Universidad de Deusto - cide

After acceptance to study abroad as an Illinois student in the CIDE- Deusto program, you will need to submit a host university application as well. Navigate to the Host University Application with the link below.

Host University Application

Applications must be completed by the deadlines listed on their website. You do not need to pay the application fee directly, and we will forward your transcripts on your behalf.

After acceptance, you will receive an additional email with Pre-Registration instructions. Follow the steps entirely, with the exception of paying for tuition fees. You will be billed tuition to your Illinois account, so this does not apply.

Housing payments DO apply as an out of pocket expense. You will receive emails regarding this and how to sign up and pay for housing.

Program Dates:

• • Spring 2022: tba

  • Summer 2022: tba

  • Fall 2022: tba

IMPORTANT: Please read the general visa instructions on the Spain Country Page first!

STEP 1: Sign up for a visa appointment within 90 days before your program start date, but at least 6 weeks out.

STEP 2: Compile the following, based on the Visa Instructions from the Chicago Consulate of Spain, also making a second photo copy of all documents to accompany:

• • • Two 2x2 passport style photos (one will be glued on the front of your visa application form)

    • A copy of your student ID, front and back

    • Your original passport that has more than two blank pages and is valid for more than 1 year, and a photocopy of your passport bio page.

    • Your visa/acceptance letter from Illinois. (This will satisfy requirement number 6- Evidence of funds)

    • Your Spanish translated international insurance letter of coverage (within My Study Abroad documents)

    • Your acceptance letter from CIDE- Universidad de Deusto

    • A completed Visa Application form (see step 3 for guidance)

    • One money order or cashier’s check for the visa fee ($160). They do not accept any other form of payment.

    • Your program is not over 180 days, so you will not need a background check or medical certificate.

STEP 3: Complete the Visa Application form. Below are some common questions that come up.

• • • For question 11: This is not applicable. Do not fill in.

    • For question 12: Check the box ordinary passport, unless you have diplomatic status or a special circumstance.

    • For question 19: Write ‘student’

    • For question 20: Check the box ‘studies’

    • For question 21: Write your program start date

    • For question 22: Check the box ‘more than two entries’

    • For question 23: Write the following address: Avda. de las Universidades 2448007 Bilbao

    • You do not need to complete questions #24-27

    • For question 28: Write in the following:

      • • Name: Universidad de Deusto

        • Address: Avda. de las Universidades 2448007 Bilbao

        • Telephone number: (+34) 944139063

        • Email: cide@deusto.es

        • Intended starting date of study: Write your program start date

STEP 4: Go to your visa appointment at the Chicago Consulate (see address below) with all the documents collected, and your duplicate copy of the entire packet. You will be turning in your original passport while waiting for the visa determination.

STEP 5: After receiving notification of issuance, pick up your visa at the Chicago Consulate. There is an option to have it mailed to you, which requires an additional form to be complete (linked in the consulate’s visa processing instructions sheet). If you receive a denial notice, please obtain a copy of that letter and immediately notify Erin Leonard (ell3@illinois.edu), so that we can work to resolve any issues.

CONSULATE GENERAL OF SPAIN PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 180 N. Michigan, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60601

Website of the Chicago Consulate

*IF YOU ARE NOT A US PASSPORT HOLDER, OR A DUAL CITIZEN, PLEASE REFER TO THE CONSULATE’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR COUNTRY OF CITIZENSHIP.

Arrival information, including where to go for your airport pick-up on the scheduled day, and about the orientation schedule, will come from CIDE- Deusto. Therefore, do not book your airline tickets until first verifying the expected arrival and departure dates with them.

Summer programs will be arriving in Madrid to complete orientation and an excursion upon arrival, while the Fall and Spring semesters will be arriving in Bilbao for orientation.

There are three very different housing offerings available: Dorm (Collegio Mayor), Shared Apartments, and Homestay. All options are administered by Vivir Bilbao, a contracted provider by the university, and payments will be made directly to them as an out-of-pocket expense. Below are some highlights of each of the options.

Student Voices on Housing

• • I think host family is a good thing because it's nice to have people there who can maybe help you when you need something or when you're lost or just simply with questions.

  • I would HIGHLY recommend living with a host family. It makes the process of living abroad much easier because they take care of your meals, laundry, and other basic necessities. Also, they understand that you are a college student that may want to go out to bars/nightclubs, and they are typically accommodating of the level of privacy you prefer. The best benefit is that you are able to truly immerse yourself into a new culture, which is an opportunity that is hard to find after college.

  • Communicate. If you're staying with a host family, communicate with them. I was to shy and did not want to be a bother, so I never said anything about my repeated bland meals.

  • If you want to learn how to be independent in foreign setting, then go live in an apartment.

  • Do not be afraid to live with people that you do not know. It is not as bad as you think, and you can still invite friends over to your apartment whenever you want.

You will be taking courses within CIDE, which is a program specifically designed for incoming study abroad students. You will not take courses with local students, but have the same resources as a local student (clubs, facility accesses, etc.). Summer programs should note that local students have break during this time, so you will likely not have engagement opportunities on campus, and should focus instead on local community engagement.

Course registration will be done through Pre-Registration after acceptance. You will receive an email from the incoming student advisor about this, and it can only be done after official acceptance from the Universidad de Deusto. Course listings can be viewed on each track's web page (see drop down menu above).

Course approval forms have already been pre-filled for your program (below). Print this form to use for your college's course approval process instructions.

Transcripts will be sent to Illinois automatically after the end of the program. However, the time for receipt and processing can take a few months. Be patient, and you can track to see when your transcript is received by the Office of the Registrar by when the digital copy is uploaded into your My Study Abroad documents.

Student Voices on Academics

• • The Gender Topics in Europe course was amazing because it really allowed me to delve into the social issues the country is facing.

  • The classes that I took were needed to be fairly proficient in Spanish, but there where other lower level Spanish courses offered, as well as some in English. The grading was much like the US because the program was working with the US students.

  • I would say if you would like to take courses in Spanish, it would be necessary to have a solid understanding of the Spanish language. Exams were fair. Workload was fair as well. We were assigned readings and we were responsible in ensuring we completed the readings. The grading heavily relied on a few essays and an exam. Structure of the class was lecture/discussion, not solely lecture. It was more dynamic than the courses at the University of Illinois.

  • The library and advising resources were extremely helpful to me.

Each term provides excursions at no additional cost throughout your time in Spain. Common places have been: Madrid, Toledo, Gernika and Mundaka, Pamplona, and the south of France. You will also have the opportunity to see the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, which is right across the river from the Universidad.

Local connections can be formed through their conversation exchange program (Tandem). Many students also find that meeting local students and community members will happen through informal connections, and by asking your host family or the CIDE staff about opportunities.

Student Voices on Engagement

• • I tutored a 3 year old boy in English twice a week for an hour each session. This was really cool for me as I am completing a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language.

  • I joined Happy Erasmus group, and you meet Spaniards there and attend events in Bilbao.

  • If you live with a host family or in an apartment then that sets up the most engagement in the community. My host family always told me about things that were going on in the community. International student roommates in the apartments usually also tend to know a lot about things going on.

  • Bilbao is Basque as well, so people should be prepared to hear both Spanish and Basque in daily life conversations and living.

  • Try to be as confident as possible with the language barrier! This is the best way to learn and the people are more than welcome to help you out with translations or interpreting.