Golden Gate Law - Exchange Program in San Sebastian, Spain

The Golden Gate Law Exchange Program in San Sebastian is an international exchange program between Golden Gate University School of Law and the University of the Basque Country or Universidad del País Vasco, UVP.

Read about the UPV's Annual International Human Rights Conference.

Interested students should contact the Golden Gate Law-UPV Faculty Coordinator, Professor Marci Seville, mseville@ggu.edu, 415-442-6675, to discuss the application process and course planning.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

San Sebastian is a beautiful coastal city in the Basque Country in Northern Spain, near the border with France. People speak both Spanish (Castellano) and Basque, and the Basque name for the city is Donostia.


Read more about San Sebastian here and here. View videos of the city here and here.

Read about the Basque region in a 2009 New York Times article here.

In addition to the highly regarded university, where the UPV law school is located, San Sebastian is well known for its annual jazz festival and its international film festival. You can fly to Madrid and then travel to San Sebastian by train or to nearby Bilbao by plane. You can also fly to Paris and take the French high speed train (TGV) to a town close to San Sebastian. You must be fluent in written and spoken Spanish. All instruction is in Spanish.

UPV offers a one-month intensive Spanish language course before classes start in late September. This is strongly recommended by both Golden Gate Law and UPV. There is a modest additional cost for this language program.

Each year, up to two Golden Gate Law students can study at UPV and up to two UPV students can study at Golden Gate Law. To participate in the UPV exchange program, Golden Gate Law students must:

• Have completed 3 semesters and 40 units at Golden Gate Law.
• Have a minimum required GPA of 2.3.
• Have a sufficient level of fluency in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish to participate in classes and take written and oral examinations in Spanish.
• Pursue a course of study at UPV that has an international or comparative focus or is related to the socio-legal environment of Spain.
• Receive the approval of the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Services and the Golden Gate Law/UPV Faculty Coordinator, Professor Marci Seville, after submitting a proposed academic plan and statement of educational objective.
• By the required deadline have submitted an application to, and then be accepted by UPV.

In reviewing applications, Golden Gate Law will consider a student's academic performance and the rigor of his or her proposed course of academic study abroad. A student may only participate in the Golden Gate Law/UPV exchange once during his or her time at Golden Gate Law. A student can participate in both the Paris/UPX summer program and the Golden Gate Law/UPV semester exchange program, but may not enroll in other non-Golden Gate Law courses. Students interested in the UPV semester abroad will ideally start planning by the end of their first year. In order to participate, you need to meet with Jody Lerner, Director for Law Student Services, to determine what required and bar related courses you should take before going abroad, the best term in which to study abroad, and what courses you will take upon returning to Golden Gate Law.

For most students, participation during the fall semester of your third year is ideal. The UPV exchange program is not available during the summer. If you are interested in going abroad during a semester other than the fall semester of your third year, you will need special approval from Law Student Services.

The UPV fall semester starts in late September and ends with examinations in January. Golden Gate Law students will be able to make special arrangements to take exams early in order to return for the spring semester. We also strongly recommend that Golden Gate Law students attend the UPV intensive Spanish language program in September. The UPV spring semester begins in early February and ends in late May with examinations in June. A student participating in the Golden Gate Law/UPV exchange will ordinarily enroll in an academic program comparable to a full academic schedule for the term at UPV. Jody Lerner and Professor Seville will determine the number of credits a student will receive toward his or her JD for the proposed course of study.

Golden Gate Law will grant unit credit for approved courses in which the student earned the equivalent of a 'C' or better. Grades from UPV will not appear on a student's Golden Gate Law transcript. Students must send official copies of their UPV transcripts to the Law Registrar in order to have UPV units recorded on their Golden Gate Law transcript.

In addition, to be awarded credit by Golden Gate Law for a course of study at a foreign school, students who participate in the UPV program must, upon their return to Golden Gate Law, provide to Professor Seville copies of any written work they completed during the course of their study at UPV.

No credit will be awarded for:

• visits or field trips to legal and government institutions except in instances in which the content of such activities is academic in nature and is related to the course in which credit is awarded;
• clinics or externships organized or operated through UPV;
• distance education courses;
• foreign language courses;
• courses in disciplines other than law.

The Golden Gate Law-UPV program has a two part application process. First the student must get approval from Golden Gate Law and then the student must apply to and be accepted by UPV.

Golden Gate Law Approval:

Students considering studying at UPV must meet with both Faculty Coordinator Professor Seville and the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Services who will then review a written plan by the student defining the educational objectives he or she seeks to achieve through foreign study.

The plan should:

• outline the student's educational objectives in pursuing foreign study and how the planned course of study will achieve those objectives;
• indicate the specific courses the student proposes to take at UPV;
• explain the arrangements the student has made to communicate with Professor Seville about the course of foreign study and how Professor Seville will monitor the student's foreign study, including review of the student's written work (either during the semester or upon the student's return to Golden Gate Law);
• set forth the dates of proposed foreign study;
• include a copy of the student's resume; and
• include a copy of the student's unofficial transcript.

In developing a proposed course of study, students should bear in mind that the purpose of the UPV exchange is to expose students to courses not available at Golden Gate Law. At UPV, students cannot take any Golden Gate Law required courses, any international law courses that are substantially the same as those they have taken or will take at Golden Gate Law, or courses about the U.S. legal system. At the discretion of Professor Seville, the plan may require the student to complete a directed research project, which would not count as a course taken at the foreign law school. It would, however, count toward the student's JD unit requirement.

UPV Application

Once students are approved by Professor Seville and the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Services, Professor Seville will give the student all the necessary UPV application forms.

Students who participate in the Golden Gate Law/UPV Exchange Program are not exempted from Golden Gate Law's graduation requirements. It is each student's responsibility to determine how a semester of foreign study will affect his or her ability to fulfill Golden Gate Law's graduation requirements. The UPV application deadline for attending UPV during the fall semester is May 2nd. To meet this deadline, you will need to meet with the Dean or Director for Law Student Services and Professor Seville well in advance of the UPV deadline. For students who, under special circumstances, might be permitted to apply for the spring semester, the UPV application deadline is November 1. You can find general information about the San Sebastian campus here.

Information for UPV law school and its courses is here.

Selecting Courses

• Electives are Optativas
• Required, full year courses are Troncales

Make sure you look at the:

• Language of the course (Castellano, not Basque)
• Correct semester
• Fall = 1 cuatrimestre
• Spring = 2 cuatrimestre
• Campus location: San Sebastian/Donostia = Gipuzkoa.ehu. (Bilbao is also an option, but you will probably prefer Donostia)
• You will generally want to enroll in Optativas (electives), rather than Troncales (full year, required courses)

You will find course descriptions under Programas de las asignaturas. The listing under Grupos provides details on the courses. Optativas are at the bottom of the listing by Grupo. Professor Juan Luis Arrieta Alberdi. Email: juanluis.arrieta@ehu.es. Please communicate with Professor Arrieta in Spanish. Participating Golden Gate Law students pay Golden Gate Law tuition based on the number of units taken. You are responsible for your own transportation and housing costs. The estimated cost is 300 Euros/month for shared housing. There is a modest additional fee for the September intensive Spanish language program. Golden Gate Law students eligible to receive aid may receive funding to cover their expenses while participating in the UPV exchange program. Students going abroad must inform the office of financial aid so that their aid can be adjusted accordingly. Disbursement of aid does not happen until just a few days before the actual semester begins. Students should plan accordingly so they can pay for airfare and other expenses before receiving their financial aid refunds. UPV has a housing office to assist you with finding an apartment. The estimated cost of housing is 300 Euros/month for shared housing. You will need to buy and have proof of health and general liability insurance. UPV does not provide the insurance. See here.

Generally, the documents required to apply for a student visa at the Consulate General of Spain San Francisco include the following: Visa application form, passport and copy of ID, three passport photos, a letter confirming acceptance in a Spanish University/School, evidence of funds (living expenses: $2200/month or $8800/semester), health insurance, itinerary, visa fee, self-addressed USPS envelope.

You should carefully review the information from the Spanish Consulate about the Visa requirements and plan ahead so you have everything completed with sufficient time to get your visa before you travel to Spain. Because space for Golden Gate Law students is limited at UPV, and withdrawals may severely compromise the foreign study relationships that Golden Gate Law has developed, once the student is accepted and indicates that he or she will be participating, the student will be permitted to withdraw only under exigent circumstances.