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ALBA Barcelona: Foster Partner Program

Make sure to check out all the Foster Undergraduate Study Abroad Options.

Program Details

The ALBA Barcelona: Foster Partner Program is a third-party study abroad provider that has partnered with the UW Foster School of Business to allow UW students to earn UW credit. Students apply through UW Foster’s Global Business Center, and if selected, students connect directly with the ALBA Study Abroad Center in Barcelona, Spain where the ALBA staff and faculty support students while abroad.

Who Can Participate?

The ALBA Barcelona Program admits between 20-25 UW students each quarter. Foster major students will be given priority, but ALL UW undergraduate students are encouraged to apply. UW undergraduates will remain enrolled at UW while abroad and may be able to use eligible financial aid and scholarships for this program. UW students will be joined by around 20-30 additional students from other US institutions who enroll through Portland State University.

Program Eligibility

All applicants must be current UW students in good standing. A 3.0 GPA or higher is required to apply (GPAs under 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis).

To be eligible, applicants must also complete ALL application components outlined below (Application Process section) prior to the application deadline.

If GPA is below 3.0, please submit the following to Caro Zeiher by the application deadline:

  • Personal Academic Essay — Although there is no length requirement, the essay must address your GPA, any particular academic challenges faced, the reasons you chose the ALBA program, and how it fits into your academic and/or career goals.
  • (Optional) Professor Recommendation — The recommendation should indicate a professor’s opinion of the applicant’s academic ability to pursue university-level coursework in a foreign country, in addition to any information that would help the application committee gain a better understanding of the applicant.

Application Process for 2025-2026

To apply to the ALBA Barcelona: Foster Partner Program, you must complete ALL of these steps prior to the application deadline:

Participants will be selected through a lottery system. Eligible students who have completed ALL application components listed above will be entered into the lottery and randomly selected. There will also be a waitlist randomly generated from the lottery.

The Foster School of Business, Global Business Center will notify students of their acceptance or waitlist status within one month of the application deadline.

Courses

Faculty from neighboring universities will teach business courses approved by the Foster School including Foster’s core business courses and several business electives. Some basic information about courses:

  • ALBA intends to offer at least three Foster School core courses equivalents each quarter for Foster School students.
  • For the 2025-2026 academic year, ALBA guarantees to offer the following Foster Core Courses for business majors: IBUS 300, MGMT 320, MGMT 300, and MKTG 301. These will be offered every quarter. UW students that are not Foster School majors are not eligible to take these Foster business core course equivalents.
  • ALBA also offers these Foster course equivalents each quarter: FIN 428 and FIN/ B ECON 490. UW Foster School students are the only UW students eligible to take this course due to the FIN 350 Prerequisite.
  • All students on the program can choose from electives and non-business courses including political science, international studies, economics, communications, history, etc. See courses offered by ALBA (note that the Foster School course titles/codes may be slightly different).
  • All courses are taught in English except Spanish Language courses.
  • Course offerings may vary by quarter, but they tend to offer 15+ courses each quarter that they consider their ‘core offerings.’
  • Offered only in Summer term: MGMT 200 (The Legal Environment of Business), taught by Tod Bergstrom
  • We recommend that you talk with a GBC Study Abroad Adviser for more information.
  • To see the UW Foster course equivalents for the ALBA Barcelona business courses, check out the Foster Study Abroad Course Equivalency List.
  • In Summer term only: MGMT 200 (The Legal Environment of Business), taught by Ted Bergstrom
  • Non-Foster major students can NOT take any courses that are the equivalent of a core course or an upper-division elective at Foster (Ex: I BUS 300, MGMT 300, MGMT 320, MKTG 301, FIN 428, FIN/B ECON 490).

Costs & Dates

Students will be concurrently enrolled at the UW while studying in Spain. Students pay two fees via their UW tuition statement, the UW Study Abroad Fee ($495) and Foster Study Abroad Fee ($375). The tuition, study abroad insurance, and housing fees are paid directly to ALBA Barcelona.

Housing through ALBA is optional and prices vary depending on the type of housing (i.e. shared apartment, homestay or student residence, etc.). Airfare and cost of living are on top of the below fees.

Consult this Page for ALBA Costs and Dates.

ALBA Program Scholarships

The ALBA Barcelona Program offers two awards for tuition reduction each term for Foster School participants. The tuition reduction is $2,500 in Summer and $5,000 during Fall, Winter, and Spring. To be considered for one of these awards, please apply to the GBC Study Abroad Scholarships Application.

Foster Study Abroad Fee

Each Foster Study Abroad Program will include the following fees in the program price: Foster Study Abroad Fee ($375) and UW Study Abroad Fee ($495).

The Foster Study Abroad fee is an Administrative Fee that funds all Foster Study Abroad activities, including organizing the programs, recruiting participants, assisting faculty, organizing pre-departure and post-return classes and events, and for providing study abroad advising for students. This fee is charged to all students participating on a Foster Study Abroad Program regardless of major.

Withdrawal Process

Once you’ve submitted your contract, you are contractually agreeing to pay the UW Study Abroad Fee and Foster Study Abroad Fee. These fees are due by the tuition deadline of the quarter you are abroad.

You must also notify Caro Zeiher, [email protected] of your intent to withdraw from the program.

For students who have completed all components listed above, they will be entered into a lottery system and notified of decisions/placement by the Foster School of Business, Global Business Center. Notification dates will vary but are usually within one month of the application deadline.