Learning Spanish in Bogota

There are many options for learning Spanish in Bogota, Colombia. I chose to take the course run by the Universidad Nacional (National University). This course was recommended to me as being one of the best courses in Latin America due to cost, course structure and the accent of Bogotano’s which is said to be the most neutral Spanish accent and therefore (theoretically) makes learning the language much easier.

A little bit about the course: there are five levels from beginner to advanced, each level runs for 10 hours per week for 8 weeks (80 hours per level). The classes are from 4-6pm Monday to Friday and it costs about $640,000 pesos (AU$340) per level, which works out to only AU$4.25 per hour! There are 4 semesters per year beginning around early February, early May, early August and mid October. Also, this course is certified for issuing of the Colombian student visa (you must be studying a minimum of 10 hours a week to obtain this visa and it’s simply a matter of filling out some forms, proving you have plenty of money and sitting all day in the visa office). You should ask for the certificate after you’ve enrolled.

Enrolment in this course is easy, once you know how. Unfortunately for me in my first time with the enrolment process my Spanish level was zero and navigating the university website in Spanish was extremely difficult. However thanks to some help from a friend who sent me the direct link for enrolment, I managed to fumble my way through.

So, the link you need to enroll online is http://www.extensionidiomas.unal.edu.co/ . This website will only be active when new enrolments are taking place. You can find out exact dates by:

  • Calling the Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras on PBX: 3165000  Ext. 16762-16763
  • Visiting the university: Universidad Nacional, Calle 26 entrance (Calle 26 with Carrera 36) Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras, Edificio 229

From the website link, go to ‘Applicant Home’, click ‘aceptar’ then enter your passport number as your ID and continue the online form from there. When you have completed the online enrolment you can take the printout to Universidad Nacional where they will give you the bank information for payment of the course. Once payment is made into their account at the specified bank you need to return to the university with a photocopy of the payment receipt and if you’re a beginner you’re done. The other option is to sit the placement exam which will be held about a week or so before the course is due to begin and they will place you into a level based on those results.

Then the fun begins – learning Spanish, meeting people and lots and lots of beer! Being a student is tough!

 

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4 Responses to Learning Spanish in Bogota

  1. Adriel says:

    Thanks so much for sharing this information. I’m planning on going to Bogota next summer to learn Spanish and I was trying to decide between Universidad Nacional or Los Andes. And those websites don’t provide a lot of info. I heard both are great schools and I heard Bogota has the best Spanish. Did you learn a lot? Do you feel that your Spanish has improved? What level did you take? Also I’m trying to find some information about housing. Where did you stay? Some people say you can find an apartment for $100 a month. Is that true?

    • Renee says:

      Hi Adriel! I took 2 courses of Spanish at Unal, level 1 and 2. When I arrived to Colombia I didn’t speak a word of Spanish and now I use Spanish everyday to get around and also at work – of course I still have a lot to learn, and honestly I’m not the most studious person but I highly recommend the Unal course. With the apartment it depends where you want to live. If you live outside of the main city you could find a room for $100 a month, but if you want to live closer to the centre and university (I recommend the area called Chapinero if you are going to study at Unal), rooms there cost more like $200-$250 a month, that’s usually furnished and including all bills. Check out http://www.compartoapto.com/ for share accommodation options, or if you’re a member of couchsurfing, the Bogota group often lists rooms available to rent. Feel free to ask anything else that crosses your mind – I might try and write up a general ‘moving to Bogota’ post soon with all the information I’ve collected over my time here. Cheers!

  2. Yumeko says:

    Hello, thank you do much for sharing information about uni in Bogota. I am Japanese and am looking for the information which you wrote on this blog!!! Thank you so much.
    I am thinking to go next March and start to study in uni from May… Do you know about due to apply to uni?? Am I still accepted to apply the course from May?
    I also would love to know if you get a job there…. Looking forward to hearing from you 🙂

  3. Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you might be a great author. I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and definitely will come back sometime soon. I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great work, have a nice day!

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