Admission Requirements for Higher Education in Spain

Admissions at Universities in Spain are competitive. Admissions to universities in Spain are open for the students in either in fall semester and in spring semester. 

University admissions in Spain are based on the nota de corte, which is received at the end of the 2-year Bachillerato. High score of nota de corte is indispensable in order to gain admittance in public universities in Spain, while cost ascertains the program in private universities too. To know more about the admission procedure in Spain, read further.

Eligibility Criterion-

Students should have successfully completed higher secondary school and should hold a valid leaving certificate from the institution attended.

Click here to know more about the admission procedure of the bachelor degree programs in Spain Universities.

Eligibility Criterion-

For admittance to a Master’s degree program, students must hold a relevant Bachelor's degree or equivalent diploma.

For admittance to a doctoral degree program, students should hold a Master’s degree.  

Click here to know more about the admission procedure of the postgraduate studies in Spain.

Before applying to the Universities in Spain, students should go for Validation of secondary school studies with the Spanish "Curso de Orientacion Universitaria (COU)" or "Bachillerato LOGSE".

The entire admission process takes about 3 months.  The students who have received their education outside Spain must have their studies officially accredited. The process is called “Homologation” or Convalidation”.  For this, students must apply to the Ministry of Education.

Step 1: To apply, you are required to first fill up an application form and submit it through Spain's University of Distance Education Education (UNED – Universidad Nacional de Educaion a Distancia) .You'll need to fill in a “Applicatio for Registrtion” (In Spanish: Solicitud de inscripcion) application form on the UNED website, print it, and post it to the UNED office with other requested documents such as a passport, school leaving certificate or results from exams.

Step 2:  The university in which you’ve applied confirms whether you meet the requisites or not.  

Step 3: If you fulfil the requirements, a certificate called as “credencial de acceso” will be issued by the University. This certificate demonstrating that you satisfy the admission prerequisites, and sanctioning you to pre-enrol for the Institution studies. 

Step 4: After receiving the certificate, send it along with the individual applications directly to each university you wish to apply to. Each University has its own admission process and schedule. 

Download the application from the respective University’s website, fill in and send.

Step 5: If your application is accepted, you’ll receive an official “Acceptance Letter”, that covers information on the registration dates and deadlines, accommodation, fee payments, insurance details, and so on. 

Students must submit the following documents-

Selectividad : The Selectividad or Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad (PAU) is an entrance exam for students. This exam is taken after completion of the upper secondary school studies. This exam determines the knowledge of students, and helps them to gain admission into higher education institutions in Spain. 

DELE exam (In Spanish: Diploma de Espanol como Lengua Extranjera): Students can prove their Spanish language proficiency by taking DELE test. 

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language- Tests the English language skills and knowledge in an academic context.

IELTS: International English Language Testing System- Tests the English language skills and knowledge of non-native speakers.

The deadline for the fall semester is the first week of June for courses commencing in October and also the first week of September for late applications for classes commencing in October.

 

The deadline for the spring semester it is the first week of December for courses commencing in February.

Official recognition called homologation of the foreign higher education qualification is mandatory in the following cases-

The authority in charge for managing and administering this process is the Department of Qualifications and Recognition of Qualifications (In Spanish: Subdireccion General de Titulos y Reconocimiento de Cualificaciones), of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The "Solicitud de Homologacion (request for recognition/approval)" is available at:

Subdireccion General de Titulos y Reconocimiento de Cualificaciones (Department of Qualifications and Recognition of Qualifications)

Paseo del Prado, 28, 3 planta

28014, Madrid

 

You can apply for the process at your nearest Spanish Embassy/Consulate.