Located on the western shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and second largest city in Spain, with an urban area population of 4.5 million people.
Its more than 2,000 years of history as a center of trade and culture have left their mark on the city’s architectural, artistic, and cultural heritage.
Said to be the most cosmopolitan city in Spain, it’s not surprising that Barcelona has become one of Europe’s most popular venues for Study Abroad students, with its many café terraces, its 50 museums to choose from (including some that house Picasso and Miró), its narrow medieval streets in the Gothic Quarter, its plazas, theaters and concerts, its beaches, and, perhaps most colorful of all, its whimsical architectural creations of Antoni Gaudí, including his iconic Sagrada Familia.
Want to relax after your day of classes and homework? How about sitting at a table with some paella and people-watching along the Ramblas, or finding a spot on a mosaic sea serpent bench created by Gaudí at Parc Güell?
Barcelona 2025 Information
Important Dates
- Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 - 6:00 p.m. PST: Information Session - Zoom
- Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025 - 3:00 p.m. PST: Information Session - Zoom
- Friday, March 7, 2025: Priority Application Deadline
- Friday, June 6, 2025: General Application Deadline
- Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025: Depart U.S.
- Sunday, Sept; 14, 2025: Arrive Barcelona
- Monday & Tuesday, Sept. 15-16, 2025: Orientation and workshops
- Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025: Classes begin
- Week of Oct. 27-Oct. 31, 2025: Mid-Semester Break
- Friday, Dec. 12, 2025: Depart Barcelona
Late Applications on Space Available Basis: May be accepted up to June 13, 2025 on a case-by-case basis only.
Program Costs and Payment Schedule
The AIFS program costs will have a base price of $8,345. These costs will include all lodging, medical insurance, and AIFS services. They will not include airfare (there will be a group flight option for an extra fee), class tuition, books, and day-to-day expenses such as food.
Minimum Qualifications for CCCCD's Study Abroad Program
To apply for the Florence Study Abroad Program, the student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.25 and have completed at least 12 college units after high school graduation, at the time the student applies to the program. In addition, the student must be 18 years of age at the time of boarding the airplane.
Provisional Student Enrollment Deadline TBA
Students who do NOT meet the application criteria (of at least 12 units and at least a 2.25 GPA) may use their current semester progress report to assist with meeting the criteria. Students will be approved to the Study Abroad Program after the progress report has been reviewed by the Dean of the Study Abroad program. Contact email to htakanashi@4cd.edu with questions. Provisional students who finish the semester without meeting any of the minimum requirements will be dropped from the program.
Application Process
Enroll online to complete your application. Once you have applied online through AIFS and have placed your $450 deposit, you will be contacted by CCCCD’s Study Abroad Office,
Submit the Agreement Between the Foreign Study Student and the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium. You can get this form at the Study Abroad office.
Financial Aid Office
- Complete the FAFSA
- Contact Sonya Castro at the DVC Financial Aid Office at scastro@dvc.edu.
Scholarship Information
- AIFS Scholarships Application DEADLINE: Friday, June 13, 2025 (request application Harue Takanashi after you're approved)
- Gilman Scholarship DEADLINE: Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 11:59pm Pacific Time
- Contact Scholarship office
- Contra Costa College
- Diablo Valley College
- Los Medanos College
AIFS Program Cancellation and Refund Policies
Please see the important dates section at the top of this page when considering a refund and/or cancellation. You are responsible for checking the AIFS Agreement & Release form about any refund dates and potential cancellation fees! Students who withdraw after December 6, 2024, could be liable and billed by AIFS for any canceled bookings they signed up for (such as airfare & Scotland excursion, etc.). Students should therefore inform AIFS as soon as possible if they need to withdraw from the program.
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AIFS will put details of their cancellation policy on their website and it is your responsibility to be familiar with them. AIFS will also recommend that you consider purchasing optional trip interruption or cancellation insurance and they will provide a link to CISI, a company they consider to be reputable: www.culturalinsurance.com. CISI is not affiliated with SRJC, and questions about such insurance should be made directly to the company.
Here is a summary of what you should know if the program were to be canceled by either AIFS or SRJC due to circumstances beyond their control (including, but not limited to, pandemics):
If the program were to be canceled before November 8, 2024, everyone would receive a refund of their $450 deposit plus any payments made. SRJC will therefore do everything it can to make any hard decisions before Nov. 8 to ensure no economic risk to anyone. After Nov. 8, if the program is still open, it is because both SRJC and AIFS have every reason to believe that the program will happen, but we cannot make any guarantees.
If the program were to be canceled after Nov. 8, 2024, but before Dec. 6, 2024, all fees paid except the $450 deposit will be refunded.
If the program were to be canceled after Dec. 6 (including once the program has started), students would only receive recoverable costs. What this means: AIFS must make payments in advance for many program components such as housing, transportation, excursions, etc. In the event of cancellation, AIFS will endeavor to obtain refunds from suppliers and pass any recovered costs on to the students.
For this reason, AIFS recommends optional trip interruption or cancellation insurance. You can research this on your own, or check out the company that AIFS recommends: Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI), at www.culturalinsurance.com. AIFS will provide you with a link and you will be able to purchase a plan directly through the CISI website.
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Refund requests must be done in writing to AIFS. They accept emails and that is generally the easiest way (customizedfacultyled@aifs.com). See the official AIFS refund policy on your Agreement & Release form on AIFS application.
You are responsible for checking the AIFS Agreement & Release form about any refund dates and potential cancellation fees. Check the important dates section at the top of this page.
Students should therefore inform AIFS as soon as possible if they need to withdraw from the program.
Additional Information