Spanish is spoken by over 400 million people and is the world’s second business language. It is also the language of Cervantes, a language of culture and passion. If you are currently making decisions about your educational career and are looking for the kind of qualifications that will help you to find quality international employment, fluency in Spanish and a Spanish qualification would be a tremendous advantage.

You and practically all your friends probably speak good English and some of them – perhaps you too - will be considering studying in an English-speaking country. Some might also probably be considering studying in Germany. But how many people do you know in your country who speak Spanish or have a qualification from a Spanish university? – probably not many.

In career terms, it is without doubt an advantage to be one of the few (speaking Spanish and with a Spanish qualification) instead of one of the many (English speaking).

Spain has excellent historic and modern universities offering the complete range of under-graduate and post graduate qualifications. It also has serious language schools that can help you to prepare linguistically, culturally and academically for entry to these universities.

There are of course numerous other reasons for studying in Spain (the diversity of culture, countryside, the people, the great cities.....), but to stand out in your country as one of the few people qualified to speak and do business with the Spanish speaking world makes studying in Spain an option seriously worth considering.

So if we can assume that this is a seriously good idea, how should you go about achieving this career enhancing goal. Unfortunately you will probably find that it is not too easy to find reliable information about how to access Spanish higher education and there is the additional problem of how to obtain the all-important student visa. Basically you will need professional help.

In the first instance you need to look locally for a professional Study Abroad consultancy interested in helping students gain access to higher education in Spain. The following are just a few examples of such agencies: MKA TEREN, Aspect and Coliseum LLC. These consultancies have found, from experience drawn from placing students in higher eduation in different countries, that it is frequently best to access higher education through serious private language schools in the country concerned. These schools are experts in dealing with overseas students and depend on the positive feedback of their clients for their future business. They tend to be much more responsive and thorough in answering your enquiries than a large university, and in certain cases have specific access routes that help prepare overseas students to enter under graduate or post-graduate courses.

In a Spanish context, one school that can provide this type of service is Malaca Instituto, a school with more than 30 years of experience dedicated to the teaching of Spanish, based in Malaga on the Mediterranean coast of Andalucia.

In table 1 you will find some essential facts and terminology that you will need as a starting point for your investigations about how to enter Spanish university.
Table 1: University in Spain
Licenciatura undergraduate degree – internationally recognised qualification
Duration: 4 or 5 years
Diplomatura diploma course at university – recognised within Spain, but not a full degree.
Duration 3 years
Selectividad: competitive entry exam for all school-leaving students (Spanish or overseas) wishing to enter an undergraduate degree course
Exam dates: Selectividad takes place in June and again in September
Entry requirements: high level of Spanish and having completed high school. You must be 18 years old during the year you take Selectividad
Cost of undergraduate degrees Cost varies but university education is not expensive when compared with many other European countries. Annual tuition fees start at around ˆ 650.


Assuming you have not already studied at University level in your country, you will need to pass the Selectividad examination. This is the competitive entry exam for access to an undergraduate degree (licenciatura) in Spain. There is a version of the exam for Spanish students and another for overseas students.

You need to prepare at least 3 main subject areas and you will also be examined in Spanish and in one other main European language. Your level of Spanish needs to be very good (the language school will help you achieve this!), while your knowledge of the 2nd European language needs to be sufficient to answer some written questions (this is not normally a problem for students who have studied English at high school).

You will need to choose 3 main subject areas that will be acceptable as entry criteria for the type of university course you wish to study. For example, if you want to study a scientific-type degree you must choose science subjects and if you want to study on the humanities side, you will need arts-type subjects.

To give an example, at Malaca Instituto we prepare our students in history, literature and history of art in addition to Spanish language. This prepares students for the following types of undergraduate degrees:

• translation & interpreting, languages
• history, geography, history of art, philosophy
• journalism, PR, media studies
• tourism (diplomatura)
• personnel management

With regards science-side Selectividad it should be noted that some subjects which are not so obviously science-based do require science subjects at Selectividad: eg. Business and Management studies and architecture.

Once you have decided what you want to study you need to find the language school or college where you can achieve the level of Spanish required and also prepare the academic subjects. Your local Study Abroad consultants will be able to help you with this. However you should ensure that the school or college chosen really does have the experience and the programmes necessary to prepare overseas students for Selectividad. You will also want to be sure that the school has independent proof of its quality and guarantees that it does what it says it does!

In the case of Spain you should look for “quality guarantee labels” such as “Accredited by the Instituto Cervantes” or “CEELE” (the inspection school of the University of Alcala) or prestigious pan-European or international labels such as “EAQUALS” or “IALC”. All of these have inspection schemes which ensure that the schools meet quality criteria and are legally established. (You might be surprised by the number of “schools” you can find on the internet that are not able to meet the criteria of any of these schemes – beware the jungle!)

Once the school is chosen you will need to collect together the official documents you will need, both to meet the academic criteria (see Table 2) and for you to be able to gain a student visa. Your Study Abroad consultancy, with help from the school, will be able to advise you about this. Without their help you might well find that this process is overwhelming and discouraging. With professional help a bona-fide student who meets the criteria can gain a student visa but in any case you need to leave plenty of time for the bureaucratic process. At this point you should also have completed a Spanish language test so that the school can advise you on how much or how little intensive Spanish you need to study prior to joining a “Selectividad” preparation course. This will determine when you have to begin your studies in Spain.

Table 2: Entry requirements for taking Selectividad

• Satisfactory completion of high-school in your country.
• A notarised report of your marks in the last 4 years of high school
• A high level of Spanish (approaching that of DELE Superior)
• Working knowledge of another European language (English, French, German, Italian or Portuguese)
• Subject knowledge in your chosen areas similar to that of a Spanish student
• 18 years of age during the year in which you take Selectividad
• A full student visa to study in Spain



When you have passed these administrative hurdles and have arrived at your chosen school in Spain, the real work begins! With regards your language studies, you should not be concerned. The fact that you have almost certainly learned at least one foreign language in high school should prove to you that this is not going to be an area of concern. Practically no-one “fails” in a professional intensive language school and certainly not young, dedicated and motivated students with a goal to achieve. Your tutors should monitor your progress to ensure that you are on course to achieve the level required.

So your only problem now is preparing the academic subject areas for your chosen type of Selectividad. This is not easy and will require a lot of reading in Spanish. However good students who dedicate themselves to their studies should find that this is an achievable goal.

While you are preparing for Selectividad in Spain you should also be identifying the Universities at which you would prefer to study and the specific courses in which you are interested. Again your tutors at the school should be able to help you with this. You then take Selectividad in June and within a couple of weeks you will be notified of the results. Immediately on hearing the results you should start phoning the universities at the top of your list. Assuming you have passed the exam you are guaranteed a place at University – the University and the course depends on the score you obtain and the popularity of the university/course. This process is rapid and allows you to enter University in October of the same year you took Selectividad. If you fail first time you can re-take Selectividad in September and still start University in October, albeit with a reduced range of options.


A possible access route to higher-education in Spain

Documents and advice available through Langford Travel

 complete “Selectividad” questionnaire
 take Spanish language level test
 Malaca Instituto provides study plan
 application and payment via your chosen study abroad consultancy
 visa application via your chosen study abroad consultancy
 studying at Malaca Instituto - constant monitoring
 take Selectividad
 receive result
 apply to university
 start University October of same year


If you have already completed an undergraduate degree in your own country you may be interested in studying for a post-graduate qualification in Spain. In this case you will still need to achieve the high level of Spanish required but then it is a question of applying to the university of your choice and discussing with them what you would like to do. The Spanish University will need to verify your academic qualifications and will then let you know the conditions, duration and price.

There are other very popular types of professional training available in Spain at non-University institutions. The most popular of these, essentially those most associated with Spain, are:

• Fashion and interior design
• Hotel management
• Cooking and Catering management
• Ceramics: design and manufacture
• Flamenco: dance and music

Again, you should choose to prepare linguistically in a serious language school which can help you find information about, and make contact with, an institution providing the training you are looking for.

So to sum up, if you are interested in investigating the options for University and professional training in Spain, get in touch with a reputable Study Abroad Consultancy in your area and ask about schools in Spain experienced in preparing overseas students for further study.

I hope that this information is of help in showing you that studying in Spain is not only a sensible option in career terms but also a feasible one. I wish you the best of luck in achieving your academic dreams and career goals.

Bob Burger is Marketing Director of Malaca Instituto in Spain and has over 20 years’ experience in the study abroad business.

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Work & Study Team




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