What do non-US citizen students need to do to be able to visit other countries in Europe while studying abroad?

Your prevention is not based on your US green card but it may be based on your (unknown) citizenship.

25 European countries have concluded an agreement to open their internal borders and allow tourist who are either visa-waived or have a visa to travel for up to 90 days in a 6 months period to travel throughout these countries which are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (to include Monaco), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy (to include San Marino and Vatican City), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

As you see the United Kingdom is not on the list of border-free travel countries. This means that your student visa valid for the UK does not waive the requirement to get a visa for Schengen countries unless you should hold a passport of one of the visa-waived countries which are Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Macao (SAR), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, USA, Uruguay, Vatican City, and Venezuela.

If your citizenship should not be listed above you will need a visa to travel to any of the Schengen agreement countries. It must be applied for at your place of citizenship or residency if you should hold a short-term visa for the United Kingdom valid only for 6 month. If you should hold a long term visa valid longer than 6 month you may also be able to apply for a Schengen visa in the United Kingdom.

The application must be made at the embassy of the country of your mainly stay or the country which is your first destination if you are a country hopper and plan to stay an equal time in each of the visited countries.

As a general guide I have provided the websites of the France and Italian government for the Schengen visa precedures. Since you have mentioned Spain in your question I have also added the information of the consulate of Spain at Chicago.

Feel free to send my a mail if you need more information on about where to apply and the requirements stating your citizenship, your state of residence in the United States, your main destination or your first country of entering the Schengen zone.

Source(s):

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Visa-website-of-the-F...

http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Ministero/Servizi/Stra...

http://www.consulate-spain-chicago.com/

Inquire at the France Embassy in the United States whether you may apply there since you have a legel residency in the USA and they forward the case to the Embassy in London for final action.

Well, maybe airplanes are cheaper, try Ryan Air. you can get flights to other countries for like 60 Euro. taking a train is not as cheap as it was, so you may pay anywhere between 60 to 200 Euro. Trains are very convenient in Europe, so you may not even have to plan, just pick a destination. You can also rent a car, which is fun. I hope you know that you cannot get from England to Germany by train, neither Dublin, because they are on the Island. Do a little research, and you will have a good time

Why are you not citizen? Why are you in the US with a green card yet want to go to the UK to live? Give up your green card. Make the UK your residence. I mean I assume this is an extended stay....like a few years. That should make your green card here useless for you. You want to move back here, apply for a new green card. I think the main problem is that you have no actual HOME country....you are not a citizen of anywhere. Just my guess.

Also why don't you have a passport for the country you ARE from? That should be enough to go traveling.