Plan your studies in Spain

Yes. Private universities and business schools teach many programmes in English, and public universities offer a growing number of English-taught bachelor's and master's degrees. Most public bachelor's degrees are still taught in Spanish or a co-official language, so the language you can study in shapes your options.

Public-university fees are regulated public prices set per credit by each region, usually far below private tuition. For non-EU students who are not resident in Spain, the region and sometimes the university decide whether the same prices apply: some charge the same as for Spanish students and others charge more. Check the current price rules or the university's fee page for your programme.

Usually not. Students with a foreign school-leaving qualification access university through UNEDasiss accreditation or the homologación of their qualification, and can take UNEDasiss's PCE subject exams to raise their admission grade for competitive programmes.

Homologación is the official recognition of a foreign qualification as equivalent to a Spanish one. For a bachelor's degree, students from outside EU and agreement education systems need their secondary qualification homologated to the Spanish Bachiller. For an official master's degree, the university checks a degree from outside the European Higher Education Area itself, without homologación.

As soon as you have the admission letter and the documents on your consulate's checklist. Processing times and appointment availability differ by consulate, and documents such as criminal record certificates must be legalised and translated first, so start gathering them while you wait for admission.

Consulates ask for funds for each month of stay, calculated from the IPREM, Spain's public income indicator, which is updated by law. The exact amount and the evidence accepted are on your consulate's checklist. It is a legal minimum, not a full budget, especially in Madrid or Barcelona.

Students holding a study stay for higher education can work up to 30 hours a week without a separate permit, as long as the work is compatible with their studies. Language-course students do not get this automatic right, and part-time income cannot replace the funds the visa asks you to prove.

No. They can be valuable qualifications, but they are not official Spanish degrees: they may not give access to a doctorate or a regulated profession in Spain, and their recognition abroad depends on the institution and the receiving country. Official grados and másteres universitarios are listed in the RUCT register.

Most university programmes start in September or October and run until June or July, in two semesters. Some master's programmes and private schools also have a February intake, so check the start date of each programme.