Spain consists of 50 provinces, which are divided into 17 so-called autonomous regions (comunidades autónomas), some of which have their own languages that are very different from Spanish. These are the so-called autonomous provinces: Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country, where, among other things, local languages are taught in many of the higher education institutions. In 1986, Spain joined the EU. See Countryaah for other countries in European Union.
Higher education in Spain
The higher education institutions are often built as a campus outside the city center or in historic campuses in the city center. The academic year runs from the 1st week of October to the 1st week of June.
Institutions
Higher education in Spain takes place at a number of different institutions, e.g. Universities, University School, University Technical School, University Faculties, Superior School of Engineering and Architecture.
Higher education
Spain has undergone a comprehensive education reform, which has resulted in the establishment of an education system (4 + 1/2), which follows the premises of the Bologna process.
At the university, there are the following types of educations:
- Grado Universitario, a Spanish bachelor’s degree, usually lasts 4 years. These educations provide direct access to regulated professions and the labor market in general. There are a few educations as a doctor, which is standardized at 6 years and gives access to PhD studies.
- Máster Oficial / Máster Universitario is the name of the superstructure education, which is obtained after a further 1 or 2 years of study. The education provides access to PhD studies in Spain.
- Doctorado is a research education that is obtained after 3 years of research-based studies.
In higher education that is non-university, one can complete:
- Ciclos Formativos de Grado Superior
- Artistic education (gob.es/educacion/que-estudiar-y-donde/educacion-superior/artisticas.html)
Publicly recognized educations
Universities can also offer continuing education courses that are not part of the ordinary education system, but can be used in the labor market. They are called Título propio, and the best-known version is a master’s degree that is well-regarded in the labor market but is not publicly recognized. It can be difficult to distinguish the master’s degrees from each other, as they are all called Master’s. The first recognized master’s degrees after the Bologna structure were issued in 2007. Degrees with the title Masterfrom before 2007 are not publicly recognized and are not part of the ordinary education system.
Application for higher education
You must send your application directly to the educational institution where you want admission. It is the autonomous regions that set guidelines for admission in collaboration with the higher education institution. The application form (solicitud de matrícula) is available at the individual educational institutions. You can find addresses of Spanish higher education on the website of the Spanish Ministry of Education (Spanish).
The individual institutes for Spanish language at the higher education institutions in Denmark will often be able to provide information about higher education institutions in Spain.
The Spanish Embassy in Denmark does not have information on education.
Admission requirements
Spanish Regulation EDU / 1161/2010 of 4 May 2010 lays down the procedure for admission to the first year of higher education in Spain for students from, inter alia: Denmark.
Spain no longer requires an entrance exam for Danish students, if. § 38, para. 5, of the Education Act 2/2006 of 3 May 2006, provided that the student meets the admission requirements for the university in their own country.
Students coming from education systems in countries which have an agreement with Spain on the mutual recognition of entrance examinations are specified in this Regulation and refer to § 38, para. 5 of the Education Act 2/2006 of 3 May 2006, which stipulates that students from these countries must not pass the Spanish entrance examination (PAU / Selectividad), provided, however, that the student meets the entry requirements for the university in their own country. . The legal provision of 6 June 2010 published in the Spanish Government Gazette, states the entrance exams for all relevant countries, as well as the corresponding conversion scale.
In certain educations, there may be requirements for other exams. It is also expected that the foreign student has sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction, which is why the universities are allowed to take an examination.
It is the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) that assesses whether the student meets the admission requirements. The student must submit an application to the Vicerrectorado de Ordenación Académica de la UNED. It can be done online: Acceso a la universidad
The following documentation must be attached:
- a) Photocopy of passport
- b) Certified copy of the certificate for entrance examination (Student Exam (stx.) or Higher Preparatory Exam (hf)
- c) Certified copy of transcript (Student exam every three years, exam from two-year HF)
- d) Printer printout of the application to UNED together with bank receipt for payment of fee for recognition of European admission studies.
Once UNED has received and assessed the application, the applicant will be awarded an admission grade for use at the Spanish universities according to the official conversion scale.
The treatment time is a maximum of 6 months. If the application is accepted, the applicant will receive a certificate (Credencial) with an admission character, which will be used for the application and admission procedure. The certificate is valid for 2 years.
Certain courses require a higher qualifying grade than the highest (10), so it is necessary to present for a specific test (phase específica de la Selectividad), which is a voluntary part of the Spanish entrance exam, which aims to assess the applicant’s knowledge and understanding within special disciplines related to the study you want to apply for. This test can be taken through UNED or the university you are applying to. In any case, one must be in possession of the above evidence (Credencial).
Language proficiency
As a foreign student, you will usually be asked to take a language test, unless you can document good language skills, e.g. with a passed DELE test (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera). You can get more information about the language test at the Instituto Cervantes (English and Spanish) and get answers to further questions at the Spanish Embassy in Copenhagen.
Application deadlines
You must contact the individual educational institutions for information on application deadlines.
Recognition of foreign educations in Denmark
If you have completed a publicly recognized education abroad, you can have it assessed by the Danish Agency for Research and Education
More information
You can find more information and links at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Studying in Spain.
Facts about Spain
Population: 47 million.
Languages: Spanish, Catalan, Basque and Galician.
Employment: In May 2013, the unemployment rate was 26.9% (Eurostat).
Residence permit: Applied to the local Spanish police.
