The Catalan universities welcome you and want you to feel at home. Join their language support programmes
If you are a student on a mobility programme and you plan on coming to the University of Barcelona, or if you have just arrived and have no idea where to start, you should know that at the UB we have a Catalan Linguistic and Cultural Orientation Plan (EN). It has been designed with you in mind, whether you are a temporary visiting student or you've come to study on a full bachelor's degree or postgraduate programme. If you are studying for your doctorate or are a member of the teaching and research staff, we've also thought of a plan for you.
There are options available that are adapted to each semester: you can take an introductory Catalan course practically free of charge, with a programme that includes cultural activities and guided visits. There are also resources to help you integrate into university life and language, such as the language exchange service, the CATclub and the conversation guides. The Language Services "Resources for students" web page will explain everything and suggest learning options and things to do.
These are the resources and activities that we offer regularly, but throughout the academic year there are many more. We encourage you to come and experience them for yourself!
For any queries, write to sl.acollida@ub.edu and we'll get back to you.
The UAB offers activities for new students to get to know the linguistic and socio-cultural situation of Catalonia and to be in contact with local students. These activities are offered throughout the academic year to promote contact between students and cultural and languages exchanges. There are also specific activities organised for major dates on the calendar such as the day of the patron Sant Jordi and the Annual Party at the UAB.
We provide services and resources to help you feel at home: useful information on life in Catalonia, guides to Catalan society and culture, materials to help you start speaking, etc. All free and just a click away!
This is the portal of the language support programme where Pompeu Fabra University welcomes its current and future international students, providing all the information and resources you need to help you quickly become familiar with our language, Catalan, and find everything you need to know about Catalan culture and society. Welcome to UPF!
The UdL offers new arrivals resources to make their stay easier and to help them get to know the city and the Catalan language and culture. A reception week is held for students at the start of each semester, with activities to familiarise them with the area, plus a beginners' Catalan course, which can be extended to courses at other levels.
The Language Volunteering scheme plays an important role in this, with members of the university community accompanying and helping new arrivals to pick up the language and learn about the region and Catalan culture.
Students can also practise Catalan via the Language Exchange Programme, (Borsa d’Intercanvi Lingüístic), set up to bring speakers of different languages together.
At the University of Girona classes are mainly taught in Catalan. To help you learn our language a little, you can attend the initial welcolme, a combination of educational sessions on Catalan language and culture, a few days before the start of classes.
The URV provides a personalised service for mobility students who want to learn Catalan, to help them select the course that best suits their needs. We also organise welcome events with cultural workshops three times a year.
When you arrive at UVic, what can you do to learn the language and quickly settle into university life?
If you are an international exchange student, come along to one of the Orientation days held at the start of each semester. And sign up for the cultural activities held during the academic year.
If you are from outside Catalonia but you are enrolled to study at UVic, register for the welcome course, a fourteen-day introduction to Catalan to make life easier when you arrive.
If you have any questions, write to us at sl@uvic.cat.
On arrival at the UIC you can join the introductory Catalan course that we offer free of charge at the start of every semester. You can also learn about Catalan culture throughout the course through activities organised around our calendar of festivities.
At UAO CEU, from your first day you will find language reception resources and activities that will help you better understand the local linguistic and cultural reality.
If you are taking or have taken a course at any of the Catalan universities, you can take part in the language exchange or language volunteer activities organised by each university.
If you are not a university student you can take part in the Language volunteer programme, organised by the Language Policy Secretariat, as a learner.
A language exchange involves pairing a visiting student who is learning Catalan with a Catalan-speaking student who wants to practice another language. Most Catalan universities have a language exchange register that they use to put students in contact with each other based on the languages they want to practice. From this point on, the students themselves arrange their meetings.
If you are not a university student you can take part in the Language volunteer programme, organised by the Language Policy Secretariat, as a learner.
If you want to build Catalan connections from outside Catalonia, the University network for Catalan studies abroad and the Catalan communities abroad organisations can help.
If you are taking or have taken a course at any of the Catalan universities, you can take part in the language exchange or language volunteer activities organised by each university.
If you are not a university student you can take part in the Language volunteer programme, organised by the Directorate-General for Language Policy, as a learner.