The University of Oklahoma in Puebla (OUP) Study Center offers students of all backgrounds and interests the unique opportunity to live and study abroad in Mexico while earning OU degree credit. Located in Puebla, a historic city known for its rich culture and culinary scene, OUP provides the best of both worlds: a home-away-from-home with OU classmates, faculty and staff, and the chance to immerse yourself in a new culture.
If you choose to study abroad at OU in Puebla, your cultural knowledge will be greatly enhanced by the program's many excursions, which will change the way you view the world. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow both academically and personally.
Planning to spend a summer, semester or academic year studying in Mexico? Learn more below about life as an OUP student, including background on the city itself, housing and facilities, and safety.
Puebla is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Mexico. It is full of history, and with more than 1,000 UNESCO heritage monuments, visitors feel as if they have stepped into a different era. Surrounded by grand buildings, the cathedral of Puebla is an ideal place to start your journey in the city.
Puebla is also considered a college city, with a large number of universities concentrated there – and several are among the most well-known institutions in the country. This vibrant city, full of college students from different States of Mexico who study in Puebla, offers a wide variety of attractions, including museums and art galleries, restaurants that offer international and contemporary Mexican cuisine, bars, movie theaters, large malls, and cultural and historic sites.
We encourage you to study in Puebla, a safe, multicultural and enriching environment that offers experiences that will change your life in a positive way.
OUP apartments are located in a residential neighborhood called La Paz A. It is a pleasant 15-20-minute walk from campus to the apartments. On the way, you can stop at one of the great restaurants on Juarez Avenue, one of the main streets for gastronomy in the city that offers a wide range of international cuisine options. If you are in a rush to classes, or to an art or sports event, you can take an Uber from the apartments to campus for about $2.00-2.50 U.S. dollars. It could not be easier!
OUP Student Housing
OUP students are housed in our apartments, located in one of the safest and most beautiful residential neighborhoods in town, La Paz. The apartments are within walking distance from the OUP Study Center, and will be your zen space after a day full of interaction with Spanish native speakers.
OUP Apartment Details:
About the Neighborhood
All OUP apartments are located in La Paz, one of the best residential neighborhoods in Puebla. You will find restaurants, shops and convenience stores within blocks of the apartments. The area is full of families and young professionals who chose La Paz due to the safe, residential, yet vibrant environment.
La Paz is located in between the historic district of Downtown Puebla; the vibrant, modern and upscale district called Angelopolis; and the ancient town of Cholula. Early in the morning you will see your neighbors taking a run around the neighborhood and walking their pets. On weekends you will see quinceañeras and wedding celebrations blocks away from your apartment in the traditional “Iglesia del Cielo.”
The state of Puebla, in which OU operates its study abroad programs, is considered by the State Department to be stable and safe for U.S. citizens. You can find the State Department Travel Warning for Mexico here.
OU is committed to student safety. All students participating in OU sponsored programs in Mexico are required to attend an orientation session which covers health and safety. At this session, they are informed of the following rules.
OUP is hosted at a local university called UPAEP (Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla), a private institution with more than 9,000 undergraduate students that also welcomes students from other countries. UPAEP has exchange agreements with institutions such as the University of Notre Dame, the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Kansas State University and several more.
UPAEP is an urban campus, located in a great part of town right between the modern and urban area of Angelopolis, the colonial area of downtown Puebla and the magic town of Cholula. UPAEP’s main campus is walking distance from the OUP apartments.
In addition to taking courses with OU Faculty-in-Residence, OU in Puebla students have the opportunity to study alongside local students at our partner university, UPAEP. Taking courses at UPAEP offers you a more immersive experience, and allows you to build friendships and connections with students and faculty from Mexico and around the world.
Fast Facts about UPAEP:
OU in Puebla offers summer programs each year in a variety of fields, and they vary in terms of duration. You can take OU courses with OU professors while exploring Mexico with other OU students.
Course offerings vary, as these programs are sponsored by colleges and designed by faculty. Browse our Faculty-Led options for the upcoming summer and attend a drop-in advising session to get started.
Students can take a variety of courses in both English and Spanish. Prior knowledge of Spanish is not required, but students can take Spanish language courses that range from an introductory level to upper division coursework. At OUP, students benefit from taking courses with OU professors, as well as taking courses and engaging with the students at our partner university, UPAEP. To make an appointment with the OUP Advisor, Aaron Britton, log in to iadvise.ou.edu/studyabroad.
OU in Puebla has a wide range of Spanish language courses to choose from. You can complete your language requirement or your Spanish minor in a single semester or a summer. Not only can you take much of the required coursework for a Spanish major or minor, but you can also improve your oral skills through conversation with native Spanish speakers.
Hello! My name is Armando García Yañez; I am the Director of OU Programs in Mexico and Co-Coordinator for Latin American Partnerships. When I was a college student in Mexico, I studied and interned abroad in different countries including Switzerland, France, China, Singapore and others. Study Abroad was a life-changing experience, and I want to help you explore a country full of history, art and opportunities. We look forward to seeing you in Mexico, where you can interact with students from all over Mexico as well as those from different countries who come to our host institution for an exchange program. While there are many great options to study abroad, I am sure that this will be a strategic decision that we want to help you accomplish!
