Study Abroad

Studying abroad is vital to students studying languages, literatures and cultures. The Department of Latin American, Latino & Iberian Studies works with the Office of International Education to help you coordinate your study abroad experience and fund it with scholarships when needed. The University of Richmond has exchange agreements with universities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Spain.

Each student must meet with an appropriate faculty advisor in LALIS in order to discuss his/her academic program and complete an LALIS Study Abroad Approval Form. See list of LALIS Study Abroad Advisors on this page.

All majors and minors in LALIS must fulfill the following requirements prior to participating in a semester- or year-long study abroad program in Latin America or Spain:

1. Overall GPA of 3.0

2. LALIS GPA of 3.0

3. Completion of two Spanish in Context classes (chosen from LAIS 301-LAIS 309). At least one of these courses must be completed prior to application for study abroad. (Students who arrived at UR with advanced or superior proficiency are exempt from this requirement.)

Additional criteria

For LALIS minors:

• LALIS minors need to be declared formally prior to departure.  Students who declare a minor after completing a semester of study abroad in Latin America or Spain will not be able to transfer credit toward the minor for coursework already completed abroad. (Note: this criterion does not apply to UR summer programs.)
• A maximum of 3 non-University of Richmond courses can be transferred toward the LALIS minor.
• For students studying abroad for one semester or one year, at least 1 course in LALIS must be taken upon return to the University of Richmond.

For LALIS majors:

• All majors are required to complete at least one 400-level seminar in LALIS upon return to UR.
• All majors studying in Spain are required to complete at least one "immersion" course at the relevant partner institution.
• A maximum of 3 non-University of Richmond courses can be transferred toward the LALIS major. Exceptions to this rule can be made for students planning to study abroad for a full year. Please contact the department chair regarding this possibility. Please also consider applying for the Don Quijote scholarship (approximately $16,000) for supporting a full year abroad.

ADDITIONAL LALIS Policy on transferring credit from study abroad

• Classes taught abroad in English are not eligible for transfer credit towards LALIS major/minor.  Only classes taught abroad in the target language (Basque, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese or Spanish) may receive LALIS credit.
• LALIS will not grant FSLT credit if the class has not been approved for LALIS credit.
• Language classes abroad will not be approved for LALIS or transfer credit if they are considered a repeat of language courses already taken at UR. 
• Students will not earn transfer credit for any pre-semester language classes.  Participation in the pre-semester language course is compulsory unless the student has been granted an exemption in writing from the LALIS department.

Students completing the international business concentration through the Robins School of Business should contact Doug Bosse for advisement on studying abroad.

Remember that specific institutions in Spain and Latin America may have their own academic requirements and criteria, which you will be expected to satisfy prior to admission.