Admission requirements for studies at university in Spain

General requirements

• Undergraduate studies (first cycle)

  If you have successfully completed upper secondary studies in one of the signatory countries of the Lisbon Convention, are in possession of a valid school leaving certificate and qualify for higher education studies in your home country, you also qualify for higher education studies in Spain. However, you are requested to prove your level of English and Spanish. In some cases, you are also requested to take additional qualifying courses.

• Master's studies (second cycle)

  If you are applying for a Master's program at university in Spain, you are required to be in possession of a relevant Bachelor's or equivalent degree diploma.

• PhD studies (third cycle)

  In the event you are applying for doctoral studies at university in Spain, you are required to be in possession of a relevant diploma or Master's degree program.




The Spanish university entrance examination: "la selectividad"

» EU/EEA students

Following the application of the Lisbon Convention, EU/EEA students are entitled to access undergraduate studies (first cycle) in Spain provided they

• have a valid school leaving certificate from another EU/EEA country.
• have taken the university entrance examinations in their home countries with passing grades.

If you have not taken the university entrance examination in your home country and would like to study in Spain, you will have to pass the Spanish entrance examination, called Selectividad.

Click here to register online for the Spanish university entrance examination for foreigners: "selectividad para extranjeros".

Please, note that you will read the message "Fuera de plazo" (Out of date) when accessing the site after the application deadline has expired. You will have to wait for the next turn.

» Non-EU students

If you are not an EU student, you can access the Spanish university provided you:

• have a valid school leaving certificate.
• pass the Spanish university entrance examination, called Selectividad.
Click here to register online for the Spanish university entrance examination for foreigners: "selectividad para extranjeros".



Language requirements for studies at universities in Spain

• Spanish

  According to Spanish regulations regarding access to university studies, no specific certificates are required to prove your knowledge of Spanish. In general, students can prove their level of command of Spanish by presenting the results received at the DELE test (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera), by presenting the results from school studies or any other studies. Your university will check whether your level of Spanish is sufficient for you to be able to successfully pass your studies in Spain.

  [Click here to learn more about the DELE test]

• English

  If your study program or course is taught in English, you will be required to prove your level of command of English by presenting the results you received at English courses. Please, always check with your university whether your English studies are sufficient for you to meet this requirement.




Minimum grade point requirement to access undergraduate studies (first cycle) in Spain

When applying for undergraduate studies (first cycle) in Spain, it is your grade point average from upper secondary school what actually determines whether you will be admitted. Therefore, always check with your Spanish university about the minimum grade point you need to obtain, the so called "Nota de corte".

If you are an EU student, you can easily convert your grade point to the Spanish system by using the European Grade Converter. If you are not an EU student, you can use the European grades comparison chart to learn how you would score in Europe.

 

Source: UNED (Spanish National University for Distance Education. UNED is responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications to access university studies in Spain)