Spanish

Spanish SLI 2026 - In Person 

Spanish SLI opens the door to the Spanish-speaking world, whether at home or abroad. The third most spoken language in the world, Spanish, is spoken by an estimated 470 and 500 million people worldwide. The U.S. has the world's second-largest Spanish-speaking population, where Spanish ranks as the second most spoken language behind English. 

The goal of the Spanish SLI is translingual and transcultural competence, defined by the 2007 Modern Language Association Report as “the ability to operate between languages.” In other words, SLI will prepare you to function as an informed and capable Spanish speaker, to reflect on the world and yourself through the lens of another language and culture, and to relate to members of your own society who speak languages other than English. 

You’ll leave the Spanish SLI with an intermediate-level competence in the language and will be able to handle everyday communicative tasks in the target culture, such as the exchange of basic information related to work, school, recreation, and personal information covering self, family, home, daily activities, interests and personal preferences, as well as physical and social needs, such as food, shopping, travel, and lodging. 

Pedagogy and Philosophy  

The Spanish SLI is a near-immersion accelerated language program intended for students with little or no prior experience in the language.  

At SLI, we believe that language learning occurs most effectively in a student-centered classroom that offers the practice of linguistic and cultural knowledge and fosters the development of the four language skills – speaking, listening, reading, and writing. In this learning model, you’ll be actively engaged daily in learning, practicing, and applying knowledge, while your teachers will be the facilitators of this process. By the end of SLI, students will be able to: 

• Communicate via speaking, listening, reading, and writing at an intermediate proficiency level. See the Benchmarks and Activities chart to understand what intermediate-level proficiency looks like and the activities we will do in class to help you develop it. 
• Make comparisons between products and practices to help understand perspectives in the own and other cultures. 
• Develop intercultural skills applicable to other studies and situations you may encounter in any global context.  
• Apply self-directed strategies for learning through reflection. 
• Develop digital literacy skills that effectively use different media forms. 

Unique Features of the Program 

What makes the Spanish Summer Language Institute a unique learning experience? The institute offers an intensive near-immersion program in which students can complete both beginning and intermediate levels of Spanish instruction—12 credits—in just eight weeks. This is equivalent to two years of coursework, covering SPAN 1016, 1026, 2016, and 2026, all within one summer! 

Students also have the option to participate in a half-program (4 weeks - 6 credits): they can choose the first half (6 credits—Intensive Introductory Spanish 1016-1026) or the second half (6 credits—Intensive Intermediate Spanish 2016-2026). This flexibility allows students to select the option that best fits their schedule, proficiency level, and learning goals. 

The Spanish SLI is unique because all students sign a pledge to speak Spanish only throughout the entire 8-week program. All contact and communication in and outside the classroom are in Spanish only from the first day of the program. This near-immersion format will help you learn Spanish more effectively while developing cultural and linguistic fluency. 

The intensive student-centered approach to learning Spanish makes the Summer Language Institute different from most summer language programs. SLI participants find the experience rewarding. 

What students say about Spanish SLI: 

“Utterly fantastic. The instructor’s understanding of the language and how it functions is amazing and is very fun to learn from...” 

“The instructor reinforced why I took SLI: to dive deeper into Spanish and culture. I believe the topics we covered in this class will stick with me more than in other classes. The professor went above and beyond in the amount of effort and dedication to SLI” 

Required Class Materials: 

Thalia Dorwick; Ana M. Perez-Girones; Anne Becher. Puntos de Partida, 11th edition - ebooK. 

ISBN10: 1266411305 | ISBN13: 9781266411304 - McGraw-Hill Education, 2024 

Daily Schedule: 

The program meets five days a week. 

Morning 9:30-12:00 

Afternoon 1:00-4:00  

Attendance in both daily classes (morning, afternoon) is required of all students, regardless of whether they are enrolled for credit or non-credit. Furthermore, regardless of enrollment type, every student must earn a passing grade in each class of the SLI's first half to continue in the program's second half. Each Friday, students and teachers gather for a communal lunch in an informal setting to practice their Spanish conversation skills.

Check all the available options before applying. 

Students are strongly encouraged to register for the full 8-week program and complete the intermediate level. The option to apply for either the first or second half is also available. The table below provides information on the available options.

2026 Costs 

All students in SLI programs (including the non-credit option) must pay:

• • Institute Fee - non-refundable: $60
  • Comprehensive Fee - non-refundable: $493 (In-State) - $553 (Out-of-State)
  • Tuition: Depends on the number of credits for which the student is enrolled. Check tuition costs below the SLI Program Fee, and contact us at vera.abbate@virginia.edu with any questions.

This is not a residential program. For information on housing and meal plans, please refer to the following resources:

• • For housing costs, see Summer Session Housing.
  • For meal plan options, see Dining.

Contact Information: 

Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese