Spanish for Bolivia

“I’m coming to study, at a university or a Spanish school.”

Study in Bolivia

Study in Bolivia, from the placement chat to your certificate, in Spanish.

Join a Spanish school, enrol at the university, live with a host family and handle student paperwork, asking and verifying for your own case.

situations
5
chapters
34
Bolivia notes
176
Start chapter 1 freeSee the Bolivia Pass
  • 5 situations, in the order you will live them
  • Starts free
  • A0 to B1
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First week in Sucre, pen in hand

The path

5 situations, in order

Start with “Join a Spanish School”. Open a situation to see its chapters and what each one needs.

  1. Join a Spanish School

    Open the situation

    Write to a Spanish school in Sucre, pass the placement chat, enrol and pay, follow your first class, change group politely, sign up for activities and leave with your certificate.

    7 chaptersChapters 1 and 2 free

    See the 7 chapters
    • 1Your first message to the schoolFree
    • 2The placement chat
    • 3Enrol and payBolivia Pass
    • 4The first classBolivia Pass
    • 5Asking to change groupBolivia Pass
    • 6The activities boardBolivia Pass
    • 7Certificate and goodbyeBolivia Pass

  2. Enrol at the University

    Open the situation

    Write to the international office, read a document list for your own case, hand in your file at the Kardex window, pay the matrícula, choose your courses, follow up politely and find your way on the first day.

    7 chapters

    See the 7 chapters
    • 1Write to the international officeBolivia Pass
    • 2Read the documents listBolivia Pass
    • 3At the Kardex windowBolivia Pass
    • 4Pay and get your constanciaBolivia Pass
    • 5Choose your coursesBolivia Pass
    • 6Follow up politelyBolivia Pass
    • 7First day on campusBolivia Pass

  3. Live with a Host Family

    Open the situation

    Arrive at a host family in Sucre, meet everyone with the right register, understand the house rules, talk about meals and what you do not eat, solve small problems warmly and say a good goodbye.

    7 chapters

    See the 7 chapters
    • 1Before you arriveBolivia Pass
    • 2Meet the familyBolivia Pass
    • 3The house rulesBolivia Pass
    • 4Meals and diet by textBolivia Pass
    • 5Small problems at homeBolivia Pass
    • 6Sunday lunch with the familyBolivia Pass
    • 7Thanks and goodbyeBolivia Pass

  4. Student Life

    Open the situation

    Join the class WhatsApp group, find a room in a shared student flat, agree on bills and chores, use the library, run a group project, talk to a professor after class and plan the weekend with classmates.

    7 chapters

    See the 7 chapters
    • 1The class group chatBolivia Pass
    • 2A room in a shared flatBolivia Pass
    • 3The first flat meetingBolivia Pass
    • 4At the central libraryBolivia Pass
    • 5The group projectBolivia Pass
    • 6A word with the professorBolivia Pass
    • 7Friday night plansBolivia Pass

  5. Student Paperwork

    Open the situation

    Say your student situation in one sentence, read a list for your own case, practise the appointment, see a doctor as a student, ask about grades and apostille, and check your dates before a deadline, always verifying at the window.

    6 chapters

    See the 6 chapters
    • 1Your situation in one sentenceBolivia Pass
    • 2The list for your caseBolivia Pass
    • 3The appointmentBolivia Pass
    • 4A doctor as a studentBolivia Pass
    • 5Grades and the apostilleBolivia Pass
    • 6Before the deadlineBolivia Pass

What awaits you in Bolivia

Before you arrive, in a few lines

The practical side, theme by theme: what to expect on the ground, with its sources. The Spanish to handle it is in the situations below.

Staying as a student

  • Bolivian consulates issue a visa de estudiante, valid for up to 60 days, which then lets you apply to Migración for a permanencia temporal for study.
  • According to Migración, the permanencia temporal para estudiantes lasts 1, 2 or 3 years and can be renewed until your studies end, but it does not lead to permanencia definitiva.
  • Each Bolivian consulate publishes its visa requirements on consulados.cancilleria.gob.bo. Check with the Bolivian consulate in your country before you leave.
Sources

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia (Cancillería) · Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia (Cancillería) · Dirección General de Migración (Bolivia)

Universities

  • In Santa Cruz, UAGRM is the main public university; private options include UPSA and UCB. UPSA has an Oficina de Internacionalización that answers foreign applicants.
  • In La Paz, public UMSA has an international relations department that publishes exchange programmes; the private Universidad Católica Boliviana (UCB) runs an international portal.
  • In Cochabamba, public UMSS states that foreigners go through the same admission as Bolivians; exchanges go through its international relations office. UCB also has a campus there.
  • Sucre calls itself a university city: the public USFX has an international relations site, and the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (postgraduate) has its headquarters there.
  • The university year starts in February or March: USFX opened 2026 on 9 February, a UAGRM faculty resumed on 9 March. UPSA takes foreign students for February to June or August to December.
Sources

Sources: UAGRM · UAGRM · Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra (UPSA) · UPSA · Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo · UMSA · UMSA · Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo · UMSS · UMSS · USFX · USFX · USFX · El País (Tarija), 25 May 2018 · Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Sede Central Sucre · USFX · UAGRM, Facultad de Ciencias del Hábitat, Diseño y Arte

Spanish schools

  • In Sucre, Spanish schools for foreigners with their own websites include Sucre Spanish School (private or small-group lessons) and Me Gusta Spanish (groups of up to 4, host families).
  • In Cochabamba, Spanish schools for foreigners with their own websites include Escuela Carmen Vega (2026 prices online) and CLIMAL (Spanish, Quechua and Aymara, in person or online).
  • In La Paz, Spanish schools for foreigners that publish prices online include Ayni Spanish Institute (private or group lessons, homestay offered).
  • Santa Cruz has fewer Spanish schools for foreigners; the Alianza Francesa Santa Cruz, for example, offers personalised Spanish courses for 1 to 3 students.
Sources

Sources: Sucre Spanish School · Me Gusta Spanish School · Escuela Carmen Vega · CLIMAL Language Center · Ayni Spanish Institute · Ayni Spanish Institute · Alianza Francesa Santa Cruz

Costs

  • Private lessons: about 7 to 11.50 USD an hour (50 to 80 Bs) per Sucre Spanish School, Escuela Carmen Vega and Ayni Spanish Institute, September 2026; in a group, about 4.50 to 8 USD per person.
  • Host family: about 80 to 155 USD a week per Ayni Spanish Institute, Escuela Carmen Vega (840 Bs, 3 meals) and Sucre Spanish School (150 Bs a night, 2 meals), September 2026.
  • Once you hold a permanencia temporal, SEGIP’s foreigner ID card (cédula de identidad de extranjero) costs 300 Bs for students, against 600 Bs at the regular rate (SEGIP’s page, September 2026).
Sources

Sources: Sucre Spanish School · Escuela Carmen Vega · Ayni Spanish Institute · Ayni Spanish Institute · Escuela Carmen Vega · Sucre Spanish School · SEGIP (Servicio General de Identificación Personal)

Living with a host family

  • In many families the big meal is the midday almuerzo, eaten together; say in the morning if you won’t be back, because the cook shops and cooks for an exact number.
  • Sucre’s colonial houses open through a portón that many families lock at a set hour at night: the key you get on day one is a sign of trust, and a message when you will be late is expected.
  • Many homes have no hot-water tank: the ducha eléctrica heats the water in the shower head. Ask to be shown how it works on day one, and expect an extra frazada: nights are cool even in summer.
Sources

Sources: the situation “Live with a Host Family”

Updated September 2026. Practical pointers, not legal, medical or financial advice: requirements change, so check with the office or professional who handles your case.

Field notes

Three notes, to set the tone

A small sample. In every chapter, a right answer can earn you a short note on life in Bolivia; they build your own guide, Mi Bolivia.

Plaza 25 de Mayo, the heart of Sucre, is named after 25 May 1809, when the city (then Chuquisaca) rose against Spanish rule, remembered as the "Primer Grito Libertario". Locals simply call it "la plaza" and use it as the starting point for directions.

From: Join a Spanish School, chapter 1Free

In Sucre, moving from usted to tú is usually offered by the older or more senior person, as Daniela does here. Once she offers it, sticking to usted can sound distant, so switching right away is the warm answer.

From: Join a Spanish School, chapter 2

In Bolivia a bare '¿qué?' to ask for a repeat can sound abrupt; '¿perdón?', '¿cómo?' or '¿me repites?' are the usual gentle forms. Teachers in Sucre hear them all day and are used to slowing down for newcomers.

From: Join a Spanish School, chapter 2

+ 165 more notes with the pass

This goal holds 176 field notes: 11 in its free chapters, 165 with the pass. Each one is earned in a chapter and stays in your Mi Bolivia guide.

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Your city

And if you do not study in Sucre?

This goal takes place in Sucre for now: the words are the same, prices and addresses change.

In Cochabamba

  • In Cochabamba, trufis and micros run fixed lines: ask neighbours or classmates which line passes near the university, often the quickest way to find it.
Sources

Sources: the situation “Explore Cochabamba”

In Sucre

  • February opens the university year in Sucre and many Spanish learners arrive too: rooms in the centro go fast, so write early with your dates.
  • In Sucre, students use tú with each other (no voseo); with offices, professors and the host family, people keep a warm usted and titles (licenciado, doctor).
Sources

Sources: the situation “Student Life” · the situation “Join a Spanish School”

Day to day in each city Santa Cruz · La Paz · Cochabamba · Sucre · Compare the four cities

Departure plan

Week by week, up to your arrival

A glimpse of the plan for this goal. Yours is built from your city and your arrival month, with a free account.

Before you leave

  1. Your first message to the schoolJoin a Spanish School · Chapter 1FreeWrite to your Spanish school before you leave: classes, schedule, start date and price.
  2. Before you arriveLive with a Host Family · Chapter 1Bolivia PassTell your host family your arrival day and time, and what you do not eat.

Arrival week

  1. Your city: Santa CruzRings, radial roads, heat and rainExplore Santa Cruz · Chapter 2Bolivia Pass
  2. Your city: La PazArrive high, go slowExplore La Paz and El Alto · Chapter 1Bolivia Pass
  3. Your city: CochabambaThe trufi across townExplore Cochabamba · Chapter 5Bolivia Pass
  4. Your city: SucreThe white city on footExplore Sucre · Chapter 1Bolivia Pass
  5. Meet the familyLive with a Host Family · Chapter 2Bolivia Pass

First month

  1. Enrol and payJoin a Spanish School · Chapter 3Bolivia Pass
  2. The first classJoin a Spanish School · Chapter 4Bolivia Pass
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The rest, with the pass

Bolivia Pass

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or US$129 once, for life

  • 5 situations and 34 chapters for this goal, and every other goal comes with the same pass.
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  • Extra question sets (A fondo) on every chapter that has them

From chapter 3, the rest of the goal: monthly, or once for life

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A different life in mind?

Study in Bolivia

Start with “Join a Spanish School”.

Chapter 1 free without an account, chapter 2 with a free account.

Start chapter 1 free