Puerto Rico is an island territory of the United States with its own rich blend of Indigenous, Spanish, African, and North American influences. Due to its unique political history and relationship with the U.S., it is an ideal location for students interested in Caribbean Studies, Afro-Latinx Studies, Diaspora Studies, Postcolonialism Studies, and Spanish.  Students interested in Marine and Conservation Biology, Environmental Sciences, and Environmental Studies will also find plenty of opportunities to study those fields in this unique location.

Although technically not study "abroad,” this program will be administered as one of the Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad. Like our other programs all over the world, the School in Puerto Rico will allow students to study away in the context of the host community’s cultural and academic environment, immersed as much as possible in Spanish under the Middlebury Language Pledge.

Application materials:

A personal statement
Copy of domestic U.S. travel document (passport, passport card, REAL ID)
An official transcript
Study abroad advisor approval form
One letter of recommendation from a recent language professor
Writing sample in Spanish
$75 application fee (non-Middlebury students only)

Río Piedras, in the San Juan metro area, is known as “University City” because of the presence of the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras (also called UPRRP or “La IUPI”). Enrolling 12,000 students, this campus is the largest in the University of Puerto Rico system, and the oldest higher learning institution in the Caribbean. 

Students studying at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Río Piedras will live in an on-campus residence hall.