How to access a University of Spain?

Do you want to study at a University of Spain? We explain the first steps for access to the University in Spain.

Non-EU Students

The legal way to access a university in Spain  (public or private) is the PAU (Proof of access to the University that is done through the UNED (www.uned.es consult PAU Selectividad) It is mandatory for all students who want to study at a university in Spain, have passed this exam, regardless of the university you go to study.

Once you have passed the PAU, you should check at the University of Spain to choose if they ask for admission tests, what they consist of and when they are. Most private colleges run their own admissions tests, but they also offer more flexibility in terms of dates, since they often offer several options, so that students coming from other countries can choose the date that best suits their possibilities.

In the page of UNED you will find centers in the different countries to carry out the examinations of access and the terms and rates of the enrollment. Here we offer you an example of an informative summary with 2011 data so you can see the steps to follow and how the process of accessing the university in Spain works. Regardless of this, if you decide to study at a university in Spain, you should always consult the dates of the exams, prices, test cities, etc., updated on the website of the UNED and the University of your choice.

Note: Below are the dates, rates, etc. for the tests of access to the university of Spain of 2011. This data can serve as the reference, since the variations from one year to another are not very large, but always have to consult the year in which it is to be carried out.

Term of matrícula to realize the Test of Access to the University in Spain (PAU)

Call for June: Registration to the PAU: from March 15 to May 15, 2011
Call for September: Registration to the PAU: from July 18 to July 28, 2011

Tuition fee PAU

Ordinary tuition costs about 100 euros and then there are a number of cases that contemplate a reduction of that amount, being able to be at 30 or 50 euros. (rates 2011).

In addition to this test, the student must make another specific access test from the University of Spain in which he wants to study.

Students from EU member countries and other countries with agreements.

The student will have to request the issuance of credentials in the UNED  (www.uned.es) and then take the test of admission to the specific center whatsoever. You do not have to perform the PAU.

Documentation required for the student to formalize his enrollment in the access to the University of Spain

After completing the application for registration (from the UNED website) and when the printed copy of the same is available, the student will send the following documentation to the UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIA.

1.  Photocopy of ID or passport

2.  Certified photocopy of the degree, diploma or certificate that constitutes the requirement of general access to the university in the corresponding educational system (Order EDU / 1161/2010, May 4, Ministry of Education (BOE May 7, 2010))

3.  Certified photocopy of the academic certification of the last two courses of secondary education, or of the last three in those educational systems where the duration of the last cycle exceeds two years. Students from the UK education system who have completed the previous General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in another educational system must prove the degree or certificate corresponding to the course taught.

4.  Copy of the registration form in the UNED with the bank deposit corresponding to the payment of the public prices of verification of European studies for access to the university (copies 1 and 2 of this form validated and stamped on-line or by any Office of the Banco Santander Network)

Public prices of verification of European studies (and others) for access to university (2011).

• Ordinary rate ... € 44.18
• General large family * (exemption of 50%)
• Special large family * (exemption of 100%)

* The beneficiaries of Numerous Family must enclose in their Enrollment Envelope, a certified and valid photocopy of the Numerous Family Title (see Royal Decree 1621/2005, of December 30, which approves the Regulation of Law 40/2003, of 18 of November, of protection to the large families). It is the responsibility of the autonomous community of residence of the applicant to recognize the status of a large family, as well as for the issuance and renewal of the title that accredits that status and category. In the case of nationals of Member States of the European Union or of the rest who are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area who are not resident in Spanish territory, the autonomous community in which the applicant exercises his activity for the account of others or for his own account shall be competent. The photocopies of the documents to be submitted at the UNED can be done at the Associated Centers of the UNED or at any of the Student Attention Units in Madrid (Bravo Murillo 38, Paseo Senda del Rey 7, or Juan del Rosal 16). They can also be held in the Departments of Education of the different Embassies of Spain and in the Embassies / Consulates of the different countries in Spain.

The UNED organizes the University Access Test in Spain (PAU) for the following groups:

Students of foreign educational systems with studies equivalent to the title of Spanish Bachiller:

• Organization of the general phase of the PAU (general requirement of access to the university in Spain)
• Organization of the specific phase of the PAU (voluntary)

Students of educational systems referred to in article 38.5 of Organic Law 2/2006, of May 3, Education:

• Procedure for issuing Credentials (general requirement of access to the Spanish university)
• Organization of the specific phase of the PAU (voluntary)

Students from Spanish public centers located abroad attached to the PAU-UNED

• Organization of the general phase of the PAU (general requirement of access to the university in Spain)
• Organization of the specific phase of the PAU (voluntary)

Students in possession of a higher technical qualification of vocational training, of superior technical of plastic arts and design or of superior sports technician and equivalents coming from foreign educational systems or coming from Spanish educational system that are in centers abroad (Erasmus scholarship or centers approved by the Government of Spain).

Organization of the specific phase of the PAU (voluntary)