Objectives
Diploma graduates will be prepared to live comfortably and function efficiently among native Spanish speakers anywhere in the world, especially in regard to Mexico. Being fluent in Spanish, a graduate student will have practically no linguistic difficulties when presenting an entrance examination to study at a Latin American university, and professionals will be able to work in their field among Spanish speakers anywhere in the world. International Commerce, Education, Medicine, Sales, Public Relations, Diplomacy are just a few career opportunities that will be open to students.

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Length
Our Diploma Program is divided into 6 four-week Sessions or a total of 24 weeks of study. Since all of our Spanish levels begin anew at the start of every Session, this Program can be started at the beginning of any Session in the year. However, because of the way it is scheduled, if it is begun in September, October or November, instead of 6 months 7 months will be needed to complete it. It is open to students of all levels of ability. It may be taken in consecutive Sessions or at different times throughout the year as long as all requirements are met. For this reason, it is important to note that our Sociology and Literature Seminars are not offered consecutively in the year but rather are repeated every fourth month throughout the school year. A student returning to the Academia to resume his/her studies should make sure that we are offering the course that is needed in order to complete the Diploma.

If a student is not a Beginner, he/she will begin the Diploma Program according to the student’s level of Spanish and take the corresponding Spanish examinations to the previous levels. The cost of each test is $36.00. However, in order to obtain the Diploma, the student must complete all of the courses in the Program, which constitute the totality of the Diploma curriculum, and pass the corresponding evaluations.

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Requirements 
Those who wish to enter this highly intensive program must be willing to immerse themselves in the Spanish language and the Mexican culture. The student must be at least 18 years old and be able to spend 24 weeks in the Program, which may be taken in 6 consecutive months or in alternating months throughout the year. The student must complete all of the courses offered in this Program and pass all final evaluations in order to obtain the Diploma. In addition, a Diploma student must complete an internship of 100 hours of volunteer work among Mexicans.
Although not a requirement, we highly recommend that the student live with a Mexican family as this signifies a unique opportunity to reinforce and practice on a 24-hour basis what is being learned daily. The student will also have a deeper understanding of how people live in Mexico and absorb the nuances of how Spanish is used in different social contexts.

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Credits
A maximum of thirty-five hours of class per week or 140 hours of class per Session are offered, and therefore an average of 7 semester units of academic credit may be earned in a four-week Session. For every 20 hours spent in class one semester unit of credit may be obtained. To obtain credit, a student must maintain at least an 85% record of attendance, complete all assignments and pass a final evaluation for each course. Although our credits have been accepted by over 300 American colleges and universities, students should consult in advance with their home institutions to insure that they will receive credit for their studies at the Academia.

Study Materials
The cost of study materials is US $35.00 per Session. This fee is not included in the following quotes. 

Home Stays
The cost per night for a single room with 3 meals included is US $33.00 per person. The cost of a shared room with 3 meals included is US $27.00 per person per night.

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Tuition
Tuition and housing must be planned for in advance. If taken consecutively, tuition for the 6 Sessions will total US $3,310, plus a one-time, non-refundable $50.00 Enrollment Fee. Please see the tuition page for details. 

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WE REQUIRE A ONE-TIME NON-REFUNDABLE $50.00 ENROLMENT FEE TO REGISTER, SIMPLY FILL OUT AND SEND YOUR APPLICATION FORM.