Education
in Spain

In the free public school in Spain a child begins to go to school at the age of 3 years, regardless of whether his parents are in the country legally or not. And from the age of 6 children are already required to attend school. If children come to school with a zero level of Spanish, the teacher will deal with them individually. As a rule, by the next year of school children of foreigners are perfectly integrated, freely communicate and make friends with their peers.

Why might this be important to you, even if you yourself are going to move to Spain legally, and your children will have taken a Spanish course before the move? So that you are not afraid of being a foreigner in Spain, first of all. And secondly, so that you yourself are not frightened by the prospect of becoming neighbors of other foreigners in Spain. This country is attentive to the issue of integration and ecological living of different peoples under the shade of the Spanish flag. Your children growing up here will very soon feel Spanish and help you integrate.

Education is compulsory in Spain, which the student receives from 6 to 16 years. It is divided into two cycles: Educación Primaria ( 6 to 12 years old) and Educación Secundaria ( 12 to 16 years old). The two-year cycle called bachillerato corresponds to our 10th or 11th year, it is not compulsory and is taken by those who want to go to higher education in Spain.

For those who intend to start a professional activity as soon as possible, there are so-called "educational cycles" - ciclos formativos de grado medio (middle level) and ciclos formativos de grado superior (higher level).

The second type corresponds to the bachillerato level and makes it possible, if desired, to enter a Spanish higher education institution, but already possessing a diploma of vocational secondary education.

The higher education system in Spain is divided into three stages:

• The first stage is called Grado. It corresponds to the Russian bachelor's degree, lasts from 3 to 5 years and costs from 1.5 to 2 thousand euros a year. To enroll, you must pass the "Selectividad" exam. Its compulsory subjects are: Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, Foreign Language, History of Spain ) + major subjects. Private universities do not require passing the Selectividad, they have their own selection system.

• The second stage is called "Master". It corresponds to our master's degree, lasts 1-2 years, and costs up to 3,000 € a year on average. However, there are programs costing up to 18,000 per year. To pass it, you need to submit a preliminary application form, provide a diploma of higher education and pass an exam or an interview.

• The third step is called the Doctor. It is the same as our graduate school. It takes 3-5 years of study, and its average cost is from 700€/year. You will need a diploma of higher education and a plan for your doctoral work, which must be approved by your supervisor.

Universities in Spain can be public or private. Private universities are often more expensive than public ones. Selection to public universities is strictly regulated, while in private ones you can sometimes enter without any examinations - according to the results of the interview.
Private universities have the advantage of a well-established system of professional practice, which makes it easier to find a job in the future. Unfortunately, graduates of state universities do not have this advantage, and they have to conquer the labor market on their own.

Universitat Politécnica de Valencia (Polytechnic University of Valencia) is one of the top 100 young universities in the world. It is also the only Polytechnic University in Spain that is included in many of the most prestigious rankings, such as the QS or Shanhgai.

To enroll in a university in Spain, use one of the possible ways:
Obtain an International Baccalaureate diploma. You can get it in your country in parallel with the USE. But to get it you will need to have excellent grades and be fluent in one of the languages of the International Baccalaureate (English, French or Spanish) as well as demonstrate creative and independent thinking.

You can transfer to a Spanish university from the one you are currently attending. This is possible if you are an excellent student and speak excellent Spanish, and if your university is part of the international student exchange program Erasmus.

Another way is to finish 10th or 11th grade (in Spanish this is called "bachijerato"). If you do not know the language perfectly, you will have time to improve it, and you do not have to pass a separate exam in the language. Also, here you can take courses at the university of your choice and find out everything about the local selection criteria for admission.

Or you can apply to one of those universities that have a special certificate for admission of foreign students. Before applying to a Spanish university, find out whether the school you choose has such a certificate. Admissions Committee may not know that you will need a study visa to Spain to study. Often Spaniards are surprised when they learn that Russians and Ukrainians need a visa to enter Spain. So they can accept your admission documents and tuition fee, but you will not be able to come.

In order to enter a Spanish university, you will need to pass the DELE or SELE language proficiency exam. You will also need to take an exam to assess your level of education, called Selectividad. You can do all of these things, both the language certificate and the Selectividad exam, by correspondence.

However, the Selectividad is not easy to pass, especially if you have chosen a prestigious university with a high passing score. For this reason, we recommend that you enroll in and complete a year's worth of preparatory courses before you plan to take the exam.

If you were not able to pass the entrance exams, you can enroll in extensive language courses in Spain, obtain a student visa to Spain, and prepare for the entrance exams by communicating with local professors and obtaining additional information from local libraries while you are in the country. Fortunately, many language schools in Spain have the right to invite foreign students for long-term studies. Our agency will be happy to advise you on choosing the right school and any other questions related to higher education in Spain.

We are talking about long-term visa type D. There are also C visas, which are issued for up to 90 days and are useful for short-term courses, the same preparatory for admission.

In this article we will tell you how to get a Spanish diploma. That is why we will need a type D visa, which will allow you to stay in the country for up to 180 days.

It is possible to get a type D visa to Spain after enrolling either in one of the Spanish universities, or in courses that have permission to study for foreign students and offer a full-time program.

Once you have received your enrollment document, paid your first year's tuition and rented your housing in Spain, it's time to make an appointment at the Spanish Consulate.

All documents have to be translated into Spanish by an official translator.

Dreamlife Spain offers detailed and detailed consulting services on studying in Spain for foreigners. There are a lot of nuances.

Did you know that expensive private school here does not always mean "good"? Have you heard that the claims that our compatriots make to local schools and universities, sometimes have nothing to do with the criteria of the Spaniards? Did you know that in Barcelona all official certificates and documents are written not in Spanish, but in Catalan, which sometimes confuses even those foreigners who learned Spanish before moving here?

So, the cost of our services is your savings! What seems simple and straightforward will turn into wasted money and time. Not to mention the nerves!