Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Exchange)

Eligibility

In order to participate in this program, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Students must have completed at least 45 credits at the time of departure.
  • For students applying for fall or academic year programs, this total does not include summer coursework that has yet to be completed.
• Students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA at the time of application and departure.
• Students planning to study abroad in the last semester of their senior year should discuss this with their GEO program administrator and major advisor as this may affect their ability to graduate on time.
• Recent transfer students cannot study abroad their first semester (not including summer) at Mason.

Courses Available

• UC3M course catalog

• Spanish Language Courses

Academic Calendar

The UC3M fall semester is from September - January.  The university offers a final exam period in December for fall semester international students.  Academic year students are expected to take their exams during the January final exam period.

Course Registration

Course registration takes places through an on­line system that opens for a couple of days before the beginning of the semester. Students then go to classes for the first week and decide if they want to stay in those courses or change some of them (they can also change the language of instruction from Spanish to English section or vice versa). After the first week of classes the on­line system will reopen for two more days so that students can make changes to their schedule.

Credit Conversion

Students are expected to take a full-time course load during their time at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. A full-time course load is 30 ECTS units. A typical course is worth 6 ECTS credits.

• 2 ECTS = 1 Mason Credit

This will allow you to transfer between 12-16 credits back to Mason per semester.

Grade Conversion

When transferring courses back to Mason, the credits will transfer but the grade will not. However, you must receive the equivalent of a "C" or above in order to transfer your credit back. Refer to the table below regarding how grades are converted at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

Spanish professors rarely award a 10; students generally receive grades between 6 and 8. Spanish universities are severe in their grading in comparison to the United States.

Choosing Courses Abroad

This program does not have pre-approved classes. It is your responsibility to select courses and get them approved for transfer credit. To facilitate this process, you will complete the Petition for Transfer of Credit (PTC) Form. You will have access to the PTC form when you open an application.

You are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to look at this institution’s courses ahead of time to see how they will match up to your Mason degree requirements. Talk to your academic advisor about what courses you will need to receive credit for during your time abroad to stay on-track for your degree. When looking at courses keep in mind that course schedules can change. We recommend having twice as many courses approved as necessary.
 

Global Understanding

Students participating in this study abroad program will automatically fulfill the Mason Global Understanding core requirement.

Housing

Students will have the option to live in dorms on-campus, other student residences in Madrid, or finding their own accommodation. There is also an opportunity to live with a host family. Please contact the program administrator for more information on this option.

Program Cost 

This is a Bilateral Exchange Program. Students are enrolled as regular students at the partner university, pay Mason tuition to Mason, and pay room and board abroad. Students can use the budget sheets located at the top of this page to see what GEO estimates as expenses.

Program Payments

As this is a Bilateral Exchange Program, students will pay for their tuition as they normally do in PatriotWeb.

Application Fee: A non-refundable application fee of $150 for Mason students. This fee is paid online through the MasonAbroad application system.

Administrative Fee: A non-refundable administrative fee of $375 (for semester length programs) or $575 (for year-long programs) must be received in order to confirm your enrollment in the program. This fee is paid online through the MasonAbroad application system.

Financial Aid: Students using financial aid are encouraged to talk to their counselor regarding how their financial aid can transfer to their program.

Scholarships

GEO offers a number of need- and merit-based scholarships. All Mason students are welcome to apply:
Scholarships

Application Deadline:

Spring 2019 applications opening soon!

Visa Information

Once accepted into a program, it will be your responsibility to apply for a student visa and/or residence permit (if required, based on your citizenship). You will receive details on this with your acceptance letter. Do not apply for a visa until after you have been officially accepted.

• Study in Spain: Visas 

Application requirements:*

Application fee: $150 for Mason students.

Official Transcripts: An official copy of your Mason transcript is required as well as copies of official transcripts from any other college or university you have attended.

Passport Status: If you do not have a valid passport, you should begin applying for one now.

Signature Documents: Read and electronically "sign" the documents.

Questionnaires: Read and complete the documents according to the instructions.

Application instructions:

• For Mason applicants (pdf)

GEO Program Administrator