Spain: Barcelona SAE Academic Study Center (SIS)

Courses at Barcelona SIS are taught in English and/or Spanish, and the class sizes are small to provide a personalized experience that allows for individual participation and team projects. Each course includes various field studies that use the city of Barcelona as a classroom as part of the experiential learning experience offered at this school. Final grades will result from the combination of lectures, field trips, guest speakers, projects, readings, and presentations that will be prepared by the students outside the classroom. All courses will include a mid-term and a final exam, which will be an important part of the assessment of each class. 

For each summer term at SIS, students can choose from the following options: 

• May Term: 3 credits (1 course worth 3 UNC credits each)
• June Term: 3 or 6 credits (1 or 2 courses worth 3 UNC credits each) 
• July Term: 3 or 6 credits (1 or 2 courses worth 3 UNC credits each)

Pre-approved course offerings for Business Elective credit for Summer 2025 are listed below. These courses are taught in English. Keep in mind that each class requires a minimum of students to run. To study abroad through Kenan-Flagler, you must take at least one business course while you are abroad, so if you choose to take a course that is not approved for business credit, you must take a second course for business credit. 

• May Session:
  • Start-Ups And the Emerging Economy (3 BUSI elective credits)
• June Session:
  • International Finance (3 BUSI elective credits)
• July Session: 
  • International Marketing (3 BUSI elective credits) 

Courses taken at Barcelona SAE will transfer back to UNC Pass (Barcelona SAE grade of C and above)/Fail (Barcelona SAE grade of C- and below). Pass grades do not affect your UNC GPA. Fail grades transfer back to UNC as Fs, which will affect your UNC GPA. Though transfer credit for this program is Pass/Fail, future employers and graduate schools will also look at your Barcelona SAE transcript, so grades are important. View the ‘Credit Hour Conversions’ accordion on the ‘Academics Procedures‘ page for more information on credit hour conversion from Barcelona SAE to UNC. 

This program also fulfills the Experiential Education/High-Impact Experience requirement. Please visit Global Academic Procedures for detailed credit and other academic information.

Housing in Barcelona is very competitive, and participants will be placed based on availability in a homestay (includes breakfast and dinner), student residence hall, or shared apartment. We make every effort to provide you with your preferred form of housing, but due to space limitations, we cannot guarantee that you will get your first choice.

Housing options are spread throughout the city of Barcelona. Every neighborhood is easily accessible by public transport, and the city is very walkable. The typical commute in Barcelona is around 45 minutes using public Transportation from your housing to your school; it may be a bit more or less. Most accommodations will be in double rooms with students of the same gender (biological sex). You may opt to pay a $300/month supplement for a single room (if available on a first-come, first-served basis). Please note that single rooms cannot be guaranteed.

Homestay is another affordable way to find housing accommodations while abroad. Below is more information about the experience of the homestay:

“My host mom was amazing. She truly made me feel like I had a home here in Barcelona. She was always excited to hear about my day, provide me with food I liked, give recommendations for activities around Barcelona, and is just the sweetest and most caring person. She made my adjustment to study abroad so easy and enjoyable.” – Chloe Long

“Everyone on the staff has been extremely welcoming and kind! And I have loved getting to meet the other students. The group activities have been awesome to get to know others! My SIS professor has done a great job incorporating real life examples into his class and seems to have a wealth of knowledge about International Marketing. He is also very open to questions and very approachable.”

-UBP 2023 Student

For more information on housing accommodations visit the Barcelona SAE housing webpage.

We suggest you create your study abroad budget using our budget worksheet (xlsx) to help you think about your costs on this program:

• Populate the figures from the tables below into the left side costs of attendance
• Input your financial resources on the right

Your customized budget sheet can help determine your current financial status, and help you understand what additional funding you may need to help make this an affordable program option.

Funding your global program

The Undergraduate Business Program offers merit-based scholarships to support our students who wish to study abroad. Please visit the Scholarships and Financial Aid page to learn more.

Do you have a valid passport? If yes, check your passport’s expiration date to ensure that your passport is valid at least 6 months after your program’s scheduled end date. If not, you’ll need to submit a passport renewal application.

Do you need to apply for a passport (first time or renew)? If yes, we recommend that you get started on your passport application right away as you’ll need time to collect documents like your birth certificate to include as part of your application. For complete instructions click here.

Will I need immigration documents? Spain is a party to the Schengen Agreement. This means that U.S. citizens may enter Spain for up to 90 days without a visa. If you are accepted into this program, you will not be required to acquire a visa as your program is approximately 75 days in length. Please set up an appointment with your Global Programs Advisor to discuss.