ARGENTINA - ISEP Universidad de Palermo

To be eligible to participate in this program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Good academic and judicial standing during time of application AND time of participation in program
• Undergraduates must have completed at least two semesters of study at Lake Forest College AND have junior status or higher before participation. 
• At least 18 years of age by the program’s departure date. 
• Be able to stay at the host program for the duration of the semester, including through the exam and travel periods
• Minimum GPA of 2.75.  
• Language Requirement: A minimum of 5 semesters of university-level Spanish or the equivalent must be completed prior to the program.
• The student must submit ISEP language proficiency report in the application, even if native speaker.

Students applying to ISEP must apply for an Exchange option (in any country) as a first choice but may apply to a Direct option as a back-up. Direct options may have an additional cost (see a financial section for more information).

Universidad de Palermo is located in Buenos Aires, a sophisticated and dynamic metropolis with a population of over 13 million. Buenos Aires is famous for its European-influenced architecture, indulgent foodie scene and vibrant nightlife, with glamourous tango at the center of it all. Known for its multiculturalism and hospitality, Buenos Aires has also been named as the best city in the Spanish-speaking world for international students (QS Best Student Cities Ranking).

Universidad de Palermo is located in the trendy and artistic Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Many of the embassies, squares, beautiful parks, museums, and cultural centers are located in Palermo, whose main avenues feature a variety of shops, restaurants, pubs and movie theaters.

To learn more about the visa process for this country, please visit the ISEP Country Handbook for Argentina. 

Lecturing is the principal method of instruction in Latin American Universities, with one final exam or paper counting as the only grade in the class. Still, some professors will also give midterm exams or papers. Professors tend to be more formal than those in the United States, and class sizes are often larger.

In most Latin American countries, the grading philosophy is that the student starts at 0 (has no knowledge of the subject) and needs to work hard to obtain a good grade. As such, Latin American universities tend to be severe in their grading and a grade of sobresaliente (10 - the highest grade possible in Argentina) is rarely awarded. In most classes, the majority of students will receive either aprobadoor muy bueno (from 4 to 6)

The fields most appropriate for ISEP students are Art, Business, Design, Latin American and Latinx Studies and Literature, Psychology, and Social Sciences.  

Students can also choose from courses in the Latin American Cultural Identity Program designed for international students focusing on regional studies.  Students can choose from Spanish-spoken courses such as Society and Culture, Government and Politics in Latin America, Evolution of the Argentine Society and Latin American Art, along with Universidad de Palermo’s students.

To assist in determing the appropirate number of credits, transcripts from ISEP insitutions in Argentina usually unclude the weeklyu contact hours, total contact hours (per semester), or credits.

To earn 4 Lake Forest credits, students must take 168 total contact hours. 

To Earn 3 Lake Forest credits, students must take 126 total contact hours. 

The number of credits listed here is estimated, and GEO will work with you, your advisor, and the registrar to ensure you are earning enough credits to keep you on track for graduation.

HINTS FOR RESEARCHING COURSES

1. View the list of degree programs

2. Click on the degree name, then on “plan de estudios” to view a degree map and course descriptions. 

3.   Students may also enroll in courses from the Latin American Cultural Identity Program, created especially for international students.  Spanish as a second language courses are also available. 

4. Courses in “1er semestre” rows on the degree map are offered January – June, and courses in “2do. Semestre” rows are offered July – December.

Note: The courses may not be available each semester. Some courses are full-year only (March-December) and these are known as annual. Upon receipt of your application, the ISEP Coordinator at UP will confirm whether or not your desired courses are available during your requested study period.

Please review ISEP country handbook for more information on the education system, grades, class hours, and classroom etiquette.

Total enrollment: 13,000 including 2,400 international students. 

ORIENTATION

There is a 2-part Orientation:
1. Orientation within the City: transportation system, currency issues, banking and bank location, telephone calls, safety issues, etc.
2. Orientation at Universidad de Palermo: transportation to and from the university, the location of the six schools within the urban campus, library location, registration, meeting with professors and authorities, class schedule and rooms, internet access, an e-mail address at the University of Palermo, sports facilities, etc.

ARRIVAL DETAILS 

Students are not picked up at the airport. The host will provide arrival directions with acceptance packet.

Students are housed either with host families or in a student residence, often with 2 students per bedroom. Host families/Student Residences will provide breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday and students will receive a stipend to purchase meals at lunch and on the weekends. Upon acceptance, students will be given the choice between a host family or a student residence.

For all approved programs for guaranteed financial aid transferability, students pay their Lake Forest College tuition plus a program fee. The program fee for a semester with the ISEP Exchange to Universidad de Palermo includes orientation, on-site director, university fees, housing, and the equivalent of 19/meals per week. The Direct fee includes All of the above, plus insurance.  

ISEP costs for Exchange are usually the most cost-effective, as it is intended to promote mobility of students around the world. Direct options are available for those students that prefer to attend a school with limited availability for Exchange, though costs may be different as they are set by the host school. However, the program fee may be different than that of Exchange, which tend to be less expensive to promote more exchange opportunities for all schools.

Here is an estimated budget for the Fall 2019/Spring 2020 programs:

Tuition rates and program fees are subject to change each year, but this information was up-to-date as of March 2019. We will notify applicants, and update this page if the program fee or other estimates change.

You can discuss with Financial Aid your specific aid package and your expected family contribution.

Deposits to other programs, if required, are paid by the student to the host program, and will appear as a credit on your study abroad term bill from the College.

Keep in mind that you may spend more or less in certain areas like personal expenses, travel, meals, or airfare, depending on exchange rates and your own spending habits. Classroom or lab fees are not included in this estimate and will depend on your course registration choices.  

Don’t forget to apply for scholarships! A great listing can be found here.