We have listed some of the reasons why we believe Spain is one of the most amazing countries to study abroad in. Beautiful weather, the stunning mediterranean sea, the super friendly people, the culture, nightlife and its affordable tuition fees and cost of living. Who wouldn’t want to study here?

Take the opportunity to Improve your Spanish skills and enjoy the Spanish lifestyle to the fullest. We are positive you will have one of the best experiences of your life during your abroad studies in Spain!

Why Study in Spain?

Spain is a beautiful country, both rich in culture as well as history. Did you know that Spain is the third most popular tourist destination in the world, according to worldatlas.com? Whether you’re looking for a cosmopolitan city or charming regional culture, Spain got you covered. For international students Spain is a great destination, because it offers a perfect mix of culture and an excellent academic experience.

Spain is the home of many really good universities and every year around 85,000 international students come here to study, from all around the world. At the universities here you will find a friendly and laid-back environment. Lectures can be fairly formal, but the workshops and seminars are more informal and the students are free to discuss (or argue) with their professors. Normally the private universities also got smaller classes, making the lectures more intimate and personal.

Whatever field you want to study, Spain offers a variety of options no matter if you want to study science, engineering, business, law or hospitality degrees. The country got over 70 universities to choose from and Spain has a long and rich tradition of higher education. Therefore their institutions are consistently well ranked internationally. According to the 2018 QS World University Rankings, 11 Spanish universities are ranked in the top 500. The highest of these is the Universitat de Barcelona, which is currently ranked 156th.

All traditional levels of studies are available in Spain, including bachelor’s, master’s and PhD studies. Normally a bachelor’s degree has a duration of 4 years and 240 ECTS credits. A master‘s degree usually lasts for 1-2 years.

Here you can find some of our most popular schools and programs around Spain:

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Application Process and Practical Information

How do I apply to a university in Spain?

The application process might differ from university to university. First, check with university you have chosen how to apply online and pay an application fee. Make sure you carefully go through all the entry requirements and documents needed. Notice that you might have to submit all required application documents in Spanish, but an official translator can help you with that. A good idea is to apply to more than one university to help your chances of getting accepted.

 

Another thing to think about is to check the university’s language requirements. Sometimes you need to prove your language skills (English or Spanish depending on what language you want to study in) before getting admitted to a program. There are almost 700 English taught programmes in Spain. The universities want to see that you can easily understand the content of your courses, that’s why an English exam is often required. Almost all Spanish universities accept these official English exams:

  • IELTS
  • TOEFL
  • C1 Cambridge Certificate

 

Some universities do not require any of these tests. Feel free to contact us for a list of these universities.

 

For Spanish bachelor and master degrees, the most common required Spanish test is DELE and normally the universities demand a B2 level of Spanish.

 

Tuition Fees & Study Costs in Spain

 

How much are the Tuition Fees to the Spanish Universities?

You can find some of the lowest tuition fees in Europe in Spain, the public university tuitions are set by the Spanish government. Obviously this will depend on many factors, for example what university you want to study at as well as the field of your studies. It is important to know that if you are from an EU country, you will pay the same fees as Spanish students, but if you are from a non-EU country, your fees might be higher. The tuition fees in Spain are calculated on the pay-per-credit format, but the amount can change if you enroll for the second or third time in the same program. The annual tuition fee in public Spanish universities are generally between €2,000-€4,000.

 

For private universities fees can vary between €4,000-18,000 per school year for a bachelor program or a master program. Normally the tuition fee is between €5,000-€7,000 though for a private university.

 

What about the cost of living in Spain?

The cost of living and studying abroad in Spain is affordable, especially if you compare to other cosmopolitan European cities like London, Paris or Milan. It is always difficult to say how much you need per Month, because it’s so individual. However, depending on the city you choose, your cost of living will probably be between €900-1,100 per Month. Madrid and Barcelona is much more expensive than the smaller cities.

 

If you have a EHIC card you don’t need a medical insurance. You will have the same access and rights to the healthcare system as a Spanish citizen. If you are from a non-EU country, you need a medical insurance (you can read more about that in the Student Visa section).

 

Do you need a Student Visa?

For students who come from outside the European Union you need a student visa (Type D student visa). To apply for a student visa, you will have to submit the official documents to the Spanish consulate closest to where you live, showing that you have been admitted to a university program amongst other things.

 

Please read our full guide on how to get a student visa to Spain here:

Click here

 

Do you want to work while you’re studying?

We do not recommend that you rely on work to finance your studies in Spain. If you come from an EU country, you can work anywhere in Spain as long as you have your NIE (Spanish ID number) and Social Security number.

 

For non-EU members, it becomes more complicated. You will need a special permit. In this scenario, you are only allowed to work part time (maximum of 20 hours per week). You will have to find an employer though, that is willing to go through the process of hiring you legally. These jobs can be difficult to find.

 

If you perhaps got a “practical work placement” as part of your studies and the company has an agreement with the University, you will not have to apply for a work permit.

 

Study Spanish in Spain

The official language of Spain is Spanish. Studying in Spain will be a fantastic opportunity to study a new language or improve on your current skills. This will look great on your CV, as Spanish is the 4th most spoken language in the world after Chinese (Mandarin), English and Hindu. It is also the 2nd most spoken language in the business world.

 

Even if you choose to study in English in Spain, we recommend you try to make an effort to learn Spanish for 2 reasons;

 

  • Learning a new language is something that will make you stand out on your CV in the business world.
  • You will be able to better integrate with the Spanish locals and their culture, making your study abroad experience much more enjoyable.

 

There are a lot of reasons why you should learn Spanish though. Here you can read more about why you should study Spanish in Spain:

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Which are the Biggest Student Cities in Spain?

Apart from the obvious big cities like Madrid and Barcelona, there are also a lot of university options in cities like Valencia, Alicante, Salamanca or Marbella.

 

Madrid

Madrid is the Capital of Spain and got a population of almost 3.2 million people, making it the biggest city in Spain. Madrid is the cultural, economic and political centre of Spain, and you can feel the influences in all of these areas. The architecture is beautiful and the nightlife is something you can’t beat wherever you go in Spain. No matter if you go out on a Monday or Tuesday in the lively area of La Latina, the streets and the bars are packed with people and it goes on like that all night long. Madrid also got two teams in La Liga, Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid.

You can find a lot of both public and private universities in Madrid. You can find some of the oldest universities in the world, for example the Complutense University of Madrid which has almost 120,000 students. If you want to study a master or a bachelor degree in Madrid you can find our favorite ones here:

LINK TO MADRID UNIVERSITIES

Madrid also got a large number of Spanish language schools if you want to come to study Spanish. We have listed our top choices of Spanish schools here:

SPANISH SCHOOL LIST PAGE

Barcelona

Are you thinking about studying in Barcelona? Think no more, just do it! Barcelona is one of the most vibrant, exciting and beautiful cities in the world! From the culture, the food, the lifestyle, the beach, the architecture and the nightlife – Barcelona got it ALL!

Barcelona is considered one of the top study destinations in Europe and it’s easy to see why – it provides the perfect combination of culture and fun. We will in this blog post list a few of the reasons why we loved studying here 🙂

For us this city is so special we had to write a whole blog post only about Barcelona. Please read it here:

STUDY IN BARCELONA LINK

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us directly.

You will be surprised with the scope of courses available in English, especially for master programs. The undergraduate degrees in Barcelona tend to be taught in Spanish, but there are definitely options in English too.

You can read more about your English speaking bachelor programs here:

Click Here

Here you can read more about the English speaking master programs:

Cliick here

Valencia

Valencia is the 3rd largest city of Spain and is a very popular destination to study abroad. Why? That’s easy to see. Valencia is rich in culture, got warm weather almost all around the year, a beautiful beach and prestigious universities.

The main beach Malvarossa, is several km long and full of beach bars and got a great vibe. But if you would get tired of the main beach, you can take a trip to some less populated beaches around the area, such as El Saler, Port Saplaya, Sagunto beach and Cullera.

Valencia is rich in culture and there are numerous sights to visit and the food is to die for. Some of the most famous ones include the Science Museum, Oceanografic, Plaza del Mercado, the historical Plaza de la Virgen, Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas and  Torres de Serranos.

Valencia is famous for its vibrant nightlife. You will find most bars and nightclubs around the Carmen and university areas. As per normal in Spain, most nightlife only really starts well

Oh, and did you know that the Spanish dish Paella originally came from Valencia?

Marbella

Marbella is situated in the south, in the Andalucia region of Spain. Marbella offers more than just beach life. It got an excellent array of museums, concerts, theatrical productions, and other cultural events and activities.

Marbella is beautiful by itself. The City center contains some of the most famous sights, for example the Plaza de los Naranjos. From there, Marbella spreads out in a series of twisting, narrow avenues and beautiful boulevards with parks and gardens spotted throughout the city.

Málaga

If you think Costa del Sol lacked a bit of soul, you definitely haven’t visited Málaga yet! Malaga’s history goes back almost 3000 years. A lot of civilizations has left their mark on the city, which today have become their most amazing monuments. Málaga got a population of 600,000 and The University of Málaga (UMA) has become the cultural center of the city with an annual enrollment of nearly 35,000 students.

Malaga has a lot of celebrations and fiestas throughout the year. Their biggest party is in the middle of August and is called the “Feria”. This is a whole week long party and fills the city with music and dancing, during both day and night.

Did you know Málaga was the birthplace of Picasso?

Salamanca

Salamanca is situated fairly close to Madrid and got a population of only 156,000 people. However, it is the ideal place to study abroad, because the outstanding academic possibilities at the University of Salamanca and a vivid cultural life. Salamanca was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and a European City of Culture in 2002, so it is definitely one of the most amazing renaissance cities in Europe. Because of its size you can easily navigate yourself around by foot. Because of its sandstone colored buildings Salamanca is often referred to as La Cuidad Dorada (The Golden City). The cost of living is low and so are the tuition fees. These are some of the many reasons Salamanca is such a popular study abroad destination!

Granada

Just take a look at the pictures on Google, and you will know Granada is a special place. It is a charming city in the south of Spain that will probably remind you of older times. Walking around Granada can take you back into the days of Moorish Spain, where the North African Muslim influence mixed with the Christian European culture. This is something you can definitely see in the architecture of the city.

It is situated on the beach, but it is far more than just a beach destination. Close by you can find the mighty mountains of Sierra Nevada, which is excellent for all ski-bums out there!

The University of Granada was founded in 1531 and got over 50,000 students. On a city with a 230,000 population, the student vibe is very present. There are numerous bachelor and master programs to choose from, also in English. Granada is also very student friendly because its chilled atmosphere, but still vivid nightlife.