Homestay is separate from tuition. For USD $32 per day, you get a private room with breakfast included, in a vetted family home within walking distance of ICO. Lunch (+$9) and dinner (+$8) are optional add-ons — and lunch in Mexico, la comida, is the main meal of the day.

All ICO homestays are in walkable neighborhoods — Centro, Jalatlaco, Xochimilco, La Cascada, and Reforma — typically 5 to 20 minutes on foot from our campus on Av. Juárez 909. You can stay in the homestay from your first night in Oaxaca until your last, and the homestay is available to you and a non-student companion (one of you must be enrolled at ICO). Couples or friends traveling together who are both ICO students can share a room for USD $23 per person per day — we don't pair students with strangers in shared rooms.

Most of our host families have been with ICO for more than ten years — many started hosting as young parents in the 1990s and are now retirees with grown children and grandchildren who visit on weekends. They've organized their homes and their daily routines around hosting students: they share breakfast with you, lunch and dinner when you've requested them, and conversation in Spanish at whatever level you're working on. When a new family joins our program we visit their home in person, give them detailed recommendations, and we check in regularly with student feedback. The result is what most students tell us at the end of their stay: they didn't just learn Spanish, they made family in Oaxaca.

Arrival tip: we recommend taking an authorized taxi from the airport directly to your homestay — look for the "Taxi Autorizado del Aeropuerto" booth inside the arrivals hall. It's the most common and reliable option. If you'd prefer, your host family can pick you up for an additional fee. Either way, walking home after 8 PM is best done by taxi. See accommodation options and rates → https://www.icomexico.com/accommodations

Yes. Oaxaca City — and especially Centro, where ICO is located — is one of Mexico's most visited cultural destinations and consistently ranks among the safer places to study and travel in the country. The U.S. State Department currently rates Oaxaca state at Level 2 ("Exercise Increased Caution"), the same level as France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The advisory places no travel restrictions on Oaxaca City, Monte Albán, Puerto Escondido, or Huatulco — its specific concerns relate to remote rural areas like the Isthmus region, far from the city.

ICO has operated on Avenida Juárez 909 in Centro since 1984 — over four decades welcoming students from more than 40 countries. In that time, our students have had an excellent safety record overall, with the kind of occasional petty incidents (an opportunistic pickpocket in a crowded market, the rare lost phone) that can happen anywhere in the world. The Centro neighborhood is walkable, well-lit on main streets, and busy with locals and visitors well into the evening. Most of our homestays are within a 5–20 minute walk of the school, in residential neighborhoods that have hosted ICO students for years.

Practical guidance we give every student on day one: walk freely during the day, take an authorized taxi (or rideshare app like Uber or Didi) after 8 PM (especially when walking alone), keep your phone and wallet in front pockets in crowded markets, and check in with your homestay family if your plans change late at night. Don't bring your passport with you, always carry a copy. These are the same precautions you'd take in any city — Oaxaca is not an exception, but it does ask for the same attentiveness as a major capital would.

Students often tell us they felt unexpectedly at home in Oaxaca — and that the warmth of the people here was the part of the experience they hadn't expected.

ICO teaches every level — from absolute beginner to C2 (near-native) — and our students span the full range. About 1 in 5 of our students arrive as beginners (A1), but our biggest single group is elementary-to-intermediate (A2–B1), and we have a dedicated track for advanced and heritage speakers working toward C1, C2, and DELE certification. On your first day, you're placed in a small class at your exact level — never grouped with students who would slow you down or leave you behind. Find your level and register → https://www.icomexico.com/register

Every student takes a written placement test followed by a short interview on their first day, regardless of level. Our academic coordinator uses both to assign you to the class closest to your level — and if it doesn't feel right after day one, you can always request a change.

Class sizes are kept to 6 students maximum (occasionally up to 8 during high season, depending on level demand). If you want to switch levels — either because you're ready for more challenge or want to strengthen what you have — let the academic coordinator know, and they'll show you what's available.

One thing we often tell new students: even absolute beginners need the placement test. There are real differences within "beginner" — and the same is true for heritage speakers, who often have strong listening and speaking skills but gaps in grammar or writing that group placement helps us identify. The test is short, and it saves you from spending a week in the wrong class. See our calendar and register → https://www.icomexico.com/calendar

The 20-Hour Program is four hours of morning classes, Monday to Friday (20 hours total), leaving your afternoons free to explore Oaxaca. The Full Immersion Program adds 8 hours of afternoon Cultural Workshops and an optional 4-hour Intercambio language exchange (Monday to Thursday) — totaling 28 to 32 hours of practice per week, with Friday afternoons free.

Choose 20-Hour if you want time to wander the markets, work remotely, or travel on weekends. Choose Full Immersion if you want to dive in completely — practicing Spanish in the kitchen, at the loom, and over coffee with locals.

Our personal recommendation: most students don't have to pick just one. You can blend the two — for example, 1 week Full Immersion + 1 week 20-Hour, or 2+1, or 2+2. We typically suggest starting with Full Immersion to build momentum and confidence, then switching to 20-Hour weeks to rest, explore, and put your Spanish to use in the real world. Compare both programs → https://www.icomexico.com/spanish-language-programs

Tuition starts at USD $250 per week for the 20-Hour Program and USD $280 for Full Immersion. Multi-week discounts apply: by the time you reach week 4, the 20-Hour Program drops to USD $190/week and Full Immersion to USD $220/week. Homestay is separate at $32/day (private room with breakfast).

Private classes are sold in packages: 1 hour for USD $32, 5 hours for $119, 10 hours for $225 (most common), 20 hours for $430, and 30 hours for $630. Some students combine private classes with the 20-Hour group program when they want to accelerate. Note: during high season, private classes are only available in the afternoon, since our teachers are in group classes in the morning.

Cancellation: A USD $55 deposit holds your spot and is fully refundable up to 14 days before your start date. After that, the deposit converts to credit you can use for a future program or online lessons. Tuition is paid on your first day of class — either weekly, or upfront with the multi-week discount applied. Once tuition is paid, it is non-refundable as cash — but if you need to leave early, the unused balance converts to credit for a future program or online lessons.

About flexibility: if you've paid for multiple weeks but need to skip one — for travel, family, or anything else — let us know in advance and we'll hold your spot at no extra cost. If you just don't show up, that week is lost. We'd rather know in advance and keep your plans intact.

Oaxaca welcomes students year-round, with Monday cohorts every week of the year. Some months stand out for weather (January–February); others for cultural depth — and for these, ICO runs four dedicated seasonal programs:

• Day of the Dead Program — October 19 to November 1, 2026 (2 weeks). Students experience Día de Muertos the way Oaxacans actually celebrate it — including a guided visit to the cemeteries on Saturday, October 31, and to the comparsas in Etla on November 1.
  

• Christmas & Noche de Rábanos Programs — December 7 to December 18, 2026 (2 weeks) or December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027 (2 weeks). The second program coincides with Noche de Rábanos (December 23) and New Year's celebrations.
  

• Semana Santa Program — March 22 to April 2, 2027 (2 weeks). A quieter, deeply local week when Oaxaca turns inward. Students build a traditional Altar de Dolores, participate in our Samaritana celebration, and learn to cook the meatless dishes specific to Holy Week.

• Guelaguetza Program — July 5 to July 30, 2027 (4 weeks). The biggest festival of the year, built around the two Lunes del Cerro on July 19 and July 26. Cultural workshops focus on the history and significance of La Guelaguetza, with cooking, weaving, pottery, and music appreciation, in a city full of public performances representing the eight regions of Oaxaca..
  

Booking tip: festival programs fill up fast. Homestays book out months in advance, and prices for accommodation across Oaxaca generally rise closer to the festival dates. The earlier you book, the better your options and the lower your costs. If your schedule is flexible and you'd rather have lower prices, smaller class sizes, and the full city to yourself, come in January–February or April–June and September.