The City of San Diego is home to one of the most vital and culturally diverse populations to be found anywhere in America. The Participant Observer is a web magazine dedicated to discovering and showcasing the wide variety of culturally interesting events, people, places, and organizations our city has to offer. Our continuously updated Events Calendar provides comprehensive information about current and forthcoming events in San Diego. In addition to covering local events, The Participant Observer publishes features and articles about cultural events and phenomena happening around the world. We urge you to explore the many other resources our site provides.
e language immersion programs listed below are typically open to the public at large as well as to students who are seeking academic credit. If you would want academic credit, please consult with your home educational institution regarding procedures for transferring credit.

Compiled by Marion Froehlich and Alexandra Harvey

 

Arabic

AMIDEAST - Amman, Jordan and Rabat, Morocco
Website: www.amideast.org
Contact:
  • For Jordan, students can receive credit from Northeastern University for an extra fee
  • For Morocco, students receive a transcript from Mohammed V University in Rabat, or, for an extra fee, from Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Learn a New Language
 

Chinese (Mandarin)

Mandarin House - Beijing, Shanghai
Website: mandarinhouse.cn
Contact:

CLI provides one of a kind opportunities to learn about Chinese culture, intensive mandarin and other courses for students from all walks of life.
Website: www.studycli.org

Quest Exchange language immersion program uses a living immersion formula for accelerated learning. with opportunities for beginner, intermediate, or intensive learning.
Website: www.questexchange.org

French

Accord - Ecole de Langues - Paris
Website: www.accord-langues.com
Contact:

American University of Paris
Website: www.aup.edu
U.S. accredited university

Cours de Langue et Civilisation Francaise at the Sorbonne - Paris
Website: www.ccfs-sorbonne.fr
Contact:

France Langue - Biarritz, Bordeaux, Nice, Paris
Website: www.france-langue.com
Contact:
  • Biarritz:
  • Bordeaux:
  • Nice:
  • Paris: ,
French in Normandy - Rouen, Northern France
Website: www.frenchinnormandy.com
Contact: Go to their website to find the "contact us" link

Institut Catholique - Paris, France
Website: www.icp.fr/en
Contact: Go to their website to find the "contact us" link

Institut Linguistique Adenet - Montpellier
Website: www.ila-france.com
Contact:

Institut Linguistique du Peyrou - Montpellier
Website: www.ilp-france.com
Contact:

Institute for American Universities Aix Center - Aix-en-Provence, France
Website: www.iaufrance.org

When the student's home institution will not directly accept IAU credit, students may enroll at IAU through one of its program sponsors such as:
  • Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT - Christopher Johnson, (203) 254-4332
  • Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL - Jill Vodden, (815) 753-7399
  • Towson University, Towson, MD - Courtney Knott, (410) 704-2451
  • SUNY-Fredonia, Fredonia, NY - Mary Sasso, (716) 673-3451
  • Truman State University, Kirksville, MO - Rosa Virginia Mendez, (660) 785-4076
  • Miami Dade College, Miami, FL Joanne Michaud, (305) 237-3008

IES Abroad offers a french language immersion and area studies program in Nantes France. Prior education required.
Website: www.iesabroad.org

API offers a French language immersion program in Paris, France for high school students at different levels.
Website: www.aspirebyapi.com

Coeur de France Ecole de Langues is a French immersion language school providing French instruction in France. Coeur de France specializes in programs for families, couples and adults. Our French language immersion programs are taught at all levels at all ages, in groups or private individual classes. Courses available from 1 week or as many as 8 weeks.
Website: www.coeurdefrance.com

Institut Linguistique Adenet an independent French language school offering year round quality french language courses and services. This school also has 2 of the most prestigious international accreditations IALC and EQUALS.
Website: www.ila-france.com

German

Did Deutsch-Institut - Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich
Website: www.did.de
Contact:

Students must arrange for academic credit through the appropriate channels at their college/university.

Greek

American College of Greece - Athens
Website: www.acg.edu
Contact: Mara Nisdeo at

ACG is a U.S.-accredited institution so you will receive a U.S. transcript. This could/will make the transfer of credit process relatively easy.

 

Italian

AbbeySchool CiaoItaly - Turin
Website: www.ciaoitaly-turin.com
Contact:
No agreements with U.S. or Italian colleges/universities

American University of Rome
Website: www.aur.edu
U.S. accredited university

Babilonia - Taormina, Sicily
Website: www.babilonia.it
Contact:
John Cabot University - Rome
Website: www.johncabot.edu
U.S. accredited university

Linguaviva - Florence, Milan, Sicily
Website: www.linguaviva.it
Contact:

Lorenzo de' Medici Italian Language Institute - Florence, Rome, Tuscania, Venice
Website: www.lorenzodemedici.it
Contact:

Academic credit is available from Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY (www.marist.edu)

Sant'Anna Institute - Sorrento Lingue - Sorrento, Italy
Website: www.sorrentolingue.com
Contact:

Scuola Leonardo da Vinci - Florence, Rome, Milan, Siena
Website: www.scuolaleonardo.com
Contact:

Dante Alighieri Siena is a multinational learning center of Language, Culture and Gastronomy which offers Italian courses and programs for learners of all nationalities, adult learners, students who want to attend study abroad programs or internships in Italy.
Website: www.dantealighieri.com

Japanese

Genki Japanese and Culture School - Fukuoka prefecture, Tokyo
Website: www.genkijacs.com
Contact:

ISI Japanese Language School - Tokyo, Nagano, Chukyo
Website: www.isi-education.com/english/wp
Contact:

KCP International: Japanese Language School - Tokyo
Website: www.kcpinternational.com

Academic credit available through:
  • Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA; (360) 650-3298,
  • University of Idaho, Moscow, ID; (208) 885-8984,
  • Lincoln University, Lincoln University, PA; (484) 365-7785,
Financial aid may be available from these universities

KCP International Japanese Language school offers an intensive Japanese language program that is highly challenging, in Tokyo.
Website: www.kcpinternational.com

Korean

Korea University - Seoul
Website: isc.korea.ac.kr
Contact:

Portuguese

CIAL - Centro de Linguas - Lisbon, Portugal
Website: www.cial.pt
Contact:

IH (International House) - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Website: www.ih-saopaulo.com
Contact:

Russian

Liden & Denz - Moscow and St. Petersburg
Website: www.lidenz.ru

Spanish (in Latin America)

Antiguena Spanish Academy - Antigua, Guatemala
Website: www.spanishacademyantiguena.com
Contact:

Spanish credits may be available through Heritage Institute/Antioch University, Seattle.
  • Contact Stacey Holeman at for more information.
Centro Panamericano de Idiomas - Costa Rica (Heredia, Monteverde and Flamingo)
Website: www.cpi-edu.com
Contact:

Academic credit is available through:
  • Brookhaven College, Houston, Texas
  • New Mexico State University (NMSU), Carlsbad, NM; Contact Angelina Palumbo-Gomez at (575) 646-4334 for more information.
  • University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
ECELA - Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Website: www.ecelaspanish.com
Contact: U.S. phone number (347) 329-5506

Academic credit is available through Brookhaven College, Houston, TX.
  • Contact Rosario Prado at for more information.
Expanish - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Website: www.expanish.com
Contact:

Academic credit is pending through Universidad de Buenos or Universidad Abierto Interamericana.
  • If your college or university has foreign transcript evaluators on staff, the transcript can be evaluated on your campus.
  • If your college or university does not have foreign transcript evaluators on staff, you will have to pay for the services of a Foreign Credentials Evaluation Service to have your transcript evaluated.
  • Credit from a U.S. institution is being looked into. Contact Murphy Scott at for more information.
Latin University - Heredia, Costa Rica
Website: www.soleducation.com/costa-rica
Contact:

U.S. credit can be awarded by the Costa Rican University or the University of Houston

Universal - Center for Language and Social Communication - Cuernavaca, Mexico
Website: www.universal-spanish.com
Contact:

Academic credit is available through:
  • Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN; Contact Ana Lutterman Aguilar at for more information.
  • Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA; Contact Kent Yager at for more information.
University of Oaxaca - Oaxaca, Mexico
Website: www.soleducation.com
Contact:

U.S. credit can be awarded by the Mexican University or the University of Houston

The Spanish Institute offers intensive immersion, Children's immersion, business programs, online lessons and more ways to immerse yourself in the Spanish language.
Website: www.thespanishinstitute.org

The Spanish Language Center in San Diego offers private and group classes and works with all age and 7 levels of Spanish instruction.
Website: www.spanishlanguagecenter.com

Maximo Nivel not only provides Spanish immersion programs, but opportunities to pursue after the course is done.
Website: www.maximonivel.com

Sol Education Abroad offers Spanish immersion programs in Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain.
Website: www.soleducation.com

Anders Languages specializes in Spanish immersion courses in Spain, Mexico and the U.S. for all levels of study.
Website: www.anderslanguages.com

Don Quijote offers extensive information about learning the Spanish language as well as over 25 courses for different levels and ages as well.
Website: www.donquijote.org

The Costa Rican Language Academy offers Spanish immersion programs with intensive classes, carefully selected host families, dance classes and more.
Website: www.spanishandmore.com

Amerispan offers language immersion programs are in Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Barcelona and Madrid.
Website: www.amerispan.com

Enforcex has opportunities to study Spanish in several different cities in Spain and Latin America, with programs for students of all ages, Enforcex the largest organization specialized in teaching Spanish as a foreign language.
Website: www.enforex.com

Habla ya Spanish Schools offering Spanish at different levels in the Pacific mountains and Caribbean
Website: www.hablayapanama.com

Spanish (in Spain)

Centro de Lenguas Modernas in Granada (Universidad de Granada)
Website: www.clm-granada.com
Contact:
  • If your college or university has foreign transcript evaluators on staff, the transcript can be evaluated on your campus.
  • If your college or university does not have foreign transcript evaluators on staff, you will have to pay for the services of a Foreign Credentials Evaluation Service to have your transcript evaluated.
Don Quijote - multiple cities in Spain
Website: www.donquijote.org
Contact: U.S. phone number (800) 518-0412

Escuela de Idiomas (Language School), Nerja - near Malaga, Spain
Website: http://www.idnerja.com?
Contact:

International House - multiple locations in Spain including Barcelona, Cadiz, Palma de Mallorca, Madrid, San Sebastian, Seville and Valencia
Website: www.ihspain.com

Academic credit for the schools in Seville and Cadiz is available from Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas (www.benedictine.edu?)

Pontifical University - Salamanca
Website: www.espanolensalamanca.com
Contact:
  • If your college or university has foreign transcript evaluators on staff, the transcript can be evaluated on your campus.
  • If your college or university does not have foreign transcript evaluators on staff, you will have to pay for the services of a Foreign Credentials Evaluation Service to have your transcript evaluated.

European Language Programs

Eurolingua Institute is open to students 16-75 in languages such as French, Dutch, Arabic, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese and others. they offer online classes, homestay immersion abroad or group language lessons.
Website: www.eurolingua.com

American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European languages, provides intensive programs in Slavic and Eastern European languages as well as in languages of the republics former Soviet Union.
Website: www.aatseel.org

Magellan Study abroad enrolls high school students for French, Spanish, Italian and other language programs.
Website: www.magellanimmersion.com

Abbeyroad is more geared toward high school students preparing for college; still provides many immersion programs in France, Spain and other places.
Website: www.goabbeyroad.com

Journey Language Center offers programs for French, Spanish, Italian Portuguese and German immersion programs; both in group and private classes.
Website: www.journeylanguagecenter.com

ACIS offers opportunities in France, Germany and a wide range of Spanish speaking countries. These are predominantly shorter trips.
Website: www.acis.com

Multilanguage Programs

EF Language Immersion Programs French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean language programs.
Website: www.ef.edu

Studyabroad.com offers a wide ranging list of schools in other countries offering intensive language immersion
Website: www.studyabroad.com/

Fluenz.com has educational programs in Spanish (Spain and Mexico), French, Portuguese, Italian, German and Mandarin.
Website: www.fluenz.com

Concordia Language Villages provide programs for adults and children to spend time learning one of 15 languages in Minnesota.
Website: www.concordialanguagevillages.org

Fluent Forever has a list of different programs from a number of educational institutions suited for different stages of learning.
Website: www.fluent-forever.com

Languages Abroad is one of the largest network of language schools in the world for teens, adults and the elderly.
Website: www.languagesabroad.com/

Language Vacation offers short to long term language courses in over 30 languages and operates worldwide.
Website: www.languagevacation.com

AmeriSpan operates in many different cities in countries all over the world.
Website: www.amerispan.com
Email:

College of the Pacific is open to students from all over, alumni, members of the communities and offers programs in Italy, Guatemala, China and other countries.
Website: www.eurolingua.com

Goabroad.com with programs in China, France, Italy, Spain and countless other countries, provides an opportunity for language and culture immersion.
Website: www.goabroad.com

Language Vacation provides lists of language schools worldwide, with feedback and other resources available.
Website: www.transitionsabroad.com

Diversity Abroad offers many language immersion programs and connection with leading educational institutions. Popular countries are the Philippines, Ireland, Rome, Indonesia and others.
Website: www.diversityabroad.com

Berlitz offers a method of language training around the world. With programs for teens and adults as well as businesses and international students.
Website: www.berlitz.us

Lingua Service Worldwide offers immersive courses in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and other languages.
Website: www.linguaserviceworldwide.com

StudyAbroadInternational.com provides you with comprehensive information on educational opportunities in 42 different countries.
Website: www.studyabroadinternational.com

FLSAS Foreign language immersion and cultural immersion abroad. for executives and professionals as well as teachers and students. FLSAS offers everything from cultural homestays to resources and language materials for individual study.
Website: www.flsas.com

Greenheart Travel provides cultural immersion programs that aim to educate, advance careers and create leaders. This is a branch of Greenheart International, a nonprofit organization.
Website: www.greenhearttravel.org

CET Academic Programs offer intensive language curses in Taiwan, Jordan, Japan and other places around the world as well as other international opportunities.
Website: www.cetacademicprograms.com

Immersionprograms.com aims to increase communication between cultures and believes language is the way to do that; offers programs in Martinique, Napoli and other cities around the world.
Website: www.immersionprograms.com

Alexander International offers overseas language immersion programs in Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech and many other languages. This organization also has other organizations and programs with a similar goal.
Website: www.als-alexander.org

Lingoo offers a range of language immersion programs for adults, teenagers and children that will allow you to combine formal and informal language immersion whilst staying with a friendly host family. The best way to learn a language is to live with the people who speak it every day. With a tailor made language immersion you can practice your target language authentic day to day learning situations.
Website: www.lingoo.com

The Critical Language Scholarship program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled in US colleges and universities. Languages taught include: Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese and Russian.
Website: www.clscholarship.org

The Language Travel Company offers language and cultural immersion programs abroad and several different levels of study. Languages taught include: Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Website: www.thelanguagetravelcompany.com
When contacting these programs, please inform them that you learned about their program from the Worldview Project's, Participant Observer website!

Also, If you attend one of the above language programs, please share your experience on the in the comments section below.

If you would like to see another school/institute/university for learning a language not listed here, please let us know.


DISCLAIMER:
The above listings are intended for informational purposes only. Although some of the language programs are known personally to the Worldview Project and others have been awarded for quality by professional organizations, no recommendations are intended and students assume all risks inherent in studying at these institutions. The Worldview Project takes no responsibility for outcomes related to individuals participating in or obtaining information from these entities. It is also the individual's responsibility to inquire further regarding program details to determine if it is a good fit in terms of academic, professional, and personal goals as well as, if you are a student seeking academic credit, whether and how classes may or may not transfer back to the your home college/university for major or general education credit.