The Complutense University of Madrid is recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education as a degree granting institution of higher learning.
|
Available Programs
|
|
Advanced Hispanic Studies
|
|
Complutense University of Madrid
One of the oldest and largest universities in the world, Complutense University of Madrid was founded in 1293 by King Sancho IV of Castilla as the Estudio de Escuelas Generales de Alcalá. Originally located in the town of Alcalá de Henares, the university was moved to Madrid in 1836 and received its current name in 1970. Today, the university is divided into two campuses. The central campus is in the Moncloa area and houses the majority of schools and colleges. The second campus, Somosaguas, houses the schools of Economics and Business Administration, Political and Social Science, and Psychology. Although the university's name and location have changed, the University continues to live up to its standard of academic excellence.
Current enrollment at the Complutense is an estimated 96,000 students, while 3,500 of them being international students. The university's large student population is complemented by extensive university services such as libraries, sport facilities, computer labs and academic institutes. You will take courses offered through Cursos de Español para Extranjeros instructed by faculty from the Facultades de Filología, Geografía e Historia, Filosofóa y Educación (Schools of Philology, Geography and History, Philosophy and Education).
While at the Complutense, you will have the same access to university facilities as Spanish students, including a university ID, computer labs, library, campus bookstore, cafeteria, and six sports complexes with access to outdoor and indoor Olympic size pool, rugby fields, volleyball and basketball courts, tennis courts, and a track. This special feature allows you to fully appreciate daily life in Spain. In addition, by sharing the university campus with Spaniards, you will have ample opportunity to meet and interact with their Spanish peers.
Classroom Information
- International faculty from the Complutense University of Madrid or Antonio de Nebrija will teach your language courses and electives.
- Periodic exams, homework assignments and final exams will be administered.
- Attendance in all classes is mandatory and monitored by each professor.
- Teaching styles in Spain can be very different from those found in the US or Canada. Be prepared to adapt to the different classroom structures and coursework expectations for your school.
- Class size ranges between 10 and 20 students for language courses and electives. These small class sizes will enable you to receive more personalized attention from your instructors.
- You will be in class with international students from the US, Europe, Canada and other parts of the world. Due to the superior mastery of the language required, you will not be in classes with host national students.
Grading
The Spanish grading system is based on a scale of 10, as opposed to 100 in the US system. It would be inaccurate to merely multiply a Spanish grade by 10 to find its US equivalent. Also, please keep in mind that grading varies from subject to subject. For example, in mathematics a student may receive a 10 for completing all the problems correctly, whereas in the humanities, a 7 on an essay is a very acceptable grade. Grading in Spain can be severe and grades of 9 and 10 are quite rare. In addition to listing a numeric grade for each course, transcripts from Spanish universities list a verbal grade.
The Complutense University of Madrid has released the following chart to assist US Universities in interpreting the Spanish grading scale. Per the Complutense University of Madrid, interpretation of the Spanish grading scale is as follows:
| Spanish Verbal Grade |
US Verbal Equivalent |
Spanish Number Grade |
US Letter Equivalent |
|
Sobresaliente Honor
|
With Honors
|
10
|
A+
|
|
Sobresaliente
|
Excellent
|
9.0 - 9.99
|
A
|
|
Sobresaliente
|
Excellent
|
8.5 - 8.99
|
A-
|
|
Notable
|
Very Good
|
8 - 8.49
|
B+
|
|
Notable
|
Very Good
|
7.5 - 7.99
|
B
|
|
Notable
|
Very Good
|
7 - 7.49
|
B-
|
|
Aprobado
|
Adequate/Pass
|
6.5 - 6.99
|
C+
|
|
Aprobado
|
Adequate/Pass
|
5.5 - 6.49
|
C-
|
|
Aprobado
|
Adequate/Pass
|
5 - 5.49
|
C
|
|
Suspenso
|
Insufficient
|
4.5 - 4.99
|
D
|
|
Suspenso
|
Fail
|
0 - 4.49
|
F
|
Please note that this grading scale is recommended by CEA and the Complutense University of Madrid, but final credit and grade evaluation is ultimately determined by your home university.
