The University of Salamanca is recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education as a degree granting institution of higher learning.
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca, founded by Alfonso IX in 1218, is Spain's oldest university and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe. It was once grouped with those of Oxford, Bologne, and Paris as one of the "four leading lights of the world." Through the years, its halls have been home to many intellectuals and authors, including Antonio de Nebrija, Fray Luis de León, Miguel de Unamuno, and Miguel de Cervantes. Today, the university enrolls approximately 30,000 students, 7,000 of which are international, thereby maintaining its prestige as an international center of exchange and learning.
In addition, the University of Salamanca is also responsible for the creation of the DELE (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language) exam. The International Courses program at the university was created almost 40 years ago and has since helped over 150,000 students and teachers from all over the world learn, practice, and perfect the Spanish language.
Students will take courses offered through Cursos Internacionales, a center within the university system dedicated to teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Classes are taught by university faculty in various university buildings located throughout the city center. In addition, students will have access to many university services, including a university ID, computer labs, libraries, student health services, various dining facilities, and sports facilities.
Classroom Information
- Faculty from the University of Salamanca will teach your language courses and electives.
- Periodic exams, homework assignments and final exams will be administered.
- Attendance in classes is usually 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 usually ranges between 14 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. Students with superior mastery of the language, in the Integrated program will also be in classes with students who are Spanish nationals.
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.
| Spanish Verbal Grade |
US Verbal Equivalent |
Spanish Number Grade |
US Letter Equivalent |
|
Matricula de honor
|
With Honors
|
10
|
A+
|
|
Sobresaliente
|
Excellent
|
9 - 10
|
A
|
|
Notable
|
Very Good
|
7 - 8
|
B
|
|
Aprobado
|
Adequate/Pass
|
5 - 6
|
C
|
|
Suspenso
|
Fail
|
0 - 4
|
F
|
|
No presentado
|
Incomplete
|
|
N/A
|
