Quick answer
To get into university in Spain as an international student you need your school qualification accredited through UNEDasiss, usually PCE subject exams to reach the admission grade for competitive degrees, B2 Spanish for degrees taught in Spanish, and, if you are not an EU citizen, a student visa from your Spanish consulate.
To get into university in Spain as an international student you need three things in place: recognition of the school qualification you already hold, proof that your Spanish is good enough for the degree, and, if you are not an EU citizen, a student visa. For almost everyone applying with a non-Spanish qualification the recognition step runs through UNEDasiss, the accreditation service Spanish public universities use, often combined with PCE subject exams to raise your admission grade. Below is the route for EU and non-EU applicants, what it costs, what Spanish level degrees actually ask for, and the order to do it in.
In this article
Who can apply to university in Spain as an international student?
Anyone holding a secondary qualification that gives access to university in the country that issued it. Nationality does not decide whether you can apply, only how much paperwork sits in the way.
Three groups, three different amounts of work:
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and holders of qualifications from countries with an education agreement with Spain, use a simplified accreditation route and no visa.
- Non-EU citizens with a foreign school qualification need their credential accredited, usually take subject exams to compete for places, and need a student visa.
- Anyone who studied the Spanish Bachillerato, including at a Spanish international school abroad, applies through the normal domestic route with the EBAU exam.
Spain has a large public university system alongside a growing private sector, and public universities are used to processing foreign credentials. The route is bureaucratic but well trodden.
What are the entry requirements for university in Spain?
Requirements split cleanly along the EU and non-EU line. This table is the version worth printing.
| Step | EU, EEA and Swiss applicants | Non-EU applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Credential recognition | UNEDasiss accreditation of your school qualification. Full homologación is generally not required. | UNEDasiss accreditation, and in some cases homologación of the diploma by the Ministry of Education, depending on your country and the university. |
| Entrance exams | Usually optional. You may sit PCE subject exams to raise your admission grade for competitive degrees. | Usually PCE subject exams through UNED, chosen to match the degree you want. |
| Admission grade | Converted from your school results onto the Spanish scale, up to 10, or up to 14 with PCE subjects. | Same scale. For competitive degrees the PCE subjects are what lift you past 10. |
| Language | B2 Spanish typically expected for degrees taught in Spanish. Accreditation of language competence can be included in your UNEDasiss file. | Same, and consulates may also want evidence of the language of instruction for the visa file. |
| Visa and residence | None. Register as an EU resident if you stay beyond three months. | Student visa before travelling, then a TIE residence card after arriving. |
| Application | Preinscripción through the regional system where the university sits. | Same preinscripción, but usually with an earlier internal deadline for document checks. |
Two warnings for both columns. Requirements are set partly nationally and partly by each autonomous community, so two universities can ask for different things for the same degree. And every date below is a typical pattern, not a promise: confirm with the university before booking travel.
What is UNEDasiss, and do you need it?
UNEDasiss is the service run by Spain’s national distance university, UNED, that turns a foreign school qualification into something Spanish public universities can read. You register once, pay a fee, upload your documents, and receive an accreditation that most public universities accept as your admission file.
Your UNEDasiss accreditation can carry several things at once:
- Confirmation that your qualification gives access to university study in Spain
- Your admission grade, converted onto the Spanish 0 to 10 scale
- The results of any PCE subject exams you sat, which extend the scale up to 14
- Accreditation of specific subject knowledge required by certain degrees
- Accreditation of your language competence, where you can evidence it
Most public universities use it; private universities often run their own admissions entirely. Check each university’s admissions page before you pay for anything, and register early, because the accreditation has to exist before the preinscripción window closes.
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Do you have to sit Selectividad or the PCE exams?
Selectividad is the old name for what is now the EBAU, the exam Spanish Bachillerato students take at the end of school. As an international student with a foreign qualification, you do not sit the EBAU. The equivalent for you is the PCE, the Pruebas de Competencias Específicas, run by UNED and taken at exam centres in Spain and in a number of countries abroad.
Whether you need them depends on what you are applying for:
- Degrees with spare places often admit on your converted grade alone, with no PCE at all.
- Competitive degrees such as medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, biotechnology and translation are decided by a cut-off grade, the nota de corte, which frequently sits above 10. Without PCE subjects you cannot reach it, whatever your school results.
Subject choice is tactical: only subjects linked to your degree lift your grade. Pick them against the exact degree and university you want, not the exams you would find easiest.
What level of Spanish do you need to study at a Spanish university?
For a degree taught in Spanish, B2 on the Common European Framework is the level most commonly asked for. Some universities and some degrees ask for C1, a few accept B1 for entry and expect you to catch up. Degrees taught in English exist, particularly in business, international relations and some engineering programmes, and those ask for English evidence instead.
B2 is not a formality. It means following a two hour lecture, reading academic Spanish at speed and writing assessed work. Students who arrive at B1 usually spend their first semester translating rather than studying.
The practical route is to arrive with the level already proven. An intensive course before the academic year starts is the standard approach, and universities accept recognised certificates as evidence: our guide comparing DELE, SIELE and CELU Spanish certifications explains which one your university is likely to want and how quickly each can be sat. If you are budgeting for that preparation, we have also broken down how much it costs to study Spanish in Spain week by week.
How much does university in Spain cost for international students?
Public university tuition in Spain is low by international standards and is set regionally, so the same degree costs different amounts in different autonomous communities. As a working range, EU students at public universities typically pay somewhere around €700 to €2,500 a year for a bachelor’s degree, with master’s programmes generally higher. Non-EU students pay more at many public universities, sometimes substantially more, and again the difference is set regionally rather than nationally.
Private universities operate on a different scale entirely, with annual fees commonly running into five figures. Check the published fee table for your exact degree and your exact residence status, because these figures move each academic year and a range in an article is no substitute for the university’s own number.
Then budget for living costs, which dwarf public tuition for most students: accommodation, health insurance, and the funds figure your consulate requires for the visa. Madrid and Barcelona sit at the top; Málaga, Granada, Valencia and Salamanca are far cheaper places to be a student.
When do you apply, and what does the timeline look like?
The academic year starts in September, and the ordinary admission round typically runs across late spring and early summer, with a second round for remaining places later. Working backwards, this is the order that keeps you out of trouble:
- Twelve months out. Shortlist degrees and universities and read each admissions page, noting whether they use UNEDasiss and what language level they ask for.
- Nine to twelve months out. Start Spanish seriously if your level is below B2, and book the certificate exam.
- Six to nine months out. Register with UNEDasiss, gather apostilled and sworn-translated documents, and register for PCE subjects if your degrees need them.
- Spring. Sit the PCE exams, complete your UNEDasiss file, and submit the preinscripción in the relevant region.
- On admission. Start the visa file immediately if you need one, then enrol formally.
The step that slips most often is document legalisation. Apostilles and sworn translations run on other institutions’ timetables, and no university deadline moves because yours was slow.
What do you need after you are admitted?
Admission is the halfway point. Non-EU students then need a student visa, applied for at the Spanish consulate covering their home address, with an acceptance letter, proof of funds, health insurance and, for stays over 180 days, criminal record and medical certificates. Our Spain student visa requirements guide sets out the full checklist and the realistic timeline.
After arriving you will also need a foreigner identification number for enrolment, bank accounts and contracts. Non-EU students on a long stay get theirs with the TIE residence card, but if you need the number on its own, the process is set out in our guide to how to obtain your NIE in Spain. EU students register as residents instead, which carries the same number.
Two more things nobody warns you about: empadronamiento, registering at your local town hall, which unlocks most later administrative steps, and health cover, which for EU students usually means the EHIC and for everyone else a private policy meeting the visa standard.
Frequently asked questions
Can you study at a Spanish university in English?
Yes, but the choice is narrower. English-taught bachelor’s degrees are concentrated in business, international relations, tourism and some engineering fields, and are more common at private universities. Master’s level offers considerably more in English. Otherwise the language of instruction is Spanish, and in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and Valencia some classes use the co-official language.
Do you need to homologate your high school diploma for Spain?
Often not. UNEDasiss accreditation replaced full homologación as the access route for most applicants with a foreign school qualification. Homologación is still required in some cases, depending on your country of origin and the university, so confirm with the specific university before starting a process that takes months.
Are Spanish university degrees recognised outside Spain?
Yes. Spain is part of the European Higher Education Area, so degrees use the Bologna structure and ECTS credits, which makes them straightforward to compare across Europe and widely recognised beyond it. Regulated professions such as medicine and law still require separate professional recognition in the country where you intend to practise.
How competitive is admission to public universities in Spain?
It depends on the degree. Many programmes admit essentially everyone who meets the access requirements, while medicine and a few health science degrees have cut-off grades near the top of the 14 point scale. Look up last year’s nota de corte for your exact degree and university, and plan your PCE subjects around it.
The degree is taught in Spanish. Arrive able to follow it. Vamos Academy runs intensive Spanish courses in small groups in Málaga and Buenos Aires, with exam preparation for DELE and SIELE for students who need a certificate for their university file. Most future undergraduates come to us for a few months before the academic year starts.
Admission rules, fees and deadlines are set by each university and autonomous community and change yearly. Verify every figure and date with the university and UNEDasiss before acting.