Studying at university in Spain

How Spanish higher education is organized

Spain has public universities, funded mainly by the autonomous communities, and private universities, including several run by religious orders. Undergraduate degrees are called grados and are usually worth 240 ECTS credits over four years. Medicine takes six years, and architecture and some engineering degrees also run longer. After a grado, students can take a one- or two-year máster.

Admission to public universities is based on a numerical admission score (nota de admisión), out of 14 for most applicants. It combines your school results with entrance exam results, and specific subjects are weighted according to the degree. Popular programs such as medicine, dentistry and some double degrees have high cut-off marks (notas de corte) that change every year with demand.

Grades run from 0 to 10, with 5 as the pass mark.

Recognition of your diploma: homologación

Students from education systems outside the EU, including Canada and the United States, generally need their high school diploma recognized as equivalent to the Spanish bachillerato before they can enrol. This process is called homologación and is decided by the Ministry of Education. You apply online with your diploma, transcripts for the final years of high school, and identification, with official translations and legalization (often an apostille) where required.

Homologación can take months. While it is in progress, the Ministry's stamped form for conditional enrolment (volante para la inscripción condicional) lets you enrol or sit official exams conditionally; if homologación is refused, that enrolment and those results are void. Start as early as your final transcripts allow, and read the current document list on the Ministry page.

UNEDasiss, the PAU and the PCE exams

Once your diploma is recognized, your admission score is built up through UNEDasiss, the service of Spain's national distance university (UNED) that accredits international students for admission to Spanish universities.

• Accreditation: UNEDasiss issues a credential that converts your school grades into a Spanish-style score.
• PCE (Pruebas de Competencias Específicas): optional subject exams, such as mathematics, biology or history, organized by UNEDasiss. Strong results add weighted points to your score, up to the maximum of 14, for degrees where those subjects matter.
• PAU: the entrance exam taken by students finishing the Spanish bachillerato, now called the PAU in most regions (formerly EBAU or EvAU, and widely known as selectividad). International students from non-EU systems normally use the PCE instead.

UNEDasiss publishes the PCE exam sessions, venues and registration windows each year in its key dates. Check that calendar for the 2027 sessions before you plan travel or choose subjects.

How your admission score is built: an illustration

Spanish universities rank applicants by an admission score out of 14. For students coming through UNEDasiss, the basic part, out of 10, comes from your accredited school grades and, depending on the case, some PCE results (one university guide describes a split of up to 60% school record and 40% PCE). Up to 4 more points come from your two best PCE subjects that the degree weights, at 0.1 or 0.2 per point of the exam mark, as published by each university.

Weightings and the basic part's calculation depend on your education system, the degree and the university, so check UNEDasiss and the weighting tables (tablas de ponderaciones) of your target universities before choosing your PCE subjects.

Pre-enrolment and timing

There is no single national portal for public universities. Each autonomous community runs its own pre-enrolment (preinscripción), sometimes through a shared regional portal and sometimes through each university. Applications for public universities usually open in late spring and close in June or July, after entrance exam results, with lists of admitted students published in July. Some regions open an extraordinary round in September for remaining places.

Private universities admit on their own calendars, often from autumn of the year before entry, with interviews and their own tests. If you want an English-taught program, check private and public options separately, since they follow different timelines.

Costs and funding

Tuition at public universities is set by each autonomous community as a price per credit, so the cost of a year depends on the region, the degree and whether it is your first attempt at a course. A few regions charge higher prices to non-EU students who are not residents. Each university publishes its fee schedule (precios públicos) for the academic year. Private universities set much higher annual fees.

The Spanish government's needs-based grants (becas) are mainly for residents. International students should look at university scholarships and, for US citizens, ask whether their university participates in federal student aid programs.

Language of instruction

Most grados are taught in Spanish. In Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Galicia and the Basque Country, a share of courses is taught in the regional language, which varies by university and program. Universities may ask for a Spanish certificate such as the DELE or SIELE, often at B2. A growing number of programs are fully or partly in English, especially in business, international relations and engineering.

If your Spanish needs work, our guide to learning Spanish suggests a steady routine.

Student visa and residence

Non-EU students staying more than 90 days need a student visa or authorization for stay for study (estancia por estudios), applied for at a Spanish consulate before travel. You will need your admission letter, proof of financial means, health insurance and, in some cases, medical and background certificates. After arrival, you apply for a foreigner identity card (TIE).

Check the requirements of the Spanish consulate that serves your area, such as the Consulate General of Spain in New York national visa page. This guide is not immigration advice.

Practical tips

1. In grade 12, read the homologación document list and order apostilled transcripts early.
2. Register with UNEDasiss and decide which PCE subjects match your target degree.
3. Note your region's pre-enrolment dates for 2027 entry.
4. Apply to private or English-taught programs in parallel if you want a back-up.
5. Once admitted, book your consulate appointment; summer slots fill fast.

For the academic side of the move, see high school to university. Compare Spain with Italy and France on the universities hub.