CIEE College Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

After other study abroad plans fell through, I turned to CIEE, and I’m glad I did! Though it felt unknown beforehand since I didn’t know anyone in the program and didn’t receive a lot of information about logistics before departure, upon arrival, the program really helped me adjust to life here! I stayed with a host family, and took an art history class in Spanish. My main goal was to improve my Spanish for my Spanish minor at school, and improve it did! At the beginning, I struggled to converse with my family, but now we talk every day, and I feel comfortable enough with my Spanish that I can even make jokes :). Though my program was only four weeks, CIEE and exploring with my new friends in the program helped me learn about and experience life in Sevilla, I am so thankful to have had this experience!

With this program, you will be able to experience the culture of Seville right off the bat. The orientations are extremely helpful when it comes to adapting to social and cultural differences. Orientation is informative and helpful. Also, there are continuous activities with local students which facilitates friendships with Spaniards! You will be supported throughout the semester in a variety of ways. You can tell the staff is passionate about making sure each student is safe, supported, and enjoying their time.

I loved this program in Seville, Spain. The staff are very accessible during your stay if you need anything. The CIEE building is beautiful (an old palace) and you can take classes or use it to study. The university, la Universidad de Pablo Olavide, is a really beautiful institution with good classes that only have around 18 people per class max. You take a two week intensive Spanish language course at the beginning of the semester and it helps with either learning Spanish or brushing up on your old Spanish. You get to choose to stay with a host (amazing way to immerse yourself and learn the language) OR you can stay in a residence hall. Now, the best for last, the program events. The events are AMAZING. It can range from listening to a brass band in the CIEE building to multiple different day trips in the south of Spain (Cordoba, Granada (overnight trip), Cadiz, Rhonda). Going to get churros, playing fútbol, seeing local buildings of Seville, and having a picnic with local Spanish students in the park.

There is so much to explore in Sevilla, and it is much easier to immerse yourself in the culture here than in Barcelona. You will be speaking a good amount of Spanish with locals and there is still a pretty big night life.

I studied abroad in Sevilla in Spring 2023; it was the best experience of my life. Between my homestay, friends in my neighborhood, how safe I felt in the city, and the Spaniards I met along the way, this semester has changed my life. I can't imagine reliving abroad in a different place or with a different program.
I would highly recommend Sevilla to anyone who is looking to improve their Spanish. Given the fact that there is not a lot of English spoken here, you will be practicing a lot. I preferred this program over that in Madrid or Barcelona because I felt the culture to be much more Spanish with little expats.

If anyone is looking for a way to broaden their Spanish abilities while also studying in a relevant but authentic city the absolute best way to do it is through the CIEE Sevilla program. I think that this city has become my favorite out of the fifteen that I visited during my time in Europe. It has everything and more that I could have asked for, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to have an incredible and unique experience studying abroad. I can't imagine having done my study abroad semester in any other city!

I lived with a host family who quickly integrated me into their family which i definitely appreciated. I am more of an independent person and although i lived in the home stay, i felt as though i could still be independent while learning a lot. The academics were easy to navigate and you always had support with whatever you needed. The CIEE staff was also very helpful throughout the whole thing and were always sending messages about how you could reach out and get in contact with whoever you needed to.

CIEE is so organized and supportive and I truly felt sage and at home in Sevilla. I highly recommend this program!! I have improved my language ability so much and was able to make so many friends across the U.S and in Sevilla that I hope to stay in contact with. Living in a host family was also a great experience that I am so glad I did! We also had so many excursions and day events planned by CIEE that helped to meet new people and learn more about the culture. I recommend studying in the spring to see semana santa and la feria!

Studying abroad with CIEE in Sevilla was an absolute dream from start to finish! I attended both the Liberal Arts program in the Spring and the Global Internship Language Immersion program in the summer.

The sheer beauty of Sevilla alone is reason enough to go, but the entire CIEE Seville team goes above and beyond to make your time so special. Everyone there (Juli, Virginia, Olga, Maria, Abraham, Nancy) is so dedicated to guiding the students and making themselves available to answering your questions and working to solve any problems you may encounter. Not only is there so much history and culture to learn about at every turn, but the interesting array of CIEE classes and professors (Angel, Alejandro) also take advantage of this by taking the classroom to the city! There are so many weekly activities that you can sign up for like city tours, cooking classes, flamenco workshops, and concerts, not to mention the multiple excursions to other cities in Andalucia like Cordoba, Ronda, Aracena, Cadiz, Bolonia, etc.

However, the ultimate highlight of my time abroad was staying with my wonderful host family that treated me like a daughter. Not only was I able to practice my Spanish everyday but I also got to taste authentic Spanish homecooking. I also got to experience unique cultural events like Semana Santa and Feria with them in April/May. Finally, my summer internship was the icing on top of the cake! I got to work with a wonderful small company that operates the events venue in Las Setas (Metropol Parasol) and interact with so many different clients and organizations.

It may sound like a bit of an exaggeration to read so many 5-star reviews, but you must live the experience for yourself to understand just how much their programs deserve it!