Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is a culturally vibrant and cosmopolitan coastal Spanish city of 1.6 million people, and it is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It boasts a wide array of museums, theaters, and historic buildings, including modernist buildings designed by the famous Antoni Gaudí.
Barcelona is home to an abundance of parks and gardens, a diverse and unique local cuisine, and a world-renowned nightlife. Imagine yourself in Barcelona, walking among some of the world’s top architectural gems daily as you both live and study there.
2025 Program Dates
Depart from U.S.: Sept 13, 2025
Arrive in Barcelona Sept 14, 2025
Depart from Barcelona: Dec 12, 2025
Classes begin: Sept. 17, 2025
Mid-Semester Break: Oct. 27-Oct. 31
Application Process
Ready to apply? Watch this six-minute video about how to complete the application.
In order for SMCCCD Study Abroad to review your eligibility, you must select “Skyline College” as your home college on the application. Learn more at the NCSAC Barcelona website.
About this Program
This program enables you to study abroad while making normal progress toward your degree objectives and earning fully transferable units in courses taught by community college faculty and guest lecturers. The program is offered in cooperation with the Contra Costa County, Los Rios County, San Mateo County and Santa Rosa Junior College, and with the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), which arranges transportation, living accommodations, and a wide range of student and instructional support services.This program is part of the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (NCSAC). Units earned in Barcelona will appear on your transcripts issued by the participating colleges.
Visit the NCSAC program page for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
2025 Program Deadlines
- Friday, March 7, 2025: Priority Application Deadline
- Friday, June 6, 2025: General Application Deadline/Deposit Deadline
- Friday, July 18, 2025: Final Payment Deadline
Program Eligibility
Students need not be currently enrolled at one of the sponsoring colleges in order to participate.
Program eligibility requirements:
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Have a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or higher.
- Have completed a minimum of 12 units of college level coursework.
Financial Aid
If you are receiving financial aid and would like to apply this towards the Fall 2025 Semester Abroad Program in Barcelona, you MUST complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA at studentaid.gov and work with the Financial Aid Office to complete all steps of the Financial Aid checklist.
Scholarships
SMCCCD Study Abroad offers a limited number of scholarships for students to study abroad. Visit our How to Pay section to learn more about applying to these opportunities.
- Thursday, March 6, 2025: Gilman International Scholarship application due Gilman Scholarship
- June 17, 2025: SMCCCD Study Abroad Scholarship/AIFS Ambassador Scholarship for Barcelona Fall 2025 Abroad application due View SMCCCD Scholarships
2025 Program Costs
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Program Fee Option B: Shared Homestay: includes breakfast daily and dinner five nights per week |
$9,125 |
The above fee excludes airfare, passport or visa fees if applicable, meals other than those listed, personal expenses, any California Community College tuition or administrative fees, textbooks, additional field trips or excursions to those listed, anything not specified. See the Budget Sheet .
Refund Policy
- If a student withdraws on or before Friday, June 20, 2025, they shall receive a refund of: All fees paid less a $150 processing fee.
- If a student withdraws after Friday, June 20, 2025, but on or before Friday, July 18, 2025, they shall receive a refund of all fees paid less the $450 deposit and any non-refundable deposits paid by the student or by AIFS on the student's behalf.
- If a student withdraws after Friday, July 18, 2025, there is no refund, and the total program fee is due.
- If a student withdraws once the program has begun, there is no refund.
Fall 2025 Courses Offered
San Mateo County Community College District – Judith Hunt
HIST 100 – History of Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East through early Modern
era
HIST 106 – World History II: From 1500 to present
HIST 201 – United States History I: Indigenous pre-Columbian origins through 1877
GBST 650* - Spanish Life and Culture
Santa Rosa Junior College – Danielle King
BIO 12 – Basic Concepts of Ecology
BIO 13 – Human Biology
BIO 14 – Current Issues in Biology
INTDIS 90* - Spanish Life and Culture
Contra Costa Community College District – Ruth Miller
HUMAN 105 – Introduction to Humanities: Arts and Ideas
HUMAN 112 – The Modern World
HUMAN 118 – Fiction, Film, and Criticism
INDIS 100* - Spanish Life and Culture
Los Rios Community College District – Philip Angove
MUFHL 308 – Introduction to Music: Rock & Roll
MUFHL 311 – Survey of Music History and Literature (1750 to the present)
MUFHL 330 – World Music
INDIS 353* - Spanish Life and Culture
*Student must enroll in the Spanish Life & Culture course offered by the campus that
processes their program application. This class is the same class for all four schools.
Meet Your SMCCCD Faculty Teaching Abroad in Barcelona
Professor Judith Hunt
My love of travel began at a young age, traveling with my parents and sibling exploring various parts of the world. These experiences collectively impressed on me the wonders of other cultures and the unique learning that came with living somewhere different. As I got older, my love of travel and exploring continued. In high school I studied in Spain, continued to travel, went to graduate school in Canada, continuously grabbing opportunities to study and research abroad all the way through my Ph.D. program. One of my early teaching assignments was at Versailles, where I lived in Paris, and developed my appreciation and understanding of the intersection of European and US history.
For the last six years I have spent summers in Barcelona with my own family, using it as a perfect launch pad to travel through Europe. These earlier experiences living and learning abroad continue to inform my everyday life.
During our semester abroad, we will visit historical sites, museums and local cultural hot spots as we discover the richness of Spanish culture and history. We will see first-hand how 2,000 years of influence by the Moors, Romans, French and Portuguese shaped the country and its role in the larger Atlantic World.
In Barcelona, we have the unique opportunity to live and learn in one of the most dynamic and interesting cities in the Mediterranean. Situated at a crossroad of cultural diversity, Barcelona is a perfect place to study history. I will offer courses that compliment this diversity including World History to 1500 AD and Modern European history. These courses will not only offer you a deeper appreciation for the history and culture of your host city, but also inspire you to explore other parts of Europe and Northern Africa. And, for students who have not yet taken their U.S. history GE course, I will offer HIST 201: U.S. History to 1877 AD (HIST 201). This is an incredibly unique opportunity to study U.S. history from a European perspective. These courses all lend themselves to exploratory learning, allowing us to move beyond the confines of classroom and into the fascinating city streets of sunny Barcelona.
More Information or Questions?
For additional information or questions, please contact
Professor Judith Hunt: huntj@smccd.edu
SMCCCD Study Abroad: studyabroad@smccd.edu.
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