Spain, you must notify your advisor and Professor Holloway.  Unless you fill out a new course transfer form and it gets accepted, you may not receive proper transfer credit.

9. Upon returning, make sure that the Registrar’s Office has received a copy of your transcript and that you have received appropriate credit.  You will receive an S or a U for UN 390.