Where you live can have an enormous impact on your overall experience in Spain. The Department of Housing is dedicated to helping you choose the option that best suits you. Please read the following information carefully before making your final decision.

The purpose of this information is to provide a general understanding of the housing arrangements in Madrid while studying with SUMC. We hope this information is helpful.

Madrid is a densely-populated city of about 5.000.000 inhabitants. Despite Madrid’s size, the public transportation system (buses, subway and commuter trains) makes any part of the city very accessible. Your housing assignment will have easily access to public transportation. In the past, SUMC students have preferred to live near the center of the city, even if it means traveling a bit more to get to class each day. It is important to know that in Spain, campus facilities are different from what you may be used to at your home university. Spanish students go to the university to attend class and then they go home, to work, to the gym, or to hang out elsewhere. Once classes are finished, life takes place in the neighborhoods and the city center.

Suffolk University Madrid Campus has no on-campus housing. However, students are provided with the following choices:

For STUDY ABROAD students:

• SUMC-sponsored housing. All options available.

For FRESHMEN or TRANSFER students (direct Madrid applicants):

• Semester one: Host family OR Residence.
• Semester two: Host family OR Residence.
• Successive Semesters: SUMC-sponsored housing. All options available.

For FRESHMEN students (non-direct Madrid applicants):

• Semester one: Host family.
• Semester two: Host family OR Residence.
• Successive Semesters: SUMC-sponsored housing. All options available.

All returning students wishing to choose their own non-SUMC sponsored housing, need to know that permission to move out of SUMC-sponsored living arrangements will be contingent upon their behavior during previous semesters.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who are on academic probation are not eligible for non-SUMC sponsored housing.

HOUSING PLACEMENTS: You will be informed about your housing placement 2-3 weeks before the beginning of the semester.

HOUSING CHANGES: we will do our best to find the best placement for you, taking your preferences into account. However, we can’t guarantee that you’ll get your first choice. Within the first 14 days after arrival day and provided there’s a good reason for a change, you may request the Housing Coordinator for a housing change. We will consider your request and do our best to relocate you within the options available. After the first 14 days, a formal written request will have to be filled out for any housing change and it will have to be approved by the Housing Coordinator and the campus Director.

HOST FAMILIES

One of your housing options is staying in a private home with a host family. We work with different kinds of host families: single women with /without children, young couples, and more traditional families with children. Some of them live within walking distance of campus; others live in the city center; and others are in more residential areas within the city with an easy commute to campus.

Staying with a family is the recommended option for students who would like to immerse themselves in the Spanish lifestyle, improve their Spanish language skills and make the most of their time in Spain. Students who choose this option have highly positive experiences and benefit from supportive family environments while enjoying great independence. Our families are handpicked to ensure quality interaction with our students, many of whom develop lasting friendships with their hosts.

This option includes a half-board meal plan (14 meals per week – daily breakfast and either lunch or dinner); a double (may be shared with another Suffolk student) or single room; laundry and cleaning services; and internet access. Host families tend to be more flexible than residences when it comes to schedules, dietary preferences, laundry needs, etc.

Meal plan: your housing fee covers a half board meal plan, which means that you’ll have to plan and budget for the other daily meal (lunch or dinner). You may take advantage of the student prices you will find in cafeterias and restaurants near the SUMC campus.

While meals usually feature Spanish cuisine, students are free to indicate personal food preferences, eating schedules should be arranged between students and their families by mutual consent. Students do not have kitchen privileges.

A note on Spanish meals: Breakfast (el desayuno) in Spain is light compared to what you might be used to. The norm is coffee (café con leche) or hot chocolate (colacao), toast, cereal, cookies or muffins and maybe a glass of juice. Lunch (la comida) is usually the main meal of the day. Dinner (la cena) is usually lighter affair. In any case, SUMC students get a full meal (starter, main dish and dessert) regardless of the meal time, lunch or dinner.

The sobremesa, or time spent conversing during and at the end of a family meal, is quite important in Spain. Unless you have an important appointment and must ask to be excused, you should take advantage of this time if the family eats together.

Visitors and overnight guests are not allowed in host family accommodations.

If you would like to connect with Spanish culture firsthand, this is the option for you.

STUDENT RESIDENCES

Residences are located on a designated floor of an apartment building. Many residences are found in the heart of the city and are close to bus and subway stations. Students who want to live in a small community, but not in a family environment, usually choose this option. SUMC generally uses small residences with approximately 8-15 students. SUMC Students typically share the residence with Spanish university students. Most rooms are doubles. You should be aware that because the residences we use are fairly small, they do not offer the flexibility or extra services that you may find in dorms or hostels. Most of our residences are co-ed.

Services included in this option are: laundry (one load a week), cleaning, internet connection, half board meal plan. Internet connections may not be as fast as what you are used to in the US, mainly because of the number of users in a residence and internet speed is typically slower in Europe in general.

Meal plan: your housing fee covers a half board meal plan (14 meals per week - daily breakfast and either lunch or dinner), which means that you’ll have to plan and budget for the other daily meal (lunch or dinner). You may take advantage of the student prices you will find in cafeterias and restaurants in the area near campus. Students do not have kitchen privileges. However, there’s normally a fridge and some cabinets for students to keep their own food, as well as coffee makers, microwaves and toasters.

Residences have set weekly menus and meal times, typically: breakfast 7:30am-10:00am; lunch 1:30pm-3:00pm; dinner 8:30pm-10:00pm. Although some dietary restrictions may be catered for, if you have special dietary needs, residences will probably not be the best choice for you.

A note on Spanish meals: Breakfast (el desayuno) in Spain is light compared to what you might be used to. The norm is coffee (café con leche) or hot chocolate (colacao), toast, cereal, cookies or muffins and maybe a glass of juice. Lunch (la comida) is often the main meal of the day. Dinner (la cena) may be a somewhat lighter affair. In any case, SUMC students get a full meal (starter, main dish and dessert) regardless of the meal time, lunch or dinner.

Overnight guests are not allowed in any SUMC accommodation. Visitors (Suffolk students), however, are allowed in residences between 10:00am and 10:00pm.

If a blend of community spirit, Spanish cuisine and personal space appeals to you, choose this option.

SHARED APARTMENTS (not available for freshmen)

The University offers and maintains a limited number of rooms in shared apartments in neighborhoods that are easily accessible from campus. While these apartments vary in size and appearance, all have been inspected and approved by Suffolk.

Single and double rooms are selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Apartments have a TV, dining room, and fully equipped kitchen. Sheets, towels, blankets, and pillow are provided, as is a weekly cleaning service for common areas. Please keep in mind that students who use utilities in excess may be charged an additional fee. Students must provide their own cleaning products and personal toiletries in the apartments. Students must purchase these items on their own.

Meal plan: In the apartments, your housing fee covers a half board meal plan (14 meals per week - daily breakfast and either lunch or dinner), which means that you will have to plan and budget for the other daily meal (lunch or dinner). Students who live in apartments receive a combination of restaurant vouchers and a gift card for use toward the cost of their meals. The vouchers are accepted in most restaurants around the country and the gift card is very widely accepted. If you want the vouchers and the gift card to go a long way, we recommend that you take advantage of the student prices you will find in cafeterias and restaurants in the area near campus and shop for food at grocery stores and cook at home.

Overnight guests are not allowed in any SUMC accommodation. Visitors (Suffolk students), however, are allowed in residences and apartments between 10:00am and 10:00pm.

If you would like to follow you own routine and cook on your own, an apartment could be the right choice for you.

For all options please refer to the specific guidelines.

There are limited places in residences and apartments.

STUDENTS IN NON-SUMC SPONSORED HOUSING

If you opt for non-sponsored housing you must either live at home with your own family or an approved relative, or live on your own. Any student contemplating his or her own apartment needs to fulfill the following requirements:

1. You must have lived in Madrid for at least one semester.
2. You must not be doing your Freshman Year.
3. You must have a good command of Spanish.
4. You must be capable of dealing with contracts, landlords, maintenance workers, and/ or technicians who might be required for any necessary repairs or unexpected housing situations.
5. You must be capable of handling all bureaucratic details to ensure that telephone lines, Internet access, and utilities are installed and running properly.
6. You must have a signed lease for at least the duration of the semester, as specified in our official academic calendar.

If a student fulfills these requirements and would like to request a housing waiver, she or he must request it formally.

Housing waiver request:

1. If you plan to live with your family:
   • You must provide written confirmation from your family that you will live with them.
2. If you plan to live on your own:
   • You must fill out the housing waiver request form and give/send it to the Housing Coordinator before the beginning of the semester.
   • You must provide the address of the apartment where you’d like to live and a contact number.
   • You must provide a copy of your lease at the beginning of the semester.
   • You must sign a housing liability waiver at the beginning of the semester.

Students who are contemplating non-SUMC sponsored housing need to be aware that:

• They will most probably have to open a Spanish bank account.
• Apartment owners normally require you to pay a fianza, or security deposit. In most cases, this is the equivalent of two or three months' rent.
• You may have to pay one month's rent as the realtor's commission if the apartment is facilitated by a realtor.

Suffolk University Madrid Campus staff cannot assume any of the above mentioned responsibilities for students who seek housing on their own, or any financial or legal obligations related to such housing.