SSA Education Abroad offers you a unique opportunity to study on-site in Cuba, one of America’s nearest and most significant neighbors. You will take classes at the Universidad de la Habana, Cuba’s principal and earliest institution of higher education.

Our programs also include participation in an array of cultural activities and study trips designed to encourage direct interaction with the Cuban people.

Semester/Academic Year Program Options

High Academic Quality

• Community service opportunities in local Cuban organizations
• Direct attention and one-on-one interaction with professors
• Faculty office hours and tutoring
• U.S. modeled curriculum; credits transfer!
• Scholarship Awards
• Email Access
• Opportunity for direct enrollment in the University of Havana
• Option to complete an Independent Research Project

Dedicated Faculty and Staff

• Staff escorts on medical visits
• Classes taught by native Cuban professors
• On-Site Resident Director and staff

During your stay in Cuba, you are housed in a small hotel for visiting scholars that is part of the University of Havana. You share a room with another SSA Education Abroad​ student and are provided three meals a day.

Housing through SSA Education Abroad ends on the program end date. (Academic Year students please note: housing is not included between semesters. Contact SSA Education Abroad for details.)

Contact the Director of Study Abroad to discuss program fees and financial aid.

The Havana, Cuba semester abroad is an Saint Mary’s Affiliated Program. For any of Saint Mary’s Affiliated Programs, all federal and state aid (except work-study) and up to $2,000 in Saint Mary’s institutional aid may be applied to a program’s costs. However, certain forms of institutional aid, including tuition remission, the Catholic Educator Promise, and the Cardinal Promise, are not eligible for this $2,000 allocation.

Costs Include:

• Tuition
• Double occupancy room
• Orientation and study tours
• Health Insurance
• Spanish Studies transcript
• Support of onsite staff

Scholarship and Funding Information

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. SSA Education Abroad recommends that you apply as early as possible to allow more time for pre-departure arrangements, such as applying for a student visa.

Click here for Program Dates and Application Deadlines

To be eligible, you must have a 3.0 GPA in Spanish Coursework and be of sophomore status or higher..

Apply online to the SSA Education Abroad​. Complete the Saint Mary’s required paperwork, application may be picked up in the Study Abroad Office, International Center, the Heights.

Acceptance is contingent on a thorough review of the student’s application and subsequent approval from SSA Education Abroad.

After acceptance, complete the following required items.

1. Obtain a passport. Submit a copy of the first page to the Study Abroad Office.
2. Arrange travel plans. Submit a copy of your flight itinerary to the Study Abroad Office.

The city of La Habana, founded in 1514, and named after a local aboriginal chief, is Cuba’s cosmopolitan capital.

Havana was once one of the most prosperous ports, and the third most populous city in the Americas. A beautiful city, with idyllic landscapes, captivating bays, and a rich, diverse culture, Havana is the site for an ideal learning experience.

Explore the streets of Havana, the salsa rhythm and son cubano, the musical genre developed by African slaves, along with the sites, smells, and sounds of Cuban culture, surround you
Experience the island’s thought-provoking contradictions, spirited determination, and stunning, natural beauty.

Walk along the malecón, or ocean seawall, a short distance from the center of the city. The malecón is a common gathering place for Cubans, as well as for students. Visit Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s home, located just outside Havana, where he wrote Islands in The Stream, A Moveable Feast, and The Old Man And The Sea.

Delve into life in Cuba from a cross-cultural perspective, daring to step outside of yourself and experience reality from another point of view.

Learn more about the culture of Havana