Start Your Cornell Engineering Journey in Spain

Dr. Todd C.
July 15, 2025

Since 2007, the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering and the Universidad de Cantabria, one of Spain’s most prominent engineering universities, located in Santander, Spain, have annually exchanged junior-year students. Beginning with the fall 2026 cohort, Global Start Cantabria (GSC) officially launches, and will complement the well-established pathway between the Universidad de Cantabria and Duffield Engineering.  

What is GSC? 

GSC is a program that provides 20 first-year Duffield Engineers the opportunity to live and learn at the Universidad de Cantabria in Spain for their first college semester. Imagine kicking off your time as a Cornell student in the beautiful city of Santander, Spain! I have the privilege of accompanying the group in the fall of 2026. Cornell equivalent classes will be taught in English, and the credits our students earn will be transferable to Cornell, counting toward their Duffield Engineering degrees.

Who is a good fit for GSC? 

I think you will love this program if you are: curious, open to learning about the world, have studied Spanish in high school for at least three years (or have other strong romance language skills), enjoy a smaller, more focused learning environment, and are eager to establish deep friendships.  

Each GSC student will derive their own unique benefits from participating in GSC, but we also believe that our students will benefit in universal ways:  

  • Santander is not Barcelona nor is it Madrid. This matters because in GSC, students will be further from tourism centers and more fully immersed in Spanish culture. You will speak Spanish outside the classroom, and you will become fluent.
  • Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world (English is currently third); fluency in Spanish will open the world to any engineer.  
  • You can participate in GSC in your first year and then return to Santander in your junior year as an exchange student.  
  • Studying in Santander connects you with a community of students attending Universidad de Cantabria from all corners of Europe, extending the cultural reach of your GSC experience. While your home base will be Santander, Barcelona and Madrid are easily accessible for you to visit.
  • Lifelong friendships with your Duffield Engineering peers as well as getting to know the Duffield Engineering professor working with your cohort. Relationships are central to success in engineering, and connections forged through GSC will be at the heart of your full Duffield Engineering tenure.

The Junior Exchange Program

I built the established junior exchange program with my colleague and now good friend, Professor Inigo Losada. To date, over 140 Duffield Engineering students have studied at Cantabria, and we have 20 (plus a waitlist!) signed up for the coming academic year. I meet with both the Cornell students and the Cantabria students who join us on Cornell’s campus before and after their experiences abroad, and I've seen pronounced benefits of this exchange program for both communities:

  • Students are effectively fluent in Spanish and English and become so during the abroad leg of their exchange.
  • Students grow a deep understanding of another culture and take away both the good and the potentially less good elements of how different cultures operate.
  • Students’ problem-solving skills improve – both as engineering students and as students of life.
  • Students develop new strengths to function independently in the world.
  • Students become global citizens and are much more politically and culturally aware and sensitive.
  • Academic and intellectual ideas flourish.
  • Students’ career horizons expand, often substantially.
  • Students forge deep and, in many cases, life-long friendships.

I invite you to learn more about Global Start Cantabria and, if it feels like a good fit, to apply for GSC when you submit your application for admission to the Duffield College of Engineering! 
 

Cantabria coastline and beach.