06 - Spain - Admission requirements

The information on admission requirements in higher education studies, both at university and non-university level, is available in the following subsections.

University tertiary education

A description of the conditions to access first and second cycle education, on the one hand, and to the third cycle on the other follows.

Access to first and second cycle university education

Access to university education can be given to:

• Students holding a Bachiller certificate, who must pass a university entrance examination in order to take a university course.
• Students holding a Técnico Superior certificate in any advanced vocational training specialisation. These students will not be required to sit a university entrance examination to gain access to university; however, they may only take those university studies relating to their certificate, set by the relevant authority, following the report from the State School Council and the Council of Universities.
• Adults over 25 who may enter university without holding any qualifications as long as they pass an entrance examination specially designed for this purpose .
• To gain access to certain university studies (Fine Arts, Translation and Interpreting, Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, and to some other second cycle studies) students are also required to pass an aptitude test.
  
  A description of the structure of university entrance examinations, as well as of the aptitude tests to enter certain university studies and of university entrance procedures follows.
  
  I) University entrance examination
  
  Students who wish to undertake university studies must hold the Bachiller certificate and pass the corresponding university entrance examination. Passing this entrance examination is a necessary requirement for first and second cycle (long cycle) university studies. In order to gain access to first cycle studies, entrants are not required to sit such an examination. However, bearing in mind that the students who sit this examination have access priority, and that almost all studies have a limited number of places, passing this examination becomes essential in practice.
  
  The regulation for enrolment into university is a responsibility shared by the State and the Autonomous Communities. The general regulation of the entrance examination is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Science, following the report from the relevant bodies of the Autonomous Communities, the State School Council and the University Coordination Council. In addition, the competent bodies of the Autonomous Communities may establish, within their area of jurisdiction, specific guidelines for the implementation of the general regulations established nationwide. Each university sets the location and the date for the examinations within the regulation deadlines fixed annually for each session as well as the dates for student registration.
  
  This university entrance examination is organised and planned jointly by universities and the authorities responsible for BachilleratoBachillerato and is intended to objectively assess students’ academic maturity and the knowledge acquired during this stage of education.
  
  The Autonomous Communities are in charge of organising the entrance examination and performing the following functions: define the criteria for drawing up the exam papers; establish the general criteria of assessment for the exam; and appoint and set up the examining boards.
  
  In order to take the entrance examination, students choose one of the five options offered, which correspond to the different types of Bachillerato available. Then, from among all the subjects studied in the final year of Bachillerato, there are two which students are obliged to take, as they are intrinsically linked to each option.. The different options of the examination, in turn, are related to the various branches into which university education is organised. In the case of first cycle university studies, for which, as it has already been mentioned, entrants are not required to pass the entrance examination, there is a link between the different types of Bachillerato and the various branches.
  
  provision. The examination covers the subjects studied in the final year of

Students may take the examination in any of the official languages of the Autonomous Community in which the institution where they are being examined is located. However, the exams related to Spanish Language, the co-official language of the relevant Autonomous Community, and Foreign Language must be done in the corresponding languages.

The aforementioned entrance examination consists of two parts. The first one, which has a general nature, covers common subjects taken in the final year of Bachillerato and includes three tests.

• The writing of a text on a historical or philosophical subject based on the analysis of various sources of information included in the rubrics of the examination.
• The analysis of a text in a foreign language.
• The analysis and comprehension of a text in Spanish.

If the examination is held in any of the Autonomous Communities with another co-official language, a compulsory examination in the relevant language may be set.

The second part of the examination, which is the specific part of the test, includes exercises corresponding to the three subject areas studied during the final year of Bachillerato. From these subjects, there are two which have been laid down as compulsorily linked to each option that must be included; the student may freely choose the third from those subjects corresponding to the type of Bachillerato chosen.

Students may take the exam in one or two of the options envisaged. In the latter case, they must take the exams in the four subjects compulsorily linked to the chosen options.

Each of the exercises in the two parts is graded on a scale of 0 to 10. The mark for the first part is the arithmetic mean of the three exercises; or four in the case of the Autonomous Communities with a co-official language. The mark for the second part is found by a weighted average in which each of the two subjects linked to the option accounts for 40 per cent of the total, and the optional subject accounts for 20 per cent. In the case of access through two options, there are two marks for the second part, one for each of the options. The calculation is made as follows: each mark obtained in each of the two subjects compulsorily linked to the option is weighted by 40 per cent, and the highest mark from those obtained in subjects corresponding to the other option by 20 per cent. The overall mark for the test comprises the arithmetic mean of the marks obtained in the two parts. In order to gain access to an option, the student must obtain a minimum overall mark of four points.

The final mark for admission to the university is calculated by weighting 40% of the overall mark of the entrance examination and 60% of the average mark of the student’s record during bachillerato (the mark obtained in Religious Education is not taken into account). University admission requires an overall final mark of five or more. If the student takes the examination for two options, he/she will have two final grades, one for each option.

There are two examination sessions (June and September), and students are allowed to sit the exam a total of four times to achieve a passing grade. All students who have successfully passed the university entrance examination may re-take it as many times as they wish and at any session in order to improve their grade and thus enter the first cycle of a determined field of study.

The various exercises are corrected by an examination board set up for this purpose and in accordance with criteria fixed both by the organising board and with those specific criteria regarding correction and marking of the question papers.

Students are allowed to make a request to the head of the examining board for two or even three re-markings of their examinations.

The 2006 Ley Orgánica de Educación, LOE (Act on Education) has established a new university entrance examination. Such examination will be organised by the education authorities starting from the academic year 2009/10.

Apart from the common university entrance procedure, there are Técnico Superior vocational training certificates, and Plastic Arts and Design or other equivalent qualifications, which allow students direct access to specific university studies, related to the professional branch taken.

As already mentioned, adults aged over 25 are not required to hold any previous qualification in order to gain access to university, provided they pass a specific examination prepared for that purpose. More detailed information on this examination can be found in section 7.7.4.

In addition, the 2007 Act modifying the Act on Universities aims to facilitate updated training and professional adaptation as well as full integration in the economic, cultural and social environment. Therefore, the Government, following the report from the Council of Universities, will regulate the procedures for university entrance for those who do not hold the required academic degree, but may evidence certain work or professional experience. Besides, those who cannot prove any experience will be allowed to enter any university, institution and provision provided they are over a certain age.

As regards students coming from the education systems of the Member States of the European Union or from other States with which international agreements on this issue have been signed, the LOE establishes that they can gain access to Spanish universities without having to sit the entrance examination, provided they meet the academic requirements stipulated in their education systems in order to gain access to university.

II) Aptitude tests for some types of provision

Besides the general university entrance examination, which is compulsory for first and second cycle (long cycle) studies, universities organise specific tests in order to assess the aptitudes of candidates applying to enter the following studies:

• Fine Arts, aimed at assessing aptitudes and skills in Plastic Arts.
• Translation and Interpreting, aimed at assessing aptitudes and skills in linguistic translation in a modern foreign language.
• Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, aimed at assessing aptitudes and skills in sport, adapting these tests to the particular conditions required by disabled students.
• Second cycle studies, the tests established by the corresponding entrance regulations.

Students from Bachillerato, from advanced vocational training studies, adults over 25, as well as students coming from the education systems of the Member States of the European Union or from other States with which international agreements on this issue have been signed, must pass these aptitude tests.

III) Enrolment procedures for university institutions

In order to gain access to university, the LOU establishes the so-called Open District access, which offers students the possibility of applying for access to a public university of their own choice, regardless of which Autonomous Community they come from and of the university in which they passed the relevant entrance examination. In all cases, the rights of students from other Autonomous Communities and students from the Autonomous Community itself, are the same.

The procedures for application and allocation of places for this type of access in order to take first cycle university studies are established by the Autonomous Communities, following a report from the universities in each Community.

Taking into account these procedures, as well as the maximum number of options for university studies that students can apply for, students must apply for the university or universities where they want to study.

The procedures for the allocation of places are set up by the different Autonomous Communities, following a report from the universities in each Community. Students coming from other Autonomous Communities have the same rights as those from the Autonomous Community in question.

No university may decline from filling vacancies in an institution if there are candidates who meet the requirements established by the legislation in effect. Nevertheless, when institutions are over-subscribed, enrolment is awarded according to the following criteria:

1) First preference is given to students who pass the entrance examination in the June exam in the official exam session of the current year or in the official exam sessions of previous years.
2) Second preference is given to students who pass the entrance exam in the extra sitting of the academic year in question.
3) Third preference, but only for admission to programmes leading to first cycle qualifications, is given to students who pass Bachillerato.
4) Final preference is given to those students referred to in the previous paragraph who pass Bachillerato in the supplementary session of the academic year in question.

Once all the above priority criteria have been applied, the procedure to select between students in the same situation is as follows: the final grade in the entrance examination; the average mark in Bachillerato; the average mark in the university academic record (provided students have a university degree or its equivalent); the average mark of advanced vocational training studies or equivalent; and, for students who wish to undertake a particular type of education (Fine Arts, Translation and Interpreting, etc.), the grade which results from taking the average of the entrance examination mark and the grade obtained in the personal aptitude test.

Apart from the priority rules and criteria previously described, universities reserve each year a certain number of places to be allocated to those students who fit into certain categories, providing that they fulfil the legislative conditions in force for university admission. The precise number of these places is determined by the relevant Autonomous Community, following proposals from the universities in the area in question. Thus, a certain fixed number of places is reserved as follows:

• 1 to 3% of places are reserved for university graduates or those with equivalent qualifications which do not allow their enrolment into the second cycle of the studies they wish to follow.
• 1 to 3% for those foreign students (from non-EU countries) who pass the Spanish university entrance examination in the year in question or in the previous year, providing that their countries apply the principle of reciprocity in this matter.
• 15 to 30% of places available on university studies which lead to official first cycle qualifications, for which students with advanced vocational training certificates are eligible to enrol. These students must have successfully completed the studies required for direct access to university studies, taking into account the field of vocational training they have followed. The number of reserved places is from 7 to 15% in the case of university studies leading to official degrees of the first and second cycle.
• Between 1 and 3% for high performance sportsmen and women, and an additional 5% for places in the studies of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences.
• Candidates over the age of 25 have 1 to 3% of places reserved for them.

In addition, up to 3% of the places must be held for students who have a disability equivalent to or exceeding 33%; for those who are profoundly mute or deaf, as well as for those students with permanent special educational needs linked to their personal disability and who required special educational measures during their previous educational stages. In exceptional circumstances, University Governing Boards may increase the percentage of the places available. Public universities, in turn, must make the necessary adjustments to enable these students to take the entrance examination set for the student population in general.

As regards students who wish to continue their studies at a university other than the one where they began, they may request admission in the former, provided that they have successfully completed the entire first year of the studies or 60 credits and that they have not made use of all the exams as established in the relevant regulations. If students do not meet these requirements, they are subject to the general regulations for the allocation of places.

Students who wish to undertake university studies different from the ones they began will be subject to the general regulations for the allocation of places.

Those students who have partially or fully completed studies abroad, but who have not obtained their validation from the Ministry of Education and Science –(though the possibility of partial recognition is explicitly mentioned) can continue the same or equivalent studies in Spanish universities. They may be admitted by the rector of the university according to the following criteria:

• Applications from students with foreign university studies to whom validation is granted for the first year or for a minimum of 60 credits are dealt with by the rector of the university, who proceeds according to the criteria set down by the Consultative Board of the university and who, in any case, will bear in mind the grades on the student record.
• If the application is for studies for which the demand for places is below the number available, it will be deemed sufficient for the student to have achieved a minimum of 15 credits, or as is the case, one subject.

Students, who do not obtain partial validation, must pass the entrance examination for Spanish universities, except when their recognised pre-university studies have granted direct enrolment in university without the need to pass the entrance examination.

Access to third cycle university studies

In order to take Doctoral studies, leading to the award of the corresponding official degree valid nationwide, candidates must hold a Licenciado, Architect or Engineer university degree and meet the admission and selection requirements established by each university. As a last resort, the approval of the relevant departments is required, since they are responsible for the management of these programmes.

The October 2007 Royal Decree establishing the organisation of official university studies stipulates that, in order to gain access to the training period of the new Doctoral programmes, it will be necessary to hold a Spanish official university degree or any other issued by a higher education institution of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In addition, in order to gain access to the research period, students must hold an official Master’s degree or any other equivalent degree issued by a higher education institution of the EHEA. Students can also gain access if they meet any of the following conditions: either have passed 60 credits corresponding to one or several Master’s degrees, or hold a Bachelor degree of at least 300 credits.

Non-university tertiary education

The information on the admission conditions in non-university higher education is available in the following subsections.

Advanced vocational training

Access to advanced vocational training may be obtained in the following ways:

• Through direct access, for which it is necessary to hold the Bachiller certificate;
• Through an entrance examination when candidates do not hold the Bachiller certificate. The examination is regulated by the Autonomous Communities and its objective is to prove that the candidate’s maturity is appropriate to the objectives of Bachillerato and to assess his/her skills for the ciclo formativo of the relevant professional field.

A description of both the admission procedure and the entrance examination to gain access to advanced vocational training follows.

I) Admission procedure

In the event that there are not sufficient places, admission to the ciclos formativos of advanced vocational training will be prioritised according to the following criteria:

• Having followed any type of the types of Bachillerato determined for each ciclo formativo.
• The academic record of the student, taking into account, firstly, the average mark and, secondly, having passed the Bachillerato subjects related to the ciclo formativo being applied for.

II) Advanced vocational training entrance examination

The entrance examination for the ciclos formativos of advanced vocational training consists of two parts:

• A common part, whose aim is to assess students’ maturity and suitability for successfully completing advanced vocational training, as well as their reasoning and writing abilities. It covers the most instrumental subjects of Bachillerato.
• A specific part, whose aim is to assess students’ basic knowledge of the relevant professional field. It covers those subjects of Bachillerato which are most related to the corresponding advanced ciclo formativo.

In order to sit the entrance examination, candidates must be 19, or 18 provided they hold a Técnico certificate which is related to the ciclo formativo they wish to study. The Autonomous Communities may establish the percentage of advanced vocational training places reserved for those who gain access to this type of provision through this examination.

Students will be exempt from taking the relevant part of the examination if they have passed an intermediate ciclo formativo, if they hold a professionalism certificate related to the ciclo formativo they wish to study, or if they can accredit professional experience within the field concerned to the relevant advanced ciclo formativo. Candidates will also be exempt from taking the examination provided they have passed the university entrance examination for those aged over 25.

Enseñanzas de régimen especial

The information concerning admission to advanced enseñanzas de régimen especial can be found in the following subsections.

Artistic studies

Music and Dance Education

The common requirements to gain access to advanced Music and Dance studies are the following:

• Holding the Bachiller certificate.
• Having passed the third cycle of intermediate Music or Dance studies.
• Having passed a specific test which proves that the candidate has the knowledge and skills needed to study the specialisation requested.

All candidates must pass a specific examination in order to gain access to advanced Music studies. It consists of a single test in which the different parts as determined for each specialisation are included. Those students who do not meet the necessary requirements to gain access to advanced Music studies must sit an additional test in order to confirm that the candidate has the appropriate knowledge and aptitudes as well as the specific skills necessary to follow these studies. This examination comprises a written test, of humanistic nature, to assess the applicant’s maturity through the use of language, the understanding of concepts and the ability to link and to summarise and/or a theoretical/practical test to assess their overall musical training concerning the development of their listening capacity, their knowledge of the theory and history of music, as well as their degree of comprehension and use of the different harmonic resources and procedures.

As regards advanced Dance studies, the specific test to gain access to these studies consists of two examinations. The first one is common to the two specialisations and comprises a written test on a general topic related to Dance, which demonstrates the candidate’s artistic training. The second examination includes both theory and practice and it is adapted to the characteristics of the relevant specialisation. Those students who do not meet any of the necessary academic requirements to gain access to advanced Dance studies must take a different test, which also consists of two examinations. The first one comprises an oral presentation of the candidate’s work or activities carried out within the specialisation concerned, followed by a debate on this issue before the examining board. The candidate is formulated the questions the board may consider appropriate in order to assess his/her maturity, artistic training and the activities carried out within the field of Dance. In order to sit this test, candidates have to present, before it is held, a report and documentation corresponding to the works and activities carried out. The second examination includes theory and practice. Its organisation and content correspond to each specialisation, as determined by the relevant education authorities.

Dramatic Arts studies

Students must meet the following two requirements to gain access to Dramatic Arts studies:

1) Holding the Bachiller certificate.
2) Passing the specific entrance examination – annually organised- corresponding to the specialisation applied for.

The test consists of two examinations. The first one is common to all specialisations. It comprises an analysis of an excerpt from a dramatic work. The objective is to assess the student’s maturity and knowledge. The second examination, specific to the relevant specialisation, has a more practical nature, and its aim is to assess whether the student has adequate artistic aptitudes for the specialisation he/she is being tested on.

In addition, those wishing to begin their studies in Dramatic Arts, but who do not meet the academic requirements may sit a specific test to prove they have the necessary skills in order to successfully pass these studies. Such applicants must be aged over 20. This test consists of two examinations: the first one is an oral presentation of the candidate’ s work and activities carried out within the field of the relevant specialisation, while the second –of a practical nature- assesses specific aspects of each specialisation.

Plastic Arts and Design studies

Students must meet the following requirements to gain access to advanced Plastic Arts and Design studies:

1) Holding the Bachiller certificate.
2) Passing a specific entrance test to prove both the intellectual maturity and the necessary skills for the successful completion of these studies.

Students are exempt from taking this test provided they have the Técnico Superior certificate of Plastic Arts and Design or any equivalent official qualification.

Those students who do not meet the necessary requirements, but who are over 25 can also gain access to the advanced studies of Design, Ceramics and Glass by passing a test in which they prove they have the knowledge corresponding to Bachillerato, as well as the required aptitudes, skills and abilities as regards performance and artistic sensitivity required in order to follow these studies successfully.

Those candidates who wish to gain access to the ciclos formativos of advanced Plastic Arts and Designmust meet the following requirements:

• Holding the Bachiller certificate or equivalent.
• Passing a specific entrance examination to prove both intellectual maturity and the necessary skills in order to complete these studies successfully.

The following candidates are exempt from sitting the entrance examination: students who have taken the three subjects of the Artistic type of Bachillerato established for each occupational family; those who hold the Técnico Superior qualification of Plastic Arts and Design corresponding to another ciclo formativo in the same occupational family; and Graduates in Applied Arts whose specialisations correspond to the field they wish to enrol.

These studies are also open to candidates who do not hold the required qualifications, but who are 18 and have passed an intermediate ciclo formativo belonging to the same occupational family (or occupational families officially related to the ones established). Such candidates also have to pass an entrance examination. Similarly, those students who do not meet the necessary requirements, can gain access to these studies – provided they are over 20 and pass a test in which they prove they are intellectually mature for this level of education and have the specific skills required to successfully pass these studies. The content of the test is tailored to the curriculum of the Artistic Bachillerato and the result is expressed in terms of pass/fail.

The 2006 Ley Orgánica de Educación, LOE (Act on Education) changes some of the admission requirements in order to gain access to the ciclos formativos of advanced Plastic Arts and Design. The most important change is that candidates who do not hold the Bachiller certificate must be 19 in the year in which they take the examination or 18 provided they have a Técnico qualification related to the ciclo formativo they wish to study. The ciclos formativos of advanced Plastic Arts and Design as regulated by the LOE will be implemented in the 2008/09 academic year.

Sports studies

The entrance requirements for advanced Sports studies are:

• Holding the Bachiller certificate or its equivalent.
• Holding the qualification of Técnico Deportivo in the relevant type or sports specialisation.
• Passing a specific test, if required in any of the specialisations. This examination is made up taking into account the objectives of the core curriculum for the relevant modality or sports specialisation; the level of practical skills and necessary aptitudes which candidates must evidence to follow these studies; and the minimum requirements for its recognition in the field of sport.

Nevertheless, It is possible to gain access to these studies without holding the Bachiller certificate or equivalent providing the student passes a maturity test. Therefore, to access Sports studies via this route, the candidate must be 20 and must prove maturity in accordance with the educational objectives set for Bachillerato.

In addition, high performance sportsmen and women are exempt from sitting the specific examination and from the requirements which may be established for each sports specialisation. For this purpose, sportsmen and women are considered high performance if they meet the requirements specified for each sports specialisation or type in the Royal Decree establishing the general organisation of specialised Sports studies.

As regards candidates with disabilities, the relevant authorities are responsible for adapting the specific tests and the requirements to the circumstances of each of the candidates.

The 2006 Ley Orgánica de Educación, LOE (Act on Education) and the November 2007 Royal Decree establishing the general organisation of specialised sports studies stipulate as a necessary requirement for certain specialisations the passing of a specific test organised and monitored by the education authorities or the evidencing of achievement in sport which proves the candidate has the required aptitude and skills to follow these studies successfully. In addition, the LOE stipulates that applicants must be 19 (a year less than before) to take the maturity test set for those who do not meet the academic requirements or 18 provided they hold the Técnico certificate related to the specialisation they wish to study. However, these aspects will not come into effect until the new qualifications and types of provision are established.

Institutions:

 

MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN Y CIENCIA
c/ Alcalá, 36 28014 Madrid
Tel.:902.21.85.00/ 902.21.86.00/+34.91.589.66.08
Fax:+34.91.701.86.48/ +34.91.589.66.14
E-mail:  infoedu@mec.es
Website:  http://www.mec.es

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