Following the sudden closure of Suffolk University’s Madrid campus over the summer, 25 former students are scrambling to finish their degrees at Saint Louis University-Madrid.
This semester, SLU-Madrid became home to 12 former Suffolk Madrid students who transferred to SLU, according to the Office of Admissions. 13 current Suffolk students are finishing their degrees under Suffolk’s Teach Out program, according to Study Abroad Counselor Emir Parrotta.
According to Bianca Mota, a third-year Teach Out student, the Teach Out program allows international relations majors with at least 60 credits to finish their degree in Madrid through SLU-Madrid. However, they will still fulfill Suffolk requirements, and graduate with a degree from Suffolk.
The Teach Out program costs $2,542 per semester, according to Suffolk’s website. In comparison, SLU-Madrid charges roughly $14,323 per semester.
Mota expressed contentment with her choice, regardless of the price difference.
“I’m glad I did the Teach Out,” Mota said. “The more time that passes, the more I see issues with transferring, like, for example, the credits, or people having to take SLU core classes.”
Brenna O’Connell, a former Suffolk student from Boston, decided to transfer to SLU because she doubted a faraway campus could offer enough support.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m going to be in Madrid now, and Suffolk is gonna be just Boston. If I need help with something at 10 a.m. here, what am I going to do?’” O’Connell said. “Already, Suffolk’s communication was very poor.”
In June 2023, Suffolk University President Marisa Kelly announced that Madrid operations would “wind down” with the 2023-24 school year.
Brianna Flores, a third-year Teach Out student from Los Angeles, remembers that both students and staff were shocked by the announcement. She recalled that the information was “leaked” in Suffolk’s student newspaper, The Suffolk Journal.
Samuel Dassi, a 20-year-old former Suffolk student from Benin, West Africa, said he didn’t believe the news at first.
“I thought it was a joke,” Dassi said. “There’s no way a school can just close like that.”
After consideration, the Suffolk administration determined that the European branch could not provide “the educational experience Madrid students demand and deserve”. On June 1st, 2024, the campus shut down, allowing the university to refocus its resources in Boston.
Through their transition, students still remember qualities from their prior school. Suffolk Madrid was a small, tight-knit community of 150 students and around 10 staff members, said Mariam Mahgoub, a psychology and philosophy student from Egypt.
“[The faculty and staff] knew us by name, we went on trips with them and had cookies every Wednesday together,” Mahgoub said. “Like a family, it was comfortable and easy.”
With time, Mahgoub has created a new community here at SLU.
“I’ve met so many people and I’ve made so many new friends,” she said. “I’m really happy with the decision I made.”
