Branches of study

Official university Bachelor education

Official university degree programmes have a duration of 240 credits according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), except for those that are subject to specific legislation or to European Union Law regulations, which require them to have 300 or 360 credits. Their sequential structure is set at 60 credits per year and degree. Exempt from this consideration are international joint degrees arising within the framework of the European Commission's European University Programme and those covered by the Sixth Additional Provision of Royal Decree 822/2021.

Official university degree programmes with 180 ECTS credits which, upon the entry into force of Royal Decree 822/2021 (19 October 2021), were considered official, have a period of two years to apply for a modification of their syllabus in order to adapt it to 240 credits.

These programmes are assigned to one of the thirty-two fields of knowledge listed in Annex I of Royal Decree 822/2021.

Advanced artistic education

Advanced artistic education programmes have a duration of 240 ECTS (60 per academic year) credits and are divided into the following fields:

• music;
• dance;
• performing arts;
• conservation and restoration of cultural heritage;
• design;
• plastic arts.

Admission requirements

Official university Bachelor education

The Government, following a report by the General Conference on University Policy, regulates the access to university studies, establishing the general conditions applicable to the whole of Spain. The regional education administrations adapt and develop them in their respective areas of management.

University access is guaranteed through the observance of the fundamental rights, based on equality, non-discrimination, merit and ability. In addition, universal accessibility and design are also taken into consideration.

The General Conference for University Policy is the body in charge of ensuring that students' access to the official Bachelor programmes is done in a general, objective and universal way and that it is valid in all Spanish universities. Besides, it must also make sure that such access complies with the criteria established by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

Organic Law 3/2020 amending Organic Law 2/2006 on Education (LOMLOE) has introduced, with regard to access to university studies, the need to pass a single entrance exam that will be taken into account together with the bachillerato qualifications. Its basic characteristics will be established by the Government, after consultation with the Sectoral Conference on Education and the General Assembly for University Policy and a prior report from the Council of Universities and the State School Council.

Those who meet any of the following requirements can access official undergraduate university studies:

1. holding one of the following qualifications:
   1. Bachillerato in the Spanish education system or another qualification declared equivalent;
   2. European Baccalaureate or the International Baccalaureate Diploma;
   3. certificates, diplomas or baccalaureate studies (bachillerato) from education systems of European Union member states or other states with which international agreements have been signed on a basis of reciprocity; 
   4. certificates, diplomas or studies, recognised as equivalent to the Spanish Bachillerato certificate, obtained or completed in states that are not members of the EU and with which no international agreements have been signed on a basis of reciprocity; 
   5. Advanced technician in vocational training, in plastic arts and design studies, in sports, or certificates, diplomas or studies declared validated or equivalent to these qualifications;
   6. certificates, diplomas or studies, different from those equivalent to the Bachillerato certificate, the Vocational Training Advanced Technician certificate, the Plastic Arts and Design Advanced Technician certificate, or the Sports Advanced Technician certificate of the Spanish education system, obtained or completed in Member States of the EU or in other States that have signed international agreements with Spain that are applicable in this regard on a basis of reciprocity. In this case, students have to meet the academic requirements established in their countries of origin to have access to their own universities;
   7. official Bachelor's or Masters' degree or equivalent degree;
   8. official Graduated, Technical Architect, Technical Engineer, Bachelor's, Architect, Engineer degrees, corresponding to the previous organisation of university education or equivalent degree;
2. being at least the age listed below and fulfil certain conditions:
   1. 25 years old and having passed the specific entrance examination;
   2. at least 40 years old and having work or professional experience in a particular educational field;
   3. 45 years of age and having passed the specific entrance examination;
3. having carried out partial university studies in Spain or abroad, or having completed a foreign degree which has not yet been recognised or declared equivalent in Spain when the student wants to continue studying in a Spanish university (in this case, students have to be recognised at least 30 ECTS credits by the relevant university);
4. being able to access university according to previous regulations of the Spanish education system.

Public universities establish both the admission procedures and the criteria to take into consideration in each procedure, which depend on the certificate held by each candidate:

• for those who have the qualifications in sections 1.a, 1.b and 1.c, the following applies:
  • universities may exclusively use the final grade obtained in bachillerato or establish admission procedures;
  • if they establish admission procedures, universities must use one or several of the following criteria:
    • branch and subjects taken in previous studies equivalent to the Bachillerato certificate (related to the university qualification chosen);
    • grades obtained in specific subjects taken or in the final evaluation of the studies equivalent to Spanish bachillerato studies;
    • additional academic or vocational training;
    • higher education studies previously pursued.
• In addition, universities may exceptionally establish specific knowledge or skill evaluations.
• for those who have the qualifications in sections 1.d, 1.e, 1.f, 1.g, 1.h, 3 and 4, the following applies:
  • universities must establish admission procedures for sections 1.d and 1.e;
  • universities may establish admission procedures for sections 1.f, 1.g, 1.h, 3 and 4;
  • in all cases, the admission procedures established by universities must use one or several of the following criteria:
    • the final grade obtained in the studies completed or in specific modules or subjects;
    • the relationship between the curricula of the previous studies and the relevant university studies (in the cases of the Vocational Training Advanced Technician certificate, the Plastic Arts and Design Advanced Technician certificate or the Sports Advanced Technician certificate, the attachment to the branch of knowledge established in Royal Decree 1618/2011, as well as the relationship between the studies mentioned and the Bachelor's degrees, must be taken into account);
    • additional academic or vocational training;
    • higher education studies previously pursued.
• Universities may exceptionally establish specific knowledge or skill evaluations.

In those cases in which there is an admission procedure, each university decides on the location and dates for the sessions, as well as on the registration dates for students and the date when the examination will be held. The education authorities may coordinate the admission procedures of the universities within their territories. In addition, universities may agree on the joint carrying-out of all or part of the admission procedures, as well as the mutual recognition of the results of such procedures. The decisions adopted must be reported to the General Conference for University Policy and to the Council of Universities.

Entrance examinations

Final evaluation of bachillerato in order to have access to university education

The evaluation of bachillerato for university entrance in the academic year 2023/24 features the following characteristics:

• Subjects evaluated:

General subjects1	General subjects in each modality	Optional subjects
		2nd year option subjects	second foreign language other than that taken as a common subject
Spanish language and literature II, foreign language II, co-official language and literature (in those autonomous communities with a co-official language) + history of Spain or history of philosophy, to choose from	Science and Technology mathematics II or mathematics applied to social sciences II, to choose from	At least two subjects. These can be either two subjects of the second year of Bachillerato, or one subject of the second year of Bachillerato and the common subject that was not previously chosen when opting between history of Spain and history of philosophy, provided that the applicant wishes to opt for a university that has planned to take into account the qualification of the latter two subjects in its admissions process
	General general sciences
	Humanities and Social Sciences Latin II or mathematics applied to social sciences II
	Arts visual arts, image and sound: Artistic Drawing II music and performing arts: music analysis II or performing arts II, to choose from

¹The exam tests students in six subjects (general and optional) from the second year of the stage (seven in those autonomous communities with a co-official language). The four general subjects are used to obtain a mark of between 0 and 10 points. The two optional subjects allow the mark to be raised to 14 points.

Source: Drawn up by Eurydice Spain-Spanish Network for Information on Education (National Institute for Educational Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports) based on current regulations.

• Length of tests:
  • One test for each subject. In each test, students are given a single examination paper with several questions.
  • In the design of the test, the number of questions to be developed by the students is adapted to the maximum time of the test, including the reading time.
  • The learner has to answer, at his/her choice, a number of questions previously determined by the competent body. This number allows all students to achieve the maximum score in the test, irrespective of the circumstances in which they may have had access to teaching and learning in the event of a suspension of face-to-face teaching activity. All questions are open to choice.
  • Each test lasts 90 minutes. There is a break between consecutive tests of, at least, 30 minutes, which is not part of the extension of the time granted to students with special educational needs who may have been prescribed such measure.
  • The whole evaluation has, preferably, a maximum duration of 4 days. The education authorities with a co-official language may establish, preferably, a maximum duration of 5 days.
• Tests and types of questions:
  • Preferably, tests are contextualised within environments close to students’ life: personal, family, school and social situations, apart from scientific and humanistic environments.
  • Each test should contain open and semi-structured questions that require critical thinking, reflection and maturity from students. Multiple-choice questions might be used, provided that the percentage of open and semi-structured questions in each test is at least 50 per cent.
  • The categories of questions are defined as follows:
    • Multiple-choice: questions with only one unequivocal correct answer and which do not require students to construct, as they are limited to choosing one of the options proposed.
    • Semi-structured-ended: questions with an unequivocal correct answer and which require students to construct. This construction will be brief, for example, a number that provides an answer to a mathematical problem, or a word that completes a sentence or provides an answer to a question, as long as a list of possible answers is not provided.
    • Open-ended: questions which require construction by the students and which do not have a single unequivocal correct answer. This type includes written productions and plastic compositions.
• Content of the tests:
  • At least 70 per cent of the grade for each test must be obtained from the evaluation of learning standards.
  • The education authorities may complete the remaining 30 per cent with the standards established in the rest of the curriculum of the stage.
• Deadlines for taking the tests:
  • Ordinary examination session: before 14 June 2024 and provisional results must be published before 28 June 2024.
  • Extraordinary call: before 12 July 2024 (if the relevant education administration decides to hold the extraordinary call in July) or 13 September 2024 (if the relevant education administration decides to hold the extraordinary call in September). The provisional results must be published before 19 July 2024 (in the first scenario) or 19 September 2024 (in the second scenario).
• Grade for access to university education:
  • 40 per cent from the grade from the Bachillerato evaluation;
  • 60 per cent from the final grade of the stage;
  • the final grade must be 5 points or above in order to have access to university education.
• Grade for the evaluation of Bachillerato: arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in each test evaluating the general subjects and, where appropriate, the subject of co-official language and literature. It is expressed on a scale from 0 to 10 to three decimal places and rounded to the nearest one-thousandth. It must be 4 points or above to be taken into account in access to official undergraduate university education.
• General characteristics:
  • It is valid for an unlimited period.
  • The grades of the tests taken to improve the admission mark are valid for the two academic years following the passing of these tests.
  • Each student may sit successive examination sessions in order to improve the grade obtained in any of the tests. The grade obtained in the new examination session is taken into account if it is higher than the previous one.
  • Students may request a review of the grades obtained.
  • The education authorities, in collaboration with universities, are responsible of organising the tests. Each authority limits the scope of the collaboration of their universities in the carrying out of the tests.
  • The education authorities may administer context questionnaires, which are anonymous.

Access for people aged over 25, 40 y 45

	GENERAL PART	SPECIFIC PART
People aged over 25	It is compulsory not to have any academic qualification to gain access to university by other means.
	Tests: - text analysis or development of a general issue of current interest; - Spanish language; - foreign language, choosing between English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese; - co-official language of the autonomous community where the entrance examination is sat, in those autonomous communities with a co-official language: the education authority may establish a mandatory exercise on the relevant language;	It is structured into five options, out of which they have to choose one: A: Arts and Humanities B: Sciences C: Health Sciences D: Social and Legal Sciences E: Engineering and Architecture.
People aged over 45	It is compulsory not to have any academic qualification to gain access to university by other means.
	- text analysis or development of a general issue of current interest - Spanish language - co-official language of the autonomous community where the entrance examination is sat, in those autonomous communities with a co-official language: the education authority may establish a mandatory exercise on the relevant language - personal interview whose result must be a ‘Pass’ in order to be admitted.
People aged 40 who can prove work or professional experience	It is compulsory not to have any academic qualification to gain access to university by other means.
	Requirements: - to be 40 before the beginning of the relevant academic year - the work or professional experience proven must be related to a discipline Universities include the accreditation criteria, as well as the related areas of work or professional experience, in the report on the study programme for each type of provision, so that they can rank the candidates. In all cases, a personal interview is held with the candidate.

Source: Drawn up by Eurydice Spain-Spanish Network for Information on Education (National Institute for Educational Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports) based on current regulations.

The following aspects should be highlighted regarding the entrance examinations for people aged over 25 and over 45:

• frequency and carrying out of the examinations:
  • they are held annually;
  • candidates may sit the examination in as many universities as they want;
  • once they have passed the entrance examination, candidates may resit the test at other examination sessions in order to improve their grade. For access to undergraduate studies, the qualification obtained in the last call is the one taken into consideration, as long as it is higher than the one obtained in the previous call.
• grading of the examinations:
  • the final grade, as well as the marks obtained in the different exercises, is the arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in both the general and the specific part (in the examination for people aged over 25) or in the exercises (in the examination for people aged over 45), graded on a scale from 0 to 10 and expressed to two decimal places;
  • in order to pass the examination, candidates must obtain a final grade of 5 points, and must obtain this same grade in both parts (in the examination for people aged over 25) or in any of the exercises (in the examination for people aged over 45, where they also need to pass the personal interview).

The maximum number of places offered by each university for each degree and centre is published annually. These places are proposed by the universities and must be approved by the corresponding autonomous community.

The autonomous communities are responsible for programming the educational provision of public universities under their jurisdiction as well as their different centres, in agreement with them and in accordance with the procedures established by them.

The offer of places is communicated to the General Assembly for University Policy for its assessment in order to determine the general offer of courses and places, which is then published in the Official State Gazette (BOE).

These maximum limits of places affect all universities, public and private.

Public universities establish both the order of priority in the allocation of places and the rules that will apply to establish that order, which in any case must respect the following percentages of place reservation:

• for people who have passed the university entrance exam for people over 25 years of age, a number of places of not less than 2 per cent is reserved;
• for people who have passed the university entrance exam for over 45 years or the accreditation of a work or professional experience a number of places between 1 and 3 per cent is reserved;
• in any case, up to 5 percent of the reserve quota of the total number of places offered for the degree must be guaranteed for students who take part in the extraordinary university entrance exams;
• for students with a recognized degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 per cent and for students with permanent special educational needs associated with personal circumstances of disability, who during their previous schooling have required resources and supports for their full educational normalization at least 5 per cent of places are reserved;
• a minimum percentage of 3 per cent of the places offered is reserved for high level or high performance athletes who demonstrate this condition and meet the corresponding academic requirements;
• between 1 and 3 per cent of the places offered are reserved for people who already have an official university degree or equivalent.

Advanced artistic education

The general requirements for access to these courses are:

• to hold a Bachelor's degree or to have passed the university entrance exam for students over 25 years of age;
• to pass the specific exam of the degree and the speciality to which you wish to access.

There are certain specifications for access depending on the degree you wish to study:

• higher music and dance education: the professional qualification of music or dance is taken into account in the final qualification of the entrance exam. The average grade of the student's transcript represents a maximum of 50 per cent of the admission grade. Each education administration specifies this percentage for its area of competence;
• higher education in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, design and plastic arts: those who hold an Advanced Technician in Plastic Arts and Design degree, in the percentage that each education administration determines for their area of competence, can have direct access to these courses, without the need to take the specific entrance test.

Education administrations are in charge of:

• Regulating and organising an access test for applicants over 19 years of age who do not meet the general access requirements. This test is related to the baccalaureate objectives, as well as the knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to successfully complete the education to which the student wishes to access. The passing of this test has permanent validity for access to advanced artistic education throughout the state.
• The call, organisation, development and evaluation of the specific access test. This test is held at least once a year and can only be passed during the academic year in which it has been held.
• Establishing the number of places to be offered in these courses.

Exceptionally, those students over 18 years of age may have direct access to advanced artistic education, and those over 16 years of age may have access to higher music or dance studies, by passing a specific test, regulated and organised by the education administrations, which confirms that the applicant has the knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to successfully pursue the corresponding education.

Curriculum

Official university Bachelor education

Universities enjoy autonomy in the design of the curriculum for the courses and degrees they offer. However, the programmes must be verified by the Council of Universities and receive authorisation from the relevant regional government, once they have been submitted for consultation to the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and/or the analogous agency in the corresponding autonomous community.

Once the studies have been verified and accredited, the studies are registered in the Registry of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) as a mandatory requisite to obtain the official validity throughout Spain.

The guidelines to be followed by each university in the design of their study programmes are the following:

• They have to include a minimum of 60 credits of basic training.
• At least half of the basic training credits must be linked to the same knowledge branch to which the programme belongs.
• The rest of the basic training credits must be related to other fields of knowledge different from the one to which the degree has been assigned and must take the form of subjects or disciplines with a minimum of 6 credits each. These must be offered during the first half of the curriculum.
• The remaining credits must be made up of other subjects or disciplines that reinforce the scope and strength of the competences and knowledge of the educational project that is the degree.
• In Bachelor's degrees with 300 and 360 credits, basic training consists of a minimum of 75 and 90 credits, respectively.
• When the curriculum includes external placements these must account for a maximum of 25 per cent of the total number of credits in the degree, with the exception of those degrees that are required by the European Union regulations to have a different percentage, and they must be offered preferably in the second half of the curriculum. Also exempt from this rule are those degrees that include the dual mention, the length of which will be between 20 and 40 per cent of the credits in Bachelor's degrees.
• The end-of-degree project (TFG), which is compulsory and must be passed in order for students to gain mastery and be able to apply the knowledge, competences and skills that define the official university degree. It must have a minimum of 6 ECTS credits and a maximum of 24 credits for 240-credit degrees, 30 credits for 300-credit degrees and 36 credits for 360-credit degrees. It must be completed in the final phase of the curriculum, following the criteria established by each university or centre.

Advanced artistic education

For these studies, the Government, after consulting the autonomous communities and the Advanced Council of Artistic Education, is responsible for defining the basic content of the curricula of the Advanced Degrees of Artistic Education in the corresponding specialties, specifying the competences, the subjects and their descriptors, the contents and the number of credits of each degree.

Subsequently, the education administrations complete the basic curriculum and approve the curriculum corresponding to each degree, for its area of influence.

In this process, the MEFD, through the State High Inspectorate, supervises that these curricula are prepared in accordance with the regulations in force.

The degree plans have these characteristics:

• they must contain all the theoretical and practical training that each student must acquire: basic training subjects specific to their field, compulsory and optional subjects, seminars, external work placements, supervised work, end-of-study projects and other training activities;
• external placements, if any, have a maximum length of 60 credits and should preferably be offered in the second half of the programme;
• are considered complete with the end of studies project which must have a minimum extension of 6 credits and a maximum of 30, and which must be carried out in the final phase of the curriculum and be oriented towards the evaluation of competences associated with the degree;
• each student can obtain academic recognition in credits for participating in cultural activities, as well as sporting, student representation, solidarity and cooperation activities up to a maximum of 6 credits of the total syllabus taken.

Teaching methods

Official university Bachelor education

Universities follow the principle of autonomy to decide on their own teaching methodologies.

Teachers employ different teaching methods at university, being lectures the most common practice, although it is becoming more and more common to resort to other types of activities, such as seminars, cooperative work, learning based on problem-solving activities, project-based learning, etc. Practical classes are very frequent in experimental science studies.

The university departments are the teaching and research units responsible for coordinating studies of one or more fields of knowledge in one or more university centres according to the teaching programme of the university, and for supporting the teaching activities and initiatives of the teaching staff. In practice, teachers are free to make use of the teaching methods and pedagogical resources they consider more appropriate.

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the classroom is quite frequent. Most universities have technology support services for teachers, so as to help them devise multimedia materials and to encourage the use of ICT. Presentations by means of computers or overhead projectors are also common practice, as well as the use of videos, computer-assisted learning, etc. In addition, teacher/student communication through the Internet or through virtual classrooms, online platforms, virtual spaces for specific subjects, websites, and so on.

Advanced artistic education

The centres that offer these studies have pedagogical autonomy. It is the obligation of the education administrations to provide these centres with the necessary resources to facilitate their activity, and to develop their objectives in the areas of teaching, research and artistic creation.

Progression of students

Official university Bachelor education

Universities, making use of their autonomy, establish the conditions for the promotion of the students, as well as the minimum and maximum periods of permanence of students.

In order to pass a subject, students are allowed to sit examinations for a limited number of times, ranging from four to six, and only twice a year.

Advanced artistic education

The education administrations are responsible for establishing the conditions for the promotion of students in the curricula of each degree in these studies.

Employability

The improvement of employability of university graduates is a constant source of concern for education authorities and universities. In response to this concern, Article 61 of Law 2/2011 on Sustainable Economy establishes that university education must respond to the following principles:

• the incorporation, in their study plans, of abilities and skills oriented towards innovation, creativity, business initiative and entrepreneurship, integrating them into the different subjects, concepts and cross-curricular competences, in learning methods and in examinations, and in all educational levels;
• the proposals for new degrees and educational provision which prepare students for the qualifications required by new employment needs so as to improve employability of citizens in the labour market;
• the promotion of adaptability to social and economic changes, providing citizens with opportunities for ongoing professional development and extension of university studies;
• the effective incorporation of university graduates into the labour market, strengthening the links between universities and the business world, paying special attention to the promotion of competences for entrepreneurship and self-employment.

Collaboration between universities and the productive sector may be articulated on the basis of the following initiatives:

• the creation of technology-based innovation companies;
• the establishment of innovation poles, by means of providing a common physical space for universities and companies in the production sector;
• the launching and promotion of programmes to enhance transfer and appreciation of knowledge;
• the creation of consortiums for research and the transfer of knowledge;
• the creation of corporate-sponsored university chairs, based on the collaboration in research projects which allow university students to participate and combine their research activity with training opportunities.

In addition, both in the regulations for university education and in the University Student Statute there are a series of specific measures aimed at promoting the employability of university students, such as:

• mobility programmes through university cooperation agreements which pay attention to academic training related to the degree in which the student is enrolled, and to other competence areas, such as training for employment;
• the integration of external placements into the curricula;
• student information and guidance services with the aim, among others, to provide information and orientation regarding learning itineraries and future professional opportunities, training in cross-curricular competences and design of professional projects, in order to facilitate the employability and insertion of students in the labour market;
• guidance and monitoring through tutoring at degree level, in which those who coordinate and tutor each programme assist and guide students regarding their learning process as well as their professional prospects in the labour market;
• the organisation of alumni associations, registered in the universities, which, among other functions, actively collaborate in the incorporation of graduates into the labour market.

Student assessment

In official university Bachelor education programmes, universities verify the knowledge acquired by students, as well as the development of their intellectual training and their academic achievements. In order to do so, it is necessary to establish assessment regulations. Evaluation objectives, tools, procedures, activities and criteria are set up in the syllabi of each programme, and fall under the responsibility of university departments and teachers.

As a result of the adaptation to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The European credit is the unit for academic accreditation, it represents the amount of work that a student must complete in order to attain the programme's objectives.

Each ECTS credit represents between 25 and 30 class hours. In order to obtain the number of ECTS credits assigned to a subject, both in practical or theoretical learning or in any other academic activity, students must pass the exams or assessment procedures established for that area.

In advanced artistic education, the assessment aims to verify the degree and level of acquisition and consolidation of the transversal, general and specific skills defined for each degree. It is differentiated by subject and has an integrating character.

All aspects of the assessment are defined in the curriculum that the education administrations prepare for each degree and it is the centres that deliver them and their teaching staff who are in charge of conducting it.

In both courses, the results obtained by each student in each of the subjects included in the academic record receive a numerical grade from 0 to 10, with a decimal position, which can be followed by a qualitative grade:

• 0-4.9: fail;
• 5–6.9: pass;
• 7–8.9: very good;
• 9–10: excellent.

Students may also be awarded an Excellent mark 'with Distinction', when the student has obtained a 9 or higher grade. The number of such mentions may not exceed 5 per cent of the students enrolled in a subject in an academic year. When the number of students is less than 20, only one excellent mark with distinction may be awarded.

Certification

The Bachelor's degree is obtained after having passed:

• official university Bachelor programmes, with the following characteristics:
  • mention of the specific designation that, in each case, appears in the Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT);
  • issued, on behalf of the King of Spain, by the university Chancellor;
  • official and valid throughout the national territory;
  • enables the holder to carry out regulated professional activities.
• advanced artistic studies, with the following characteristics:
  • mention of the the field and the corresponding speciality;
  • it is validated by the State and issued by the education administrations, and registered in the State Register of Non-University Teaching Centres (RCD);
  • official and valid throughout the national territory.

This qualification certifies that the holder has attained the competences set out in level 2 of MECES, which corresponds to level 6 of the European Qualifications Framework.

Some university studies and some advanced studies in artistic education certify level 3. This qualification level is achieved through resolution of the Council of Universities. The aim is to facilitate the mobility of Spanish graduates abroad through a system that recognises the specificity of these university studies.

As a result of the process of adaptation to the EHEA, and in order to promote the mobility of students and holders of a Spanish qualification, universities (for official undergraduate university studies) and education administrations (for advanced artistic education) may issue, upon request, the European Diploma Supplement (SET). This document is attached to each official diploma valid throughout the national territory. It contains unified and personalised information for each higher education graduate on the studies undertaken, the results obtained, the professional skills acquired and the level of his or her qualification in the national higher education system.

The SET must contain the following information:

• identification data of the degree holder;
• information on the degree;
• information on the qualification level;
• information on the contents and results obtained;
• information on the purpose of the qualification;
• further relevant information;
• SET certification;
• information on the national higher education system.

In the case of students who study only some parts of the programme, the SET is not issued. A certificate of studies is issued instead, with the content of the corresponding supplement model.

Relationships and recognition between higher education qualifications

The MEFD has regulated the recognition of studies among the different higher education degrees:

• Bachelor's degree (obtained by pursuing official university programmes or advanced artistic education programmes);
• Vocational Training Advanced Technician;
• Plastic Arts and Design Advanced Technician;
• Sports Education Advanced Technician.

They may be eligible for recognition:

• complete studies leading to formal qualifications in higher education;
• periods of studies completed in official university degree programmes or in advanced artistic education programmes, provided that they are officially accredited in ECTS credits;
• specialisation courses which refer to a diploma of Vocational Training Advanced  Technician or Sports Advanced Technician, provided that they are officially accredited in ECTS credits;
• foreign degrees, if they have been validated to an official Spanish higher education degree.

The authority in charge of the recognition of studies varies according to the studies that you wish to validate and the studies that you wish to pursue. Thus, it corresponds to:

• the education administrations in the case of official university Bachelor's degrees when the student is willing to pursue studies leading to an Advanced Technician degree, Sports Advanced Technician degree or Advanced Artistic Education degree;
• universities in the case of Advanced Artistic Education degrees, Advanced Technician degrees or Sports Advanced Technician degrees when the student is willing to pursue studies leading to an official Bachelor's degree.

The recognition of studies is made taking into account the adequacy of skills, knowledge and learning outcomes between the subjects of the Bachelor's degrees and the modules or subjects of the Advanced Technician degrees.

When there is a direct relationship between the degree to be validated and the one to be studied, the competent authorities guarantee the recognition of a minimum number of ECTS credits, which varies depending on the duration of the curricula or study plans:

		Studies to be completed
		Bachelor's degree (official university Bachelor programmes)	Bachelor's degree (advanced artistic  education programmes)	Vocational Training Advanced Technician	Plastic Arts and Design Advanced Technician	Sports Education Advanced Technician
Studies to be validated	Bachelor's degree (official university Bachelor's degrees)		36	24	24	16
	Bachelor's degree (advanced artistic  education programmes)	36		24	24	16
	Vocational Training Advanced Technician	30	30
	Plastic Arts and Design Advanced Technician	30	30
	Sports Education Advanced Technician	27	27

Source: Drawn up by Eurydice Spain-Spanish Network for Information on Education (INEE, MEFD) on the basis of current regulations.

The direct relationship between the Bachelor's degree in official Bachelor's degree courses and the degrees in Advanced Artistic Education, Advanced Technician and Advanced Sports Technician must be established through an agreement between the university that offers them and the corresponding education administration. This agreement must be communicated to the MEFD and respect the criteria established by the MEFD. It is effective throughout the national territory and must be published in an official medium accessible to the public.

Completed practical training of a similar nature must also be subject to recognition, either totally or partially; in particular:

• external placements which are part of the curriculum in official university degree courses and in advanced artistic education;
• the Workplace Training (FCT) module of advanced vocational training courses;
• the credits assigned to the phase of practical training in companies, studies and workshops of advanced vocational training in plastic arts and design;
• the credits assigned to the phase or module of practical training for advanced vocational education in sports.

Accredited professional and work experience may also be recognised in terms of ECTS credits, with validity to obtain an official degree, provided that the experience is related with the competences inherent to the qualification. The number of total credits to be recognised from professional or work experience and non-official university education may not exceed 15 per cent of the total credits constituting the curriculum. The recognition of these credits does not count towards the calculation of the average grade in the academic record. Credits from private degrees may, exceptionally, be recognised at a rate higher than 15 per cent or, where applicable, be recognised in full provided that the corresponding degree has been extinguished and replaced by an official degree.

In no case may the recognition of studies:

• involve obtaining a higher education degree through the recognition of the whole set of its contents. The studies that are going to be validated may not exceed 60 per cent of the credits of the degree that the student wishes to pursue;
• recognise or validate the credits corresponding to:
  • end-of-degree projects for official university Bachelor programmes or advanced artistic  education programmes;
  • modules of final project or integrated project in vocational training in plastic arts and design;
  • professional project modules in vocational education courses;
  • final project modules in sports education. 

When the recognition is requested in order to pursue a degree that gives access to the exercise of a regulated profession, it must be verified that the alleged studies respond to the required conditions that guarantee the necessary professional qualification.