LCU invites students to experience many Study Abroad opportunities. From semester-long trips to short-term mission experiences, LCU offers programs that can fit your personal schedule and academic needs. LCU offers access to locations around the world with top-tier instructors and programs, including our Semester in Spain, which began in the Fall of 2016.
LCU also offers many short-term academic trips. In the past, these trips have included visits to Ireland, Greece, Israel, Italy, and Turkey. Please contact your academic advisor about specific department programs that may be available.
Contact Information
For more information on these opportunities, contact Robert Anderson, Director of Global Campus.
LCU currently has a partnership with Abilene Christian University that allows us to join ACU students and faculty on study abroad semester trips to Oxford, Leipzig, and Montevideo for the normal LCU tuition cost with an additional fee. With these programs, students are given the opportunity to study with world-class programs for a fraction of the cost that these same programs are available at other universities.
No problem! You will be required to take a beginning Spanish course during your semester abroad. You will also get plenty of experience in day to day life. If you would like to get a head start, sign up for a Spanish course with Señor Mata.
Not to worry! We want to help you and your advisor make this semester work for you. In addition to taking online classes, your advisor can substitute classes offered in Avila for classes required on your degree plan. Make sure you talk to your advisor before you decide to study abroad!
The study abroad fee allows LCU to book your plane ticket to and from Spain, group excursions and tours you will take during the semester, and travel insurance.
Your regular financial aid will go towards your tuition and fees, room and board, books, and your study abroad fee.
Your first payment will be your $250 application fee. This will be due with your application in the fall semester you are applying. Your next payment of $750 is your deposit to lock-in your place for the program. This deposit will be due early in the spring semester after you have been accepted. The remainder of your program fee will be on your fall tuition bill of the semester you travel to Spain.
You will be responsible for your tuition and fees at the block rate for 12-18 hours, and room and board fees equal to the price of living in the Courtyard with full meal plan. You should also expect to purchase books, and be prepared for online course fees. The dormitory will provide three meals a day, but you are free to eat elsewhere at your own discretion. The group excursion price is included; however, any other travel you choose to do will be your responsibility. The Study Abroad program recommends having an excess of $3000-$5000 set aside for independent student group travel.
LCU takes the safety of its students extremely seriously. Every effort has been, and will be, made to ensure that students will feel comfortable in their study abroad environment. In addition to the security provided by the dormitory complex and the Catholic University of Ávila, the city is also home to the nation’s police training academy. As with any travel, whether across the state of Texas, the United States, or abroad, some safety risks are present, but LCU includes safety training in the orientation part of the Study Abroad process.
You are encouraged to make your own travel plans outside of class time and group activities. Classes will meet Monday-Thursday, which allows for three-day weekends each week. Students will be required to travel in a minimum group of three outside of Avila.
Yes. The dormitory and college have free WiFi access. You can also find WiFi at various cafes around town.
International data plans are available through your service provider or an international SIM card can be purchased for use. Using WiFi, FaceTime, Skype, and WhatsApp are great resources for calling home.
LCU recommends accessing cash through ATMs located throughout the city. Be sure to notify your bank before you depart that you will be traveling overseas. It is possible to exchange cash at local banks, but is not recommended. If you have not yet received a chip card from your bank, please talk to them about obtaining one prior to August.
As with life on the Lubbock campus, you are free to connect with any church in Ávila you choose. LCU has contact with a church that has a very similar faith background to churches of Christ, which will be pointed out upon arrival. Weekly chapel meetings will be held on Sunday evenings led by the visiting LCU faculty, and other times determined by the directors.
Travel insurance is covered in your study abroad fee, which should cover a variety of medical problems. There is a hospital centrally located in Avila that accepts the travel insurance. Aside from student group independent travel, a faculty member will be available to accompany students in an emergency.
Of course! You will be responsible for attending your classes, and other required meetings, but your free time is yours to spend how you choose. Family will be required to purchase their own flights and lodging, and are not permitted to eat in the dormitory cafeteria.
Passport forms are available online at www.travel.state.gov. Follow the instructions on your form to send in your application. It is imperative you obtain a passport as quickly as possible so that your flight to Spain can be booked.
Students will be required to attend on-campus orientation before they depart for Spain, beginning on the first day of classes. Students will need to be in Lubbock at that time. You will be responsible for your own living arrangements for those few days.