Creative Writing Study Abroad Programs in Madrid, Spain

I’ve found the Master’s in Bilingual Education at Nebrija to be a rigorous and intellectually engaging program. Several professors stand out for their clarity, strong grounding in theory, and practical classroom applicability—particularly in CLIL methodology and active learning approaches. The program requires a high level of autonomy and time management, especially for students who are also working. For those combining teaching responsibilities with full-time study, it is important to be prepared for an intensive schedule. However, the academic depth and exposure to bilingual methodology provide meaningful professional growth. One of the strongest aspects of the program is its emphasis on connecting theory to real classroom contexts. When students actively engage with the material and apply it in their teaching practice, the learning becomes especially valuable. Overall, the program offers solid academic preparation for educators seeking to deepen their understanding of bilingual education within a European framework. RVF also provided excellent support throughout the application process. Thank you.

My time with RVF International as an English Auxiliary in Spain has been nothing short of fantastic. I am ethnically Spanish, but was adopted as a child, so this allowed me to get in touch with my roots. However, no one could have told me the extent to which I would fall in love with Spain and its people. Whether it’s tapas on the street, local dives, or beach trips to Alicante, everything is a lifetime adventure. There are places online that talk about the school experience in a stressful light. In my experience, it was a great chance to grow alongside the kids. Quickly, we adapted to each other, and I’ll miss all of them as I leave the school in San Lorenzo in the coming weeks. The area around my school is stunning, as the monastery is an authentic Spanish treasure. I am a little sad that you can only be in one school for two years, as I’ve formed strong bonds with the students and faculty during my time here. I came to Spain with a base level of Spanish that can only be achieved from an American High School. Needless to say, I wasn’t the strongest speaker. However, in Madrid, everyone was super nice and easy-going from the moment I stepped off the plane. My local alimentacion is run by a couple that speaks no English, but we crossed that divide and now check in with each other every few days if we don’t go to the store. While the city of Madrid offers the hustle and bustle and nightlife of a major city, it also has a sense of tranquility amongst the crowd. This program is 110% recommended for people of all ages looking to immerse themselves in a new culture.

As someone who was completely new to the process of applying for a master’s program—especially abroad—I was feeling pretty overwhelmed at first. I had no idea where to start or what steps to take. Then I found RVF!! They made everything so much easier than I expected. From day one, the team walked me through the entire process in a way that was clear and manageable. They explained everything I needed to know, helped me gather the right documents, and stayed in touch regularly to make sure I was on track. What seemed complicated at first quickly became doable thanks to their guidance and support. They answered all my questions, helped me write a strong application, and made sure nothing fell through the cracks. Because of them, I got accepted into a great master’s program and feel confident about this new chapter. If you're new to this process or just need someone to help you navigate it smoothly, I can’t recommend RVF International enough. They really made something that felt intimidating feel super achievable!!

I would not have traded my Semester in Madrid for anything in the world. It was an experience I will never forget and nothing will ever compare to. I think Madrid is a great location if you love the hustle and bustle of a city and don't mind being far from the coast. I will say that is the one thing I missed while I was in Madrid, I've been lucky enough to always live near the coast in my life but this semester was an exception. But on the other hand, Madrid is a prime location if you're looking to travel Europe being that you're right near one of Europe's largest and most important airports. It is extremely easy and fairly inexpensive to travel around Europe from Madrid (easier than from other cities in Spain anyway). The nightlife in Madrid is so widely varied that no matter what type of experience you're looking for you're guaranteed to find it there. Spain in general is a great place to study abroad if you're looking for new experiences. If you like to try new food, listen to some new genres of music, and try out a new way of life, Spain is the place for you. API is a great program to study abroad with because they plan a number of great trips and organize some fun cultural events throughout the semester as well. They make the study abroad experience so smooth and comfortable that it becomes easy to feel right at home in your study abroad location. They were always extremely helpful when it came to needing to go to the doctor, to advice on ways to travel, to help with the language, etc. Suffolk University is a good school to attend if you're looking for an experience similar to that you would receive at any American university. The courses are fairly challenging but the variety of classes are slightly lacking. If you are coming from another university, make sure to look at the course offerings in advance and be sure that they are offering courses that are applicable to your major/minor. The professors there seem to be good overall and the staff there are extremely friendly. It took me a little bit longer than expected to settle in but at the end of the day I absolutely loved my experience living and studying in Madrid.

Program was really well organized and offered various opportunities to get exposed to the city and other parts of Spain. Amazing weather. Locals are extremely friendly and helpful.

Overall a good program. I recommend it. Just bring someone else along if you're not from NYU. Madrid is much better if you've got a friend in the city.

I loved Madrid, it was an amazing experience.

It was a great experience for me except for the homestay where I was cooked pasta every single dinner, hardly traditional. The planned trips were great.

My year in Madrid totally changed my life! I returned and got a Ph.D. in Spanish and Latin American history from the University of Washington. I taught at St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges in Minnesota. In 1975, when Franco died, my Spanish family (which had been very active in the Spanish Civil War)sent me their life savings which I invested for them in the U.S. for 15 years until democracy was firmly established in Spain. I stayed in regular contact with "Madre" until her death in the 1990"s. What an experience! Thank you NYU.

I was at the Universidad de Carlos Tercera and loved it. School was a lot harder than I expected. I recommend it-- all classes in Spanish and I had a great host family.

Great time overall - great weather. A few issues: 1. food in homestay sucked 2. need more exposure with madrilenos. Warning: food in Madrid is horrible. other parts of Spain, much better.

It was very well organized & the institution had planned trips for us to go on which was an introduction to the culture in an academic standard.

I thought NYU did a good job creating community, which isolated its students from Madrileno culture. I felt it was harmful to my trying to integrate into the culture being on an NYU program.

Great place to study. Academics could have been more challenging but overall a great experience!

Experience was a blast. Recommended homestay for language exposure. NYU goes out of their way to expose students to the culture. NYU has its own classrooms in Spain which helps maintain program quality.

Knowledgable professors, the majority very committed to helping students. Extremely interesting subject matter for linguistics enthusiasts. Thesis provided an excellent opportunity to explore and research one's interests in depth. Madrid is quite good for linguistic and cultural immersion, as people will rarely, if ever, respond to non-natives in English. The disadvantages of the program I felt were rooted in the fact that some aspects of the infrastructure in Spain (lack of text and library resources, paucity of library hours, and generally slower pace of professional and academic life as compared with the U.S.—response time via e-mail, for example) were inadequate to support an accelerated, one-year, American-structured master's program. The program ought to be adjusted to befit the resources and pace of life in Madrid, and not simply exist as an American master's grafted onto a Spanish framework.

I have lived in other countries but for short periods of time, so I wanted to spend more than a few weeks abroad. I decided to study in Spain and I'm glad I did. I'm amazed at the level of immersion and impact culture had on my language skills. I was not terrible before, but I became close to fluency by the end of the program. I gained a holistic view of Spanish from its history to its use in verbal and nonverbal communication. Without this academic inclusion, I would not have had a pleasant time.

As a graduate student, I felt prepared going into classroom discussions from the cultural experience I received while in Spain. The atmosphere, the students, and the professors brought to life the literary features that we'd studied. Although, the management of the program was poor, I truly resonated with the lovers of literature and culture. I loved the trips to Seville and Bilbao because I was allowed to see the environment from a unique perspective. Furthermore, I loved working with my faculty advisor, who gave me quality and positive feedback on my thesis. Not all of the professors were that way, but some were encouraging and willing to help. As a program, I would say that the best experiences were the trips, formation of my thesis, and cultural immersion.

As a student, I was impressed with the amount of cultural excursions and the opportunities to become a true citizen of Spain. I loved the practical nature of the program, which is why I would recommend this program to anyone looking to take their Spanish to the next level.

As a graduate student, I was quite impressed with the level of rigor in this particular program. Professors were knowledgeable, easily accessible, and clearly academic experts in their specific fields. The cohorts are small, which allows for more individualized access to professors and colleagues and has potential to create space for collaborative learning environments. The highlight of the program most definitely lies in the academics / coursework- all conducted in the Spanish language. For me, this was a big plus and a main selling point of the NYU Madrid program.